A Tale of Two Trips: Disneyland and Hawaii July 2014 Long Way Home: The End 9/13 p.40

[mickeystoontown]

Knowing that you aren't a shopper, I'm actually a bit surprised that you shopped for an entire hour. I loved all of the t-shirts and would have had a hard time choosing just one of them. Nice job on your jacket choice. I like it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

This shirt reminds me of one that I've seen in the gift shop of the Wilderness Lodge.

I never like to spend too much time shopping either, but a little bit can be fun.

 

[CarlaT]

Getting excited 1 week from today and we will be in DL!
I'm still having a hard time believing how close everything it. The pic from GRR with the Grand Californian in the background really give me some sense of the closeness. I'm use to WDW it could take a while to get back to the resort.
Love the grey zip hoodie you bought. I have a blue one with Mickey and a tan one with Minnie from WDW. I will have to find that same one and buy it too. Perfect for a cool night.
Your pics from the WOC meal makes me want to consider booking it. Is that something I should book ahead of time or can I book it there?

Carla

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I like to get a coffee mug from a new destination. THey are great conversation pieces when friends are over and useful

 

[natebenma]

Fun update, Dee. I can't believe you guys never "shop" while on vacation. Mark makes me stop in almost EVERY SINGLE STORE in EVERY SINGLE PARK and DTD.

I love seeing the different t-shirts that they have at DL as opposed to DW.
I'm guessing Mark got the I don't Tweet, I Quack shirt.

Thank you!

I don't like to shop in general and especially on vacation, I don't like to take the time out from having fun to go into stores.

Now if I had a habit of trying on different and interesting hats, that might be a different story!

Good guess on the shirt, since Mark is a computer nerd...

Will reveal before the next update.

DL seems so unbelievably small compared to WDW. Can't believe your room was that close to the shopping and the parks.

Everything really is close together and staying at the Grand Californian really puts you in the middle of the action! 5 minutes to DTD, 5 minutes to the special entrance to CA and 10 minutes to DL.

Knowing that you aren't a shopper, I'm actually a bit surprised that you shopped for an entire hour. I loved all of the t-shirts and would have had a hard time choosing just one of them. Nice job on your jacket choice. I like it!

Yeah, it probably wasn't actually a whole hour, but just felt like it. We really don't like shopping. Let's just say our family and friends rarely get souvenir presents from us.

There were a lot of really great shirts. Mark's line of thought was that he didn't know when or if we would be back to Disneyland again, so he wanted to get a shirt that represented our trip.

I love my light jacket, in fact I used it today.

This shirt reminds me of one that I've seen in the gift shop of the Wilderness Lodge.

I never like to spend too much time shopping either, but a little bit can be fun.

Excellent guess! Mark is an understated kind of guy, so this is exactly his style.

Will reveal soon...

I have spent a little time looking around the Beach Club Marketplace, but I have never even been in the Yacht Club gift shop!

Getting excited 1 week from today and we will be in DL!
I'm still having a hard time believing how close everything it. The pic from GRR with the Grand Californian in the background really give me some sense of the closeness. I'm use to WDW it could take a while to get back to the resort.
Love the grey zip hoodie you bought. I have a blue one with Mickey and a tan one with Minnie from WDW. I will have to find that same one and buy it too. Perfect for a cool night.
Your pics from the WOC meal makes me want to consider booking it. Is that something I should book ahead of time or can I book it there?

Carla

I bet you are getting excited!

It really is nice to have everything so close together.

The jacket is great- the perfect thickness and very comfortable!

We booked the WoC dinner package about a week out from our trip, so not too far in advance. The restaurant did not seem very crowded at all, so I bet you could book when you are there. The menu changes seasonally, so you may want to see what is offered while you are there.

My WoC chapter is two updates away, but I will try to post it before you leave.

I like to get a coffee mug from a new destination. THey are great conversation pieces when friends are over and useful

I don't always go shopping, but when I do, I like to get something practical.

A coffee mug often fits the bill for me too. I like the travel mugs with the lids because it keeps my coffee warmer while I drink it, but I always have trouble with them leaking.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow, you were really close to WOD. Just a slide down the fire escape and you're there.

Oh you have to get some Disneyland specific merch. It's mandatory. I like your choice of sweatshirt.

 

[natebenma]

Wow, you were really close to WOD. Just a slide down the fire escape and you're there.

Oh you have to get some Disneyland specific merch. It's mandatory. I like your choice of sweatshirt.

We were seriously close to World of Disney. Spitting-distance close (not that I know that from experience)

Yes, getting some DL merchandise was mandatory, at least for Mark and me. The shirt Nate got was not specifically DL, it was California, and I don't think Ben got any t-shirts here.

I actually don't have much WDW merchandise/clothing. I have a Blue Mickey shirt that I had to purchase when I got drenched during Nate's class trip and I didn't have anything else to wear for the trip home. And I have a Beach Club t-shirt that a friend got for me.

I have more Harry Potter stuff from IoA
A red and gold Potter Quiddich Shirt, a Maurader's Map/Mischief Managed t-shirt and Ben has given me his Deathly Hallows shirt. So I will be close to all set for February.

 

[natebenma]

And now, it is time for the “Tour de T’s” - These were some of the shirts we considered purchasing.












Mark ended up choosing one of the shirts above. Which one do you think?

I'm guessing Mark got the I don't Tweet, I Quack shirt.

This was an excellent guess, Kathy. Mark really liked this one but ultimately, he did not pick this one because it didn't specifically represent Disneyland.

This shirt reminds me of one that I've seen in the gift shop of the Wilderness Lodge.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

This is the one he picked because it represented Disneyland and had lots of the DL/CA attractions depicted.

 

[natebenma]

After getting our requisite shopping out of the way, it was time to get back to the parks!

One thing I made clear to my family for this day is that I wanted to see the Aladdin show at California Adventure. I have heard nothing but raves about this production, and Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies.

The final show of the day was scheduled at 6:20.

Let’s check my watch to see what time it is.



5:10 pm

The boys wanted to go on Indiana Jones.

We walked that way.









Is this the Partners statue or the outdoor seating for Starbucks?


When we got to the Indiana Jones queue, and saw the wait time, I knew it would be cutting it close for me to do this and be able to get to see the Aladdin show.

So I told my family I was leaving and would see them later.

The boys did Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain and got a Dole Whip while we were apart.


Dee's (Solo) California Adventure: Animation and Aladdin (Continued in Next Post)

 

[natebenma]

Continued from previous post

I had a little bit of time to explore before I had to get to the theatre for Aladdin.

I decided to head over to the Animation building in Hollywoodland. It is near the theatre and I knew my family would not be interested in seeing anything there.


Disney Animation (from the Disneyland website)

Behold the art of bringing Disney characters to life, from pencil to pixel! Step into the Disney Animation building and learn firsthand the secrets of how animators apply their imagination to the screen through a magical collection of interactive adventures!


The Animation Courtyard

When you enter the circular lobby, marvel at the enormous multimedia displays and breathtaking sound system. Original character sketches appear on giant screens along with clips from the films. Keep an eye out for alluring light patterns that paint the floor, as well as other optical treats!
This is the hub from which you can access the other experiences. So from here you can step on into any of the following wings:

I guess I didn’t take any pictures here, but it was cool seeing some of the animation cells and scenes from Disney movies.


Animation Academy



In this magical classroom, learn the secrets of how to draw a classic Disney character with a hands-on lesson from a Disney artist! When class is over, you can take home your masterpiece.

I have always wanted to do this, I haven’t tried it at Hollywood Studios either, but there just wasn’t enough time.


Character Close-Up

In Character Close-Up, discover how Disney artists create the characters loved the world over. Gaze upon the amazing works in this gallery dedicated to the art and artists of Disney animation. Learn from their sketches how Disney characters change over time, from initial concept to final format.

I didn’t do this, either.


Turtle Talk with Crush

Check it, dudes! You can totally talk to Crush in this awesome interactive encounter at the Animation Screening Room. Chill with the righteous surfer turtle from Disney•Pixar's Finding Nemo and learn mondo facts about his aquatic life as he asks you questions about being human.

Later, dudes!

I haven’t seen this at EPCOT, either.



Sorcerer's Workshop

Check out these 3 rooms that each contain interactive experiences exploring the development of character appearance, personality and voice:

Magic Mirror Realm — Enter ye into this medieval castle and learn how to create simple animation. The very walls reveal many of your favorite Disney characters beautifully arranged by theme: Fairies and Spirits, Heroes, Villains and Mentors. See if you can spot the artful astrological symbols that grace each one!








The Beast's Library — Find your "Disney self" in this glorious library that fades to disrepair as the Beast's famous rose loses its petals! The library repairs itself before it darkens again, its pristine draperies becoming tattered and aged. Sit at one of the royal storybooks and take a quiz to discover which of the Disney characters you are most like.











Ursula's Grotto — "Become" the voices of classic Disney characters in a mini-theater! Venture into the villainesses' undersea grotto and stand in each "movie pod," where you can choose to either act or sing in a famous Disney movie scene. The pod will play back the scene on 2 different projection surfaces complete with your voice! If you watch carefully, you might get a glimmer of Ursula's henchman, Flotsam and Jetsam, slithering around the room.




I did walk through these areas, but I didn’t try any of the interactive stuff.


But the highlight of this building for me was this:



Don't miss the mesmerizing Toy Story Zoetrope! Instead of using traditional, one-dimensional drawings, the Toy Story Zoetrope features 3-D figures of characters from the Disney•Pixar film Toy Story 2 mounted on spinning disks. As the disks whirl under a flashing strobe light, the characters appear to come to life right before your eyes!


What is a Zoetrope you ask??? I didn’t know either! This is from Wikipedia:


A zoetrope is one of several pre-cinema animation devices that produce the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion. The name zoetrope was composed from the Greek root words ζωή zoe, "life" and τρόπος tropos, "turning".

The zoetrope consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. On the inner surface of the cylinder is a band with images from a set of sequenced pictures. As the cylinder spins, the user looks through the slits at the pictures across. The scanning of the slits keeps the pictures from simply blurring together, and the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion. From the late 20th century, devices working on similar principles have been developed, named analogously as linear zoetropes and 3D zoetropes, with traditional zoetropes referred to as "cylindrical zoetropes" if distinction is needed.


I had read about Toy Story Zoetrope in jenseib’s trip report It’s Always Sunny in California… Eh? Li’l Bit!

and I was excited to see it for myself.













Here’s a video I took of the Zoetrope in motion




The "motion" is actually a lot smoother and fluid when you see it in person.

As mesmerizing as it was to watch this again and again, it was time for me to enter the theatre for the show.







It was kind of strange- you go inside the doors, but then you are outside in a covered courtyard, waiting to be let into the theatre. There were some different corrals which I think corresponded to where you will be seated in the theatre, but I didn’t really know how that worked.

I ended up with a seat pretty high up and slightly to the right





Because this is a live action show, and flash photography was prohibited, I limited the pictures that I took. I shut off my flash, but I still felt weird taking too many photos.













The show was outstanding! The scenery was beautiful, the effects were amazing, the actors were very talented. The genie was gut-bustingly funny. He was ad-libbing, a lot of topical stuff. I know he said something about the Kardashians and I also cracked up when he made a Harry Potter joke. I wish I could remember what it was.

My only issue with the show was the length. I guess I didn’t really pay attention to the run time, but it is about 40 minutes long. Much longer than most Disney shows. And the reason that this was a problem was that I knew my family would be looking to meet back up with me.

I texted Mark to let him know when I thought the show would be done, and that I would contact him when I was out of the theatre. It was a little after 7 pm when the show was over and I met up with Mark and Nate as they were waiting for Ben to ride California Screamin’ using the Single Rider Line.

I’ll end here with our reunion and in the next update I’ll complete the rest of our Colorful night.

Next Up: In the Dark, Nobody Hears You Screamin' and World of Color

Click here for next update

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

My, what a big watch you have Dee.

"Is this the Partners statue or the outdoor seating for Starbucks?"

I didn't spend near enough time in the animation building when I was there.

You can even visit a bit of Beast's castle without a reservation!!

Part of my problem for not exploring more... the Zoetrope. I was so fascinated by that. I just could not seem to pull myself away.

The Aladdin show. Truly world class. Did they do the Flying Carpet scene (with the carpet actually flying)? They didn't when I was there because apparently there had been an accident a while before, so it was cut. Wondering if they ever brought it back. Loved this show though, and Genie was sensational.

 

[Wood Nymph]

It would be nice if they would bring the Aladdin Show to WDW. They need some new stuff at WDW, Too many of the shows are the same ones that they have had for decades.

I actually don't have much WDW merchandise/clothing. I have a Blue Mickey shirt that I had to purchase when I got drenched during Nate's class trip and I didn't have anything else to wear for the trip home. And I have a Beach Club t-shirt that a friend got for me.

I only have two articles of Disney themed clothing. One is a waterproof jacket with a small Tigger on it. I've had it for at least 17 years and it is a well constructed jacket. I am not giving that one up. The other is a white hooded sweatshirt with a small Mickey Mouse that comes along on just about all my trips. I've had that one for at least eight years. Did you know that white is nice because it can be bleached.

In this magical classroom, learn the secrets of how to draw a classic Disney character with a hands-on lesson from a Disney artist! When class is over, you can take home your masterpiece.

I have always wanted to do this, I haven’t tried it at Hollywood Studios either, but there just wasn’t enough time.

It took a lot of trips before we finally found the time to do this class. I think it took a hot and humid Sept trip and the need to find some air conditioning that finally did it. It is a lot of fun and very different from the usual types of entertainment available at Disney

 

[KatMark]

Dee, a fun update. I do like your "personal watch."

Love your tour of the Animation Courtyard. I remember reading about the Zoetrope in Jen's report. I enjoyed your video of it.

The Aladdin show sounds fabulous and I would love to see it. 40 minutes is a long time for a show.

 

[MEK]

Here’s a video I took of the Zoetrope in motion




The "motion" is actually a lot smoother and fluid when you see it in person.

As mesmerizing as it was to watch this again and again, it was time for me to enter the theatre for the show.

Cool video, even if it was better in person. I really like that. And I had no idea what a zeotrope was. I learned something new today!

The show was outstanding! The scenery was beautiful, the effects were amazing, the actors were very talented.

I have heard this show is fantastic. I would love to see if for myself. I always feel weird taking pics to even when they say no flash. I usually hold the camera really low and cover the view finder.

Did the boys ever get a chance to see this with you?

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I have heard so many good things about the Aladdin show. It is one of my favorite movies and now it will always make me think of Robin Williams with a smile.

 

[natebenma]

My, what a big watch you have Dee.

"Is this the Partners statue or the outdoor seating for Starbucks?"

I didn't spend near enough time in the animation building when I was there.

You can even visit a bit of Beast's castle without a reservation!!

Part of my problem for not exploring more... the Zoetrope. I was so fascinated by that. I just could not seem to pull myself away.

The Aladdin show. Truly world class. Did they do the Flying Carpet scene (with the carpet actually flying)? They didn't when I was there because apparently there had been an accident a while before, so it was cut. Wondering if they ever brought it back. Loved this show though, and Genie was sensational.

I'm 50 now. I can't read those small numbers on a wrist watch.

I took that picture for the Partners and Main Street and then when I looked at it, it was like "Everyone is having a latte!"

The Animation building was very cool and there was so much to explore. It was great to visit the Beast's castle, but I looked all over for that "stained" glass window, but it must have been censored. Speaking of censored. Never mind! I'm 12.

I am so glad Jen mentioned the Zoetrope in her trip report. I wouldn't have taken the time to check it out if I had not read about it.

Aladdin. SO GOOD!!!

Yes, the carpet was flying.

It would be nice if they would bring the Aladdin Show to WDW. They need some new stuff at WDW, Too many of the shows are the same ones that they have had for decades.

I only have two articles of Disney themed clothing. One is a waterproof jacket with a small Tigger on it. I've had it for at least 17 years and it is a well constructed jacket. I am not giving that one up. The other is a white hooded sweatshirt with a small Mickey Mouse that comes along on just about all my trips. I've had that one for at least eight years. Did you know that white is nice because it can be bleached.

It took a lot of trips before we finally found the time to do this class. I think it took a hot and humid Sept trip and the need to find some air conditioning that finally did it. It is a lot of fun and very different from the usual types of entertainment available at Disney

Aladdin was awesome! It would be really cool if the show was at WDW.

I treasure the few Disney clothing items I have. The blue 1971 WDW t-shirt, my grey hoodie, the Beach Club t-shirt given to me by Ninja. I also proudly wear my Stormalong Bay Synchronized Pool Tube Team T-shirt. Well, not really, but it is a great sleeping shirt.

I would really love to try the Animation Class. I can't draw, but I still think it would be fun. It would be neat to see my kids' drawings too. But I don't see us doing this any time soon.

Dee, a fun update. I do like your "personal watch."

Love your tour of the Animation Courtyard. I remember reading about the Zoetrope in Jen's report. I enjoyed your video of it.

The Aladdin show sounds fabulous and I would love to see it. 40 minutes is a long time for a show.

It was nice of Disney to customize a watch for me.

Thanks- the video does not come close to showing how impressive the Zoetrope is. It truly looks like the pieces are moving and there was so much interesting action going on. I loved the Green Army Men parachuting down.

The only reason I minded that the show was so long was that I knew my family was waiting for me.

Cool video, even if it was better in person. I really like that. And I had no idea what a zeotrope was. I learned something new today!

I have heard this show is fantastic. I would love to see if for myself. I always feel weird taking pics to even when they say no flash. I usually hold the camera really low and cover the view finder.

Did the boys ever get a chance to see this with you?

The Zoetrope was so cool- I guess there is a version of this one that travels. I read about it on Wikipedia when I was writing this update.

Aladdin was incredible. I have a great appreciation of live action performances since my son Ben is a "theatre veteran". The special effects were outstanding.

Others were taking pictures and I took a few but I mostly showed restraint. It is difficult, though!

No, the boys didn't see it. If we had one more day, I would have recommended they go and I totally would have seen it again, but we didn't really plan on being at California Adventure much on our final day.

I have heard so many good things about the Aladdin show. It is one of my favorite movies and now it will always make me think of Robin Williams with a smile.

Robin Williams was so good in the movie. What a wonderful talent!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I am intrigued by the different things that you saw at Disneyland that are not at Disney World. The Animation area seems really really cool especially the Zoetrope. I remember reading about it in Jen's report. Didn't she also see the Aladdin show at Disneyland or am I thinking about one of the shows she went to on a Disney cruise? Either way, the show sounds like it's a good one despite the fact that it's fairly long.

 

[natebenma]

I am intrigued by the different things that you saw at Disneyland that are not at Disney World. The Animation area seems really really cool especially the Zoetrope. I remember reading about it in Jen's report. Didn't she also see the Aladdin show at Disneyland or am I thinking about one of the shows she went to on a Disney cruise? Either way, the show sounds like it's a good one despite the fact that it's fairly long.

I enjoyed doing the things that were new to me and also the things that were familiar. I would probably rank the Cars area/Radiator Springs Racers, the Aladdin Show and California Screamin' at the top of the list of DL-only attractions at CA. Indiana Jones and Pirates were my two favorites at Disneyland. Yes Pirates at DL is similar to WDW, but is so much more.

Jen did see the Aladdin show and I just went back to look at her report and she has some spectacular pictures! She had great seats and really captured some great scenes.

 

[natebenma]

In the Dark, Nobody Hears You Screamin'

In my last update, I had just met back up with Mark and Nate. They were watching the launch for California Screamin’ because Ben was in the single rider line. It was quite a few cycles before we saw him.

When he was done, we all got back in line. One of the things we really wanted to do was ride California Screamin’ after dark, with the ride all lit up in neon, but there is a very small window since a lot of the rides in the Paradise Pier area close down when it is getting close to the time for World of Color.

We rode and it was awesome!

We didn’t have a plan for dinner, but in the Pacific Wharf area, there are a lot of different counter service places all together, with a common outdoor seating area. We looked at the different offerings:


Pacific Wharf Café- Breakfast, salads, soups and sandwiches
Pacific Wharf Distribution Company- Karl Strauss handcrafted beers
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill- tacos, burritos, fire-grilled chicken
Lucky Fortune Cookery- Stir-fry flavors from Asia
Rita’s Baja Blenders- Frozen Margaritas and blended non-alcoholic specialties
Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop- Chocolately goodness and incredible ice cream


We ended up choosing:






We ordered 2 rice bowls, Thai Coconut Curry Tofu, Beef Teriyaki, Peel and Eat Edamame and Mango to share. It was all very good, except the mango. It was not very ripe.







Once we had eaten, it was about time for us to go to our reserved spot for World of Color.

Nate decided he did not want to watch the show, so he went back to the room. We had him text us when he got there. He watched the Disneyland fireworks from the balcony.


World of Color


You can purchase “Glow with the Show” mouse ears that light up and flash in time with the music and lights of the World of Color show. I made a point to check the price. But now I have forgotten! Around $15??? I don’t know!





If there is a sea of people wearing the ears, the effect can be really incredible. But there really weren’t many who had purchased them around us.

We really liked having the reserved area. The viewing was pretty good, but not spectacular, but we really had no issues with people crowding us. Plus, we enjoyed a spectacular lunch. It was expensive, but it was worth it for us.

Here are the views from our spot.









Mickey’s Wheel of Death does not look so intimidating when it is flashing in a rainbow of pretty colors and patterns.





I couldn’t resist taking videos and pictures of the show, even though I never watch the videos I take. Actually, the Fuji cameras I have let me take photos at the same time I am recording the show. At one point I had to deal with changing out a dead battery on one of my camera. It definitely interferes with my appreciation of the show, but I am powerless to stop!


The show was visually stunning! As songs from Disney movies played, scenes were projected on colored mist. Plumes of water in a rainbow of colors shot up into the air. There was fire!







Under the Sea!


UP


Genie!




















We enjoyed World of Color, but the show seemed long to us, probably because we were so tired after our busy pace over the past few days.

It was fantastic to be able to get back to our room in about 10 minutes. We had a big day ahead of us, our last day at the parks, early entry at Disneyland and the potential for two meets.


Next up: This Magic Morninghttp://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52730913&postcount=335
Click here for next update

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love the title of this post and have been curious to see what it was about.

It looks like they use some of the some elements in World of Color and Fantasmic, like the projections on the mist of water. Were there fireworks, too?
The quick return to your room after the show also reminds me of the quick exit after Illuminations when staying at an Epcot resort.

The Glow with the Show hats were pretty expensive in WDW. I didn't see very many people wearing them at any of the parks.