Backstage Magic Trip Report - October 20-27, 2009

[U2FanHfx]

Hi all,

I wrote this trip report on my blog while we were away, however I thought someone may enjoy reading it here. Sorry for the delay, would you believe I just thought of doing this! It's in "blog" style so it may not be to everyone's taste.

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 1 - Today's theme "It all started with a mouse..." and word "Mickey Mouse"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

We started out the day making the long trek to the West Coast. I previously booked us through Montreal to avoid TO but alas, in the end, it was TO that we had to go through. So, we started from home around 4:20am for a 6:00am flight. Boarding was late and then someone checked in but didn't board so almost 45 mins of searching for that bag later we finally pushed back. Well then on approach to TO we are told we are going to miss our flight and have a 4 hour layover even though we had 35 mins to connect (after the delay). Well we met with the agent and basically ignored her and started running. And by run I mean RUN and for a few kilometers. Then when we collected our bags and started through immigration they tried to stop us again. I just kept pushing and pushing and finally they let us go. We came barreling into the plane and made it!

Once on board we noticed "The Fonz", Henry Winkler on our flight. After watching Angels and Demons as well as listening to some music we landed in LAX. Our driver met us at baggage claim and as we were leaving to go to the car, The Fonz followed us to his. Lisa finally got up the nerve to wave to him, like a crazy woman I might add and he graciously smiled and waved back. Apparently he is in TO filming a show.

No real adventure on the drive to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel but once arrived our guides were here waiting for us. They gave us a rundown on some of the events and then some more gifts! A really nice duffle bag, luggage tags, pens and branded binoculars. Really cool! Michael and Jamie, our guides, informed us that we were to meet the group at 4pm for supper. Then they handed us our keys and our room was ready. Up we went to drop off our bags and then both of us were starving so we went to eat. Seeing as it was 4pm to us but only noon here and we hadn't eaten all day.

After touring a bit and resting, we met the group at a welcome reception. There we got to meet some of the tour group (27 of them) and played an ice breaker. People are here from all over the World! There is on gentleman here from Japan that is the editor of the largest Disney based magazine in Japan. Another nice girl from Australia which I had met on The Dis boards. Jamie and Michael then provided us with pin collecting lanyards and the first of our collectible pins.

Then off to the welcome dinner. Very nice italian restaurant and they had a private room just for us. Set up in the middle of the room was a game show stage. 4 people played a Disney Trivia game and it was really funny. After the meal, we received another pin. This time it was Mickey with "It all started with a mouse..." to closeout this day.

Lisa and I went for a nice walk around Hollywood for an hour or so and just got back to the room.

A little bit of sleep and a big adventure tomorrow!

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 2 - Today's theme "Lights, Camera, Adventure" and word "Hollywood"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

The morning started out bright and early at 7:45am. We met outside of the twist restaurant and then headed out to the Kodak Theatre. There the guides provided some interesting facts about Hollywood and it's history. They showed us how they make the shops "disappear" during the Academy Awards as there are permanent rods installed where they drape curtains. Also, the tile work on the side and stairs are red to blend with the red carpet. Walking down the hall to Hollywood Blvd. the tall columns that line the hall contain years from the first Oscars to 2060. Each year (that has occurred) contains the name of the Best Picture of the year. Very nice looking area of Hollywood.

From there we were guided to Disney's Fountain Soda Shop for a private breakfast. They opened early just for us! After filling up on Mickey waffles and orange juice we were allowed to shop a bit there and received 25% off whatever we purchased. Once we procured our trinkets, we provided a tour of the El Capitan Theatre. It has been beautifully restored by Disney to it's original luster back in the 1920s. We were able to get up on stage and look out over the amazingly light atmosphere followed by an introduction to the organist who plays an organ that simulates an orchestra. It actually plays real instruments, no synthesizing. He can play pipes, drums, piano, flutes etc. all from one location. Really neat.

From there we went to the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show is taped in an old Masonic Hall that has some amazing architecture. We were brought into the control room where a phone list was left out on the desk and I now have Jimmy Kimmel's direct desk line (323) xxx-xxxx. LOL! They showed us make-up and editing along with the offices. It's really cramped like most studio offices I have been too but it was fun to see the people bustling around editing footage and preparing for the evening show (6pm). They used to do it Live at 9pm but someone slipped the 'f' word and they missed the delay button. It resulted in the time change and everyone being fired in 'standards'. Then they took us to the green room. Now I have heard and read many times that this green room is the place to be and a WILD party. Well it was really a cool set-up with a real club like atmosphere, a room with a pool table and pinball games. The dressing rooms were really impressive. Pretty big with full bathrooms. The party is so popular that they need to restrict the number of people to 88 and post security outside the door! From there we were taken on stage and they told us some funny stories. Of all of the stages I have seen, this one was bigger and the nicest. It's really tasteful and modern. And then, the group shot on the stage, some of us behind the desk. Outside they took us to the set where outdoor concerts are held by the musical guests. There they told us stories of the craziest time, the Jonas Brothers. They had kids taking the little plastic slats out of the fences so they could see, some talking about rushing security because "they can't stop all of us" and another where a mother and daughter asked the staff if there was any tickets and when they said no, the girl started to cry and the mother started to tell the staff "now look what you have done". lol

Off to board the bus and visit The Jim Henson Studio's. We arrived about 30 mins later and along the way the bus driver too the long route so he could take us through Hollywood and give us the history. Really knowledgeable gentlemen that has requested this tour every week and has become a staple of the tour.

Arriving a Jim Henson's, we were greeted with a big statue of Kermit and a picture of Charlie Chaplin coming out of the door. This used to be the studios originally built and used by him. They broke us up into two groups as they are small buildings. We first visited reception where we got to hold a brand new Emmy! They had some odd creatures and such in there and Doozers from Fraggle Rock. From there we went to the animation building where they are working on the latest Henson technologies of combining 3D cartoons with motion capture from a sound stage. They showed us how a person uses a "glove" to control the facial movements on the character while the motion capture person move around. That means for every character there are two people that bring it to life and it is actually "acted out". This is just like a regular show more so than an animated tv show or movie. Then we went to the creature shop where we got to see what Henson is famous for, the Muppets. The guide explained that they look at TV screens as they are "acting" and it takes years to master as you are going in the opposite direction to what you see. We were then offered the opportunity to try it out. One person in our party just couldn't get the gist of it and the professional with the other puppet made a comedy act out of it. We couldn't stop laughing. We moved onto the soundstage with the motion capture equipment. Very big empty space that people use motion capture suits to act in. There were a lot of cameras, lights and marks on the floor. The showed us a very funny video of the history of the Henson company as well as one on the motion capture technology. As it was now past 1pm, it was time for lunch. The Henson team set up an outside tent and BBQ / Salads awaited us. Very nice lunch and a muppet joined us and took pictures with us. I should mention that there are MANY areas where we have to put our cameras and cell phones in a lock box as we are not allowed take photos. Corporate secrets I guess.

That was supposed to be the end of the day, however, they had one more surprise in store for us. We were continuing our journey to Griffths Park where Walt's Barn and trains are now kept. It is run by volunteers so they opened just for us today! These are no ordinary trains, you can ride ON them. They are miniature but you sit on the cars. They took us around a mile and a half course twice through some really nice scenery. They are now decorated to Halloween so that was interesting as well and scary. They do Halloween each year and I can imagine at night how scary it would be. After the ride they brought us into the barn and provided a very nice story of the History and Walt's fascination with trains. It was in this barn where Walt really dreamed up Disneyland and Imagineering. Quite a spectacular place with many original objects including Walt's shaving station where he would go in the morning prior to Lilian calling him for Breakfast. They had some products for sale but neither of us bought anything at this time. On the bus we received our pin for for the day, one with Daisy on it with the them of the day written.

Now back at the hotel we headed out to shop a bit. Had an adventure on the local transit and then hit the super trendy Kitson. Of course we bought a few things there like celebrities and even had a "paparazzi" shoot on the way out. Over to the huge Beverly Centre shopping centre. Bought a few things there and made our way back to the hotel. We were beat but not so much not to go back to the Disney Soda Shop for ice cream lol.

That capped off our day of adventure. Photos of most locations and even a video of the train ride will be up on Facebook.

Til tomorrow....

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 3 - Today's theme "Making the Magic" and word "WED Enterprises"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

Another early morning at 7:00am. We had to have our bags packed and waiting for bell services before we left for breakfast. After ensuring all of our bags were properly tagged, we headed down to the Twist Restaurant for breakfast. Buffet breakfast with all the fixings. Food was really good for a buffet.

Loading of the bus commenced at 8:00am and just before we boarded I noticed this gentleman sitting next to me in the lobby, Mr. David Suzuki. Now we have waved to Henry Winkler, Paul Shauffer and David Suzuki lol. Kevin texted me asking if we are going to see any stars other than Canadians lol.

Off to Disney Imagineering. What an amazing place, where all the creative things we get to experience in the parks are first conceived. We stopped at the main building (they have 7?) and were provided guest credentials which are ours to keep. Nice little scrapbook item. Inside we were not allowed to take pictures. Could not bring our cameras in at all. The outside of the building is really plain and looks like a warehouse but the inside is where they spent the money. Our guide for the day Dave, took us to a theatre where we were treated to a half hour presentation on Imagineering and how they create the things they do. It was a truly amazing presentation and a sneak peak at upcoming innovations. Then a special guest joined our group, Lucky the Dinosaur. He is a fully independent audio animatronic. We were all able to get our pictures with him and he 'spoke' to each of during our time with him. We then went to a sound studio where they play with sound and using it in unique ways including circle vision 3D. Gave us some demos and turned out the lights so we could really feel it. They lead us to the sculpture room where they created the sculptures for the parks and rides,including the audio animatronic figures you see. Lots of interesting stories were shared with us about different creations and the storied histories. Then we were taken to the 'live' set where they were creating the expansions to both Disney World (Magic Kingdom) and California Adventures (Cars land). We were able to see the imagineers hard at work creating the next attractions. One of the coolest things were the scale 3D models of both expansions that really showed what an amazing addition these will be. I cannot wait to ride Radiator Springs Racers! Next stop, shopping at Mickey's of Glendale. This store is exclusively for Imagineers and Cast Members. Lots of limited pins, clothing, office supplies, etc. Lisa Marie and I ran around, as we only had an hour, and settled on some very nice things. Some people spend thousands of dollars in there, we were nowhere close. lol

Now, back on the bus and off to Disney Studios. As soon as we arrived at the Studios it was time for lunch in the Commissary. This is an actual working lot so there were people and things going everywhere. The Commissary we extremely nice and very large. The selection ranged from Salads to the Grill, to Pasta to desert. All made to order at different stations and at low prices. I'm sure this is a big moral booster for staff as it's a great place to eat and show's them a little appreciation everyday to have such a nice place to go to. They have a cool ordering system as when you step up to a section you fill out a little sheet on a clipboard with your order by just checking off the menu items and then pass it in. The meal was delicious and we were starving. As we were walking to the Studios from the parking lot they have a covered walking area. Upon closer inspection, the roof was comprised of solar panels that they use to power some of the lot!

After eating we met up with our Studio guide and she shared some history of the buildings, what movies they have been in and what movies / tv shows are currently filming. We also seen that right next to the Commissary they have their very own health club for cast members. She let us onto the main lot and down through the sound stages. Brothers and Sisters and Flash Forward are the current residents on the lot. There was one 'empty' stage that we went into just to see the infrastructure that is available to the film/show to use to create whatever set they require. Next it was over to the historic Ink and Dye shop where they manually painted all those Disney classics. There is still paint left over in there that can be used today (just add water). The now use it for collectibles to get the color just right before the item is mass (on a small scale) produced. Off to the Disney Archives where Dave Smith, a famous Disney historian, was there to greet us and explain what they do there. He took us through the history of the idea and need of an archive, started out with 1 person and now has 8 today full-time. They have stuff from all over the world and very rare/old. He showed us the original Disneyland flyer that was placed in the local newspapers to introduce people to Disneyland as it was the first of it's kind, the collectible guide, the very first ticket (00001), the VIP passes for opening day and a ticket booklet that they used for rides back in the day. We were then able to walk around and discover things for ourselves as well as photograph.

Next was the Legends Courtyard. This is right outside the beautiful Team Disney building and contains both the Walt and Mickey "Partners" statue and the Roy and Minnie statue as well as the handprints of Disney legends. They then provided us a story of the statues from what was told by the sculptor. When he created the first Walt and Mickey for Disneyland he was asked what is Walt pointing at and saying. He said, "He's pointing at the happy people coming in to Disneyland and saying to Mickey 'look what we have created'." Then they told us about when Walt Disney World was created and the Roy and Minnie statue was placed at the beginning of Main Street and the second Walt and Mickey at the hub. The sculptor was again asked about the two statues and he said, "Walt is telling Mickey that this is as far as he can go but if Mickey keeps going down the street, Roy and Minnie are waiting for him to continue on." This was because Walt never got to see Walt Disney World built himself and if you notice, the bench with Roy and Minnie has just enough room for Mickey. Let's just say that there were more than one person crying at this point.

Well off to happier thoughts, the Animation building. The Animation building holds many productions companies now along with Disney's. Many are in production now so the doors were closed to us. We arrived in one cross area where on the floor in the tile there was Mickey as he was in Steamboat Willie. Below this spot there is an underground tunnel that went from Animation to Ink and Dye. That way the cells didn't have to go outside into dust, rain or whatever else. It is on a bit of a slope and the animators used to use it as a slide. How you ask? Well after finishing films such as snow white, they would take the original cells, throw them down the ramp and slide down them like a slip and slide. Destroying them in the process. It sounds terrible but was there way of celebrating and as Walt says, "continue to move forward". And just like any great Disney ride, we again were taken to the exclusive Studio store. We bought just a few things, mostly on for 50% off lol.

Now back to the bus for the trip to Disneyland. We were told that on a normal day it would take 40 minutes but today with traffic, it took us over two hours. We arrived around 5:40pm and had an express check-in. This is when we were told we had to meet the group again for our private wine tasting even at 6:05pm. After a quick bag drop off, we headed down to Hook's Point Wine Cellar. We had some wonderful appetizers and a great dinner at Hook's Point. Very nice theming and the closed the place just for us! Then our guides told us we had to get moving for our next surprise. We walked to the entrance of Disneyland where we were provided our passes and asked to enter quickly. We walked strait over to The Haunted Mansion where we were lead right to the front. The Haunted Mansion is much different than Disney World and right now is extra special as the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover has occurred. Following the ride, we had to make a choice, ride Space Mountain or Nemo Submarine Voyage before park close. We chose Nemo and had a blast. We have been on a submarine before and the show replication is amazing.

Well, that was it for this day. These tired adventurers dragged themselves back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Especially when 'show time' the next day is 6:50am.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 4 - Today's theme "Walt's World" and word "Attraction"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

Once again, we were to be in the lobby early, 6:50am to be exact. We headed straight over to Disneyland Park where they opened a gate just for us. After we passed through the gate, I ran over to take a few pictures while the others were moving on. There's something about taking pictures while no one is in the park that makes them very special. We made our way onto Main Street where we got some individual and group shots in front of the giant Mickey pumpkin. We were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted just none of any service vehicles. We all tried our best but sometimes one 'zoomed' into the frame so there is one here and there. We were guided to the Castle where pictures galore were taken. I took some great shots of the castle with no other person in the frame. Then the group shot followed by LM and I walking through the castle alone while someone took our picture. Much like Walt did in that famous picture (only we were in the front not the back). Then a member of the group asked our guides do the same thing but only skipping. I think they would do anything the group asked lol.

Now it's time for breakfast so we headed over to Plaza Inn Restaurant. This was one of Walt's favorite places and the front is an actual mansion that Walt loved so much when he passed it in LA. So much so that he bought it and transported it here. He used to hold many functions in the restaurant and we were seated in the area where he used to host such parties. Then all of the sudden we heard a commotion and in come the characters. There was Tigger, Eyore, Minnie and Pinnocio. We all had our pictures taken with them and then we were off to breakfast. The characters stayed and interacted with us the whole time and after some time passed, they started the 'dance party' music and people were encouraged to get up and dance with the characters. Lisa Marie did a great job participating. Shortly after they had to move on but everyone was asked if they wanted a 'group' picture with them. LM and I jumped at the chance. Once they left we thought that was it and started to finish our breakfast when more characters started to pile in. There were even some really rare ones like Captain Hook, the Mad Hatter, Max (Goofy's son) and Rafiki. They interacted with us quite a bit and had everyone laughing.

Now it was just past 9am and the flock of 'regular' guests started to come down Main Street. So it was time for us to get behind that famous Adventures by Disney sign and move towards Indiana Jones. Once there we were brought to the maintenance area where they maintain the ride. We received a very informative overview of the vehicle and how advanced it is, especially the safety systems. We then got to take the controls of the machine and play with the hydrolics. Most people in front of me were very gentle but when I got my chance, I made that baby buck up and down. Everyone was laughing and loved it. Those vehicles can REALLY move! After a brief question and answer, we were on our way out over to the Jungle Cruise. We commandeered our own boat and away we went. As usual, the guide was very funny and the jokes were different. From there we were lead over to the Big Thunder Ranch where they have a petting zoo and a Halloween section with some creative carvings. After a private audience with the animals, we moved on to the 'backstage'.

After a short walk we arrived at the train roundhouse. A very nice gentleman then explained steam trains, their history with Disney and how they care for them. Lots of people had questions and he was more than happy to oblige, including bringing us to the rear of the building to show us the Lillie Bell car. This car was one in which Walt wanted to build for his wife although he never seen it's completion. After many years of neglect, the new Disneyland President a few years ago requested that they 'fix it up' and provided the funding. It has now been completely restored and is quite a site. They took a picture of us in it so I hope we get that one.

After the trains, we proceeded down the road to the pyrotechnics area. There the supervisor explained to us what they do there and what firework shells are made up of. It was very different than I would have imagined and they look more like coconuts. Then he explained the new launch system which uses air instead of gun power. This is both environmental and 'corporate' friendly. On a usual night they launch almost 400 shells from this location alone over approximately 15 mins. Today we were going to get to 'launch' (without actual shells in the tubes) in 45 seconds. The countdown from 7 from the group and then it started. Really loud and cool to see all the different shapes and sizes of tubes going off.

On our way over to the Pope House, they showed us the warehouse where all of the floats are stored. They can hold two entire parades in this building. It was huge. Now over at the Pope House, they provided us a history and showed us the horses that live here. The Pope's were one of the only people to live on site as they were responsible for the animals of Disneyland before they moved to Disney World where they helped established that park before they passed away.

It was lunch time so we headed over to a nice restaurant in New Orleans Square. There we had a few lunch choices along with refreshments. It was just in time as LM and I were fairly hungry! The meals are nice as you tend to sit with different people and get to know them. This lunch was no different as we had some lovely company.

Since we were in Orleans Square and Pirates of the Caribbean is next to us, guess where our guides brought us. That's right, through the exit so we could get right on. The ride is different and longer then Florida and I would say I enjoyed it more. There is just more theming and better 'rooms'. Two drops too I might add.

Next was something everyone was really anticipating, Walt's Apartment. As we made our way over to the Fire House, where Walt's Apartment is upstairs, we were told there was one more surprise. A private ride in a double decker bus up and down Main Street. We sat up top and got some great pictures. Once back at the Fire House, they split us into our two groups (PS - We were the Mad Hatters all week) and one group went up to the apartment while the others went on a Walt's footsteps mini-tour. We went on the tour first where our guide discussed the park, Walt's vision and some great history. It was one of my favorite parts of the experience up to this point. Then we swapped with the other group and made our way up into the apartment. Once inside we were invited to sit down while the guide provided us an explanation of the apartment, how it was used by Walt, especially overseeing construction and entertaining as well as some of the current uses. Most of the furniture is original but has been reupholstered. We were allowed to look around the apartment for a bit. The apartment is limited to one room, kitchenette, bathroom, closet and a verandah. The one room has two pull out couch's which Walt and Lillian would sleep on while the kids lay on the floor. The pictures around the room were quite amazing. The guide also told us about the lamp in the front window that remains lit to show that Walt's spirit is still here and in all of us. It was an experience neither of us will not soon forget!

After Walt's Apartment, it was time for us to have free time in the parks. Before our guides let us go, they provided us with a new pin and 5 fastpasses that were good at any attraction for any time. Very cool! Lisa Marie and I decided to do some shopping on Main Street and then made our way over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This was another great attraction that differs from Florida. We both had a blast. Over in Toon Town, we rode Roger Rabbit which takes you through the Toon universe in that movie.

Once we were done there, we were invited over to a reserved area for the Celebrate Today Parade. This parade is very interactive and you are invited to participate. The parade pulled up and stopped right in front of our spot and the fun began. We were asked to participate and participate we did! From Lisa Marie doing the twist with Goofy, joining a conga line up and down the street, to playing sound makers. We had so much fun and I captured quite a bit of it on film.

After the parade we attempted to go on Indiana Jones as it had been broken down most of the day. Unfortunately it was still down and it was a good thing anyway as we were hungry for supper at this point (6pm). We went back to the hotel with the intent on eating, shopping at Downtown Disney and then going to the fireworks at Disneyland. We did the first two but the fireworks at 10:30 were skipped as we were just too tired from such a fun and full day.

Off to bed as another 6:50am role call awaited us the next morning.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 5 - Today's theme "Behind the Orange Grove" and word "Forced Perspective"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

Today marks the last full day with Adventures by Disney. We are going to try to fit as much as possible in today. Our day begins at 6:50am at Goofy's Kitchen. A character breakfast with Goofy and friends. This included Donald which was great as he is very uncommon at these things. After filling up on our share of Mickey Waffles and bacon, we were gathered together in the lobby. When I went to use the washroom, I found this amazing restaurant called Steakhouse 55 which was very low key and classy. Inside they had some terrific pictures of all the famous people that have eaten there over the years. The history of this resort is really something else.

Once we were corralled, we made our way over to Disney's California Adventure. Again, they opened a gate and the park an hour early just for us. First up was a backstage ride and tour of Soarin' over California. It was a treat to be guided right on the ride while the other group took the tour and then we swapped. The tour consisted of some history and then we were able to go behind the IMAX screen while the other group rode. The screen is metal with perforations in it to allow light through. It was funny to see everyone's feet dangling. We also got to smell the product they use for the ride to simulate ocean, forest and oranges.

Following the Soarin' experience, we followed the 'sign' across California Adventure stopping just for a minute to take a group picture in the "Candy Corn Farm". When we arrived at our destination, which was outside a theatre, we were greeted by a scrolling marquee sign that read "Welcome Adventures by Disney.....Enjoy your adventure!!!". That was really neat to see and not something I'm likely going get until again until I'm famous I guess We entered the theatre where we had a private invitation from the turtle Crush to chat with him. He was very funny and asked us lots of questions and invited us to ask some as well. The group interacted with him quite a bit. I recorded most of the experience and will post it soon. Moving to another room, we made our way into a large lecture theatre with a stage where a Disney Artist was waiting for us. He explained that he was going to teach us how to draw Mickey Mouse and each of us received a sketch board and paper and the lesson began. Once completed, I noticed that I did a more 'angry' Mickey where as Lisa Marie did an excellent job. Maybe I should stick to what I do for a living . After the lesson we were provided tubes for our artwork to take home. They collected these as we needed them later. More on that to come in the evening.

Following the animation lesson,our guides met us outside to provide us with another 5 fast passes along with today's pin. It was an early split, around 11am, as they needed to go prepare for our farewell dinner in the evening.

With fastpasses in hand, Allie, Clay and Lydia joining us, we headed directly to Toy Story Mania where we learned that they do not have fastpass for this ride so we got into the stand-by line. The wait was about 25 minutes which isn't bad for that ride but it was early in the day so I'm sure it gets very long. Disney World has fastpass for this ride so I'm not sure why they wouldn't here. After Toy Story (where I might add I had the top score) Clay and Lydia went their own way and a trio of us continued. We went on Mickey's Fun Wheel which is a big ferris wheel. It was REALLY high but I took some great pictures which helped keep my mind off of the height. Lisa Marie didn't have the same coping mechanism and kept her eyes closed. Next we headed over to Mallholand Madness, a little roller coaster that actually has a little bit of speed and aggressiveness to it. However it still was our speed. Lisa Marie and Allie wanted to go to Bug's Land / Flick's Fair which have a number of kiddy rides. They rode all of them, the small flying 'leaves', bumper cars and a tilt a whirl type ride. I wanted to go on Monster's Inc. next so we headed completely across the park to go. Monster's was fun and the best part was the 'door room' which did a great room of mimicking the movie scene.

All this running around made the three of us very hungry so we headed back to the hotel to grab a bite to eat. After lunch we had a bit of a dilemma, do we have enough time to head back out to the parks or do we need to get ready for dinner. We decided we had enough time to run in to Disneyland Park to ride Indiana Jones. This is the advantage of being within a 10 minute walk of the park from your hotel. After enjoying Indiana Jones, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for dinner and pack as tonight was our last night at the Grand Californian Hotel.

After packing and getting "all neat and pretty", we made our way to California Adventure again as this is where the dinner was to be held. One of our guides, Michael, greeted us and told us we were going to eat at Studio 12 which used to be a very nice counter service restaurant with many options, however it posed too expensive to keep running and now they only use it for special events like ours. Once inside the Studio, we discovered beautifully decorated tables and a wonderful buffet laid out for us. We were seated and then our guides told us about our first surprise. We were joined by a renowned Disney historian and artist, Stacia. She was going to create personalized art for each family of any character we wanted from scratch. Throughout dinner she called upon each family and discussed what we might want. When it was our turn, we were still undecided but she really helped us through our discussion. We chose Mickey in a tux for our Theatre room. As if he was going to a big premiere. To our surprise, she could write like Mickey as well and wrote a personalized message and signed as Mickey. Very nice and totally unique. Once she completed our art, the tubes once again appeared and they put everything inside it for safe transportation. During the meal they also showed us a slideshow set to music of our experience. The guides took over 800 pictures and included some of them in the slideshow, obviously not all of them . Towards the end of the dinner they asked us about our favorite experience during the trip. Both LM and I were really into the history and the making of stuff. After this, the guides announced another surprise. A visit by both Mickey and Minnie. They were dressed in their vacation attire as they took time our of their vacation to see us. I took as many pictures as possible of everyone with them so that we had a picture of everyone on the tour for our scrapbook. During this time, I thought I seen Mickey wiggle his nose. I pointed it out to Mickey and he did it again. A real advanced Mickey this one is! As we were wrapping up, the guides announced our final surprise. They had reserved private VIP seating for the fireworks tonight. As always, we also parted with another pin.

We made a quick trip back to the hotel to change for the parks and headed straight for Disneyland. Once there we found our group in the reserved section and sat down ready to enjoy the fireworks. After about 20 mins the fireworks began. These were a special series of fireworks as they are created especially for Halloween. They were great and I thought about what was going on behind the scenes based on the tour we had yesterday. After the show, we thought it would be fun to ride Indiana Jones one more time and a group of us headed over there. It was just as good as the first time and the theming of both the queue area and the ride are really well done. Much better than the Dinosaur ride in Disney World which uses the same technology. After the ride we were really tired and as breakfast was between 7 and 9am tomorrow, we wanted to get some sleep so we could be there first thing to say goodbye to everyone.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disney Backstage Magic Adventure - Day 6 - Today's theme "Now It's Time to Say Good Bye" and word "Imagination"
WARNING-SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY TAKE THIS TOUR

This morning started out like every morning before with a nice buffet breakfast, however it was the last one for this portion of our trip. Breakfast today was at story tellers contained within the Grand Californian. The theming is very rustic like and the characters are Koda and Kanyee (?) from the movie Brother Bear. There was also a very odd forest ranger that kept staring at the bear's and warning us about them. He was a great actor but odd. lol

While we were eating, a famous person walked in with his kids, wife and nanny. It took me a few minutes to figure out who he was, I knew why I knew him but his name escaped me. It was Jon Favereau (Director/Actor). I was excited to see him as I am a fan of his work. He looked like he just rolled out of bed but seemed to be enjoying himself and having fun with his kids. As any good "pap in training" would do, I did take a few pictures of him. Sometimes using Lisa Marie as a decoy.

We sat down at breakfast with our guides and discussed some great topics, mostly about Disney. We started to say our final good byes to everyone around 8:45am, especially to Lisa Marie's adopted little sister for the week, Allie. Allie was on her way to San Francisco to check out the Disney Family Museum. She came all the way from Australia so she was right to make the long trek worth is and jam as much as possible into her trip.

Back up in the room we had to complete our packing as we were transferring to the Disneyland Hotel. As we couldn't be sure that our room would be ready in time for us to prepare for the U2 concert in the evening, we got ready in our current room. We held off until 11:00am to move to the Disneyland Hotel, hoping that by this time our room would be ready. After carrying our luggage to the Hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that our room was ready immediately. We received our keys and headed straight up. Awaiting us was an amazing king room with a view of the pool area.

We quickly got settled and headed for the parks for our final Disneyland hours. We spent a few hours in Disneyland Park just walking around and taking it in as well as riding a few attractions. As it was now 1:30pm, we needed to eat prior to meeting our friends at 2:45pm to head to the U2 concert. We went back to the hotel and grabbed a quick bit to eat figuring it may be our only meal of the day depending on how the trip to the U2 concert was.

At 2:45pm we met two other adventurer's that were heading to the U2 concert. All week we had been reading about the traffic nightmare that may occur and the police were warning people to get their early. Armed with this information and based on the experience in Boston, we devised a plan on how to get to the concert. We decided to go together to a light rail station about a 45 minute drive away and then take the train to the concert station where they have shuttles running to take you to the Rose Bowl site. Both couples were renting cars and their office was closer so the plan was for them to get their car and we would drive over to our office to obtain ours. However, when we arrived at their office the attendant was away and would not return for 15 mins. On Google Earth, our office was just around the corner so we decided to go get our car while they waited and that way we could quickly leave for the concert. We started out and walked to the road that we needed to be on. We needed to go to #200 to pick up the car and we looked around and seen we were currently at #1100. Quickly we realized we had a walk ahead of us. After a very hot 2 kilometer walk we finally arrived at the rental office and obtained our car. I should mention that this was the hottest day of the trip so far and we were baking in the sun. Our friends were nowhere to be seen and the clock ticked past 3:30pm. We waiting there wondering if we missed them, if they just continued on without us or if they were stuck. While we waiting, Lisa Marie ran to the 7/11 to get us some much needed water. About 20 mins later our friends arrived and told us that their car was given away and they needed to wait for a return which obviously delayed them. With the location of the station programmed into our GPS units we set out. We took highway 57 which runs almost perfectly north/south. When we got to our exit to the 210 we were surprised that we made it there without much traffic to speak of at all. The 210 runs west towards Pasadena, however as we got closer, the traffic started to increase. Both of us started to get nervous as we thought getting here so early would avoid this. The traffic slowed us down but not too bad and we made it to the train station in approximately a total of 45 mins. Once at the parkade, we parked for free and set off for the trains. On our way towards the ticket machines, we realized we forgot the tickets in the car! Good catch now rather than later, which you will see why shortly. When we arrived at the ticket machines they had friendly staff there to explain to us how to get to the right station and that we should buy our return fare once we arrive at the other station to avoid heavy lines after the concert. We hopped on the train and a few stops later the conductor announced that "anyone going to the U2 concert, this is your stop". Once we made our way up to street level, there were many staff and cops waiting to control the crowd. Again, more friendly staff helped us buy our return fares and explained to us how to get to the shuttle that will bring us from the the downtown area to the Rose Bowl. They did continually stress that they were not responsible for the shuttle, the promoter is. We had three blocks to walk and when we rounded the corner we realized why they stressed this. The lineup to get the shuttle (bus) looped around an entire city block. There had to be a couple thousand people all waiting and to make matters worse, for this pleasure cruise you needed to pay $5 each. We spoke to a security officer and he pointed out that we could walk to the site. After a small walk up the street, we came to signs that directed us towards the site and indicated we had 1 3/4 miles to go to get there. We all looked at each other and decided that by the time we boarded we would be late for the concert at 7:00pm (now 5:00pm) and just think about after the concert! So we set off walking and were glad we did as we walked through some very nice neighborhoods. It took us a little while but we eventually got to the Rose Bowl and it was absolutely chaotic! There were people everywhere and lines for everything. After struggling with the crowds to just get in the gates, Lisa Marie and I tried to get merchandise from the concert. After two unsuccessful tries at booths that were mostly sold out, we finally got in line at another. Lisa Marie waited there and I waited in the concession line. Both of us waited in each for between 45-60 mins! They just did not have enough facilities at this place for this many people. To make matters worse, they were running out of concessions as well and all the debit/credit machines went down so it was cash only. Many people were really upset but we had cash on us. The bowl is an old style design where you take 'tunnels' to get to each section. These tunnels were about 1000ft long and jam packed with people. They were only allowing so many people to move down the tunnels and out to their seats as there was so much movement in the stadium that they couldn't control the crowd movement.

The concert opened with Black Eyed Peas. They did a good job of getting the crowd going and towards the end, Slash joined them on stage and they sang sweet child of mine. The main event was about to begin and just looking around was a site to see with all those people! A stage manager came out to explain to the crowd that they needed to be loud, sing and laugh as this was being broadcast around the World and recorded for the DVD. We noticed the extra camera and many lights than our previous show. U2 opened as they had for our previous show, however we found throughout the show the sound and video was much crisper. Hard to imagine as we thought it was amazing in Boston. As in Boston though, this band proved why they are one of the best ever. It was another terrific show and we enjoyed every minute of it. We would definitely go again!

We learned a hard lesson in Boston with the extremely long drive home so just before the encore we left and started our 1 3/4 mile trek back to the train station. We could still hear the concert most of the trip back to the station and they had security stationed along the whole route which made it very safe and easy to make your way back. At the station, the concert just ended so the crowds were about to follow. Thankfully we were able to jump on a train almost immediately. There were very few people on the train and as soon as we got to the station with our car we made it onto to the road as quickly as possible. Once on the road we experienced very little traffic and made it back to the hotel in about the same amount of time as earlier in the day. It was now around midnight and we had a very long day! Lisa Marie needed her sleep for the shopping adventure at the outlets the next day. We quickly gathered our things and went straight up to our room and fell asleep.

As a footnote, I read the next day that this was the largest crowd U2 ever played for (almost 100,000) and the first sold out show for the Rose Bowl in its history.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Disneyland (on our own) - "That Zip code is close enough."
We woke up this morning with heavy hearts as this will be officially our last day in California and the Disneyland Resort. We are excited for Vegas, but we always feel this way when we are finishing up yet another Disney vacation!

Today the goal is outlet shopping. We mapped out the location of the desired outlets while still at home and figured it was about a 1.5 hour drive. As we thought it would be best to wait until after rush hour, we left around 9am. Armed with our coupons and GPS in hand, we headed out to the car to start our shopping extravaganza. Once in the car we entered the address of the shopping centre, however it didn't come up with the same zip code. It was about 40 off but LM said, "I think that is close enough" and I agreed with her as I figured it would be close and we would find some signs along the way.

We exited the Disneyland Hotel parking lot and hit the highway. The traffic was light and although the posted limit is 60 mph, most people zoomed by me like I was standing still at 65 mph. As we drove we went through some very densely populated areas we encountered difficult "off ramp" areas where one highway split into three and you had to be in just the right spot in the 10 lanes! As the time ticked by, we started to see less and less population and more and more agriculture. I found this to be odd as I couldn't imagine that there was any major shopping area out this far. After 1.5 hours of driving passed, our GPS indicated that we had yet another 30 mins to go. Well, I thought to myself, maybe Google Earth was wrong so we continued on our way. As we were getting closer to the location, we past many orange groves and tree farms where farmers were selling their product right there on the side of the road. As we approached our turn off, we didn't see any signs and the 'town' looked like a questionable area. But, you know the GPS is always right, so we continued. As we approached the destination, we turned on a rural side road and parked in front of a little red house. I said to Lisa Marie, "there's your outlets" and we both laughed but at the same time wondered where we were! We played around with the GPS some more to try to find out where we were and where we ultimately wanted to go. We typed in the name of the outlets and just did a massive search. After about 5-10 mins, the GPS results finally came back and we found a location which we thought looked to be more right. The location was an additional 30 mins away. Back onto the highway. For approximately 20 mins we continued in 'agriland' until we finally started to see more dense population and, almost in a complete instant, high-end homes. After rounding a few corners we could see our destination in sight and pulled right in.

Now the time was well past noon and both of us were extremely hungry and thirsty so before we even began to shop, we decided to go eat. After a quick trip to the food court where we had pizza (which wasn't very good), we were ready to help the local economy. As we wanted to be back in Anaheim before the rush hour or 5:00pm, we had very little time given our detour. This outlet centre was divided into three sections so we gave ourselves 40 mins in the first section before we would meet up again. We went our separate ways and I ended up in Calvin Klein for the majority of the time while Lisa Marie went to Anne Taylor. After meeting at our designated spot, we drove over to the next part of the centre. Again, we had a number of places each of us wanted to go but I wanted Lisa Marie to help me pick out jeans and she wanted me to help her pick out a purse. After Lisa Marie took 5 mins to complain about the rushed shopping experience , we set out where I would go to pick out my jeans and she would join me there to see them on me and she would go to her purse store and pick one out which I would go to after the jean store. This worked out very well and was an efficient use of time. I purchased my Lucky Brand jeans and headed over to Kate Spade with LM to look at the purse she had the sales person put aside. I really liked the purse and she bought it. I never heard of Kate Spade but she made it sound like I should have lol. After visiting a few more stores, we headed back for Anaheim. Shopping lasted only a few hours but we picked up everything that was on our list.

On our way home, we took a completely different route than we did on the way to the outlets. After looking on the map I realized we went completely in the wrong direction earlier in the day. The drive home was great and we passed right through Los Angeles. This was really cool as a lot of the sights that we experienced during our tour earlier in the week brought back some great memories. We were nearly pros at getting around that city now! We gassed up to avoid having to do it in the morning and I'm glad we did! What a pain in the you know what it was. All pumps it seems in LA want you to enter your zip code which of course we do not have. I tried the postal many times and after ill fated attempts, I went inside. The cashier had to hold my credit card while I pumped my gas and then I went inside and they rung it through. What a pain and nothing like Florida where we are used to driving as they take the credit cards at the pump without question.

Back at the hotel, under a 1.5 hour drive I might add, we rushed up to the room to drop off our stuff. Both of us again very hungry and thirsty we headed right out again to grab something to eat for supper in the hotel. We enjoyed our last supper in Disneyland by sitting outside close to the pool. It was very busy at the hotel for a Monday I found. After eating we decided that we needed to get serious about leaving tomorrow as we had to do laundry and pack up! We went upstairs to grab our laundry. Part of our travel strategy was to pack light and do laundry mid-way so that we had more room for 'stuff' on the way back home. This was the reason for the need to do laundry. The guest laundry was not far from our hotel room and we took a leisurely walk over. The facilities were next to a very nice sand beach area which we never seen before. After putting both loads into the washer, we went back to our room to start the packing task. On the way back we just took in the surroundings as we do on our last night. I think it's a method for us to hang onto the memories and remember when we are in the depths of Winter back in Halifax.

After packing and finishing the laundry, we decided to take a walk in Downtown Disney to pick up a few last things and see the crowd. We visited the Pin Trading store and Vault Disney where Lisa Marie found her Disney Couture bracelet that she wanted to purchase. However, it was almost $30 more than at the employee store! We didn't realize that it was discounted when we were at the employee store and she should have bought it there. She passed on it as it was now over $100.00 and she didn't think it was worth that. We headed over to World of Disney where I was going to buy my Mickey cookie cutter. We seen it the day before and now we couldn't find it. After consulting with the staff, they were sold out! It was a real cool Mickey Gingerbread "Mouse" like figure When will I learn to buy things when you see them at Disney! A few hours passed and we were both beat and headed back for the hotel as we had an early morning and long drive ahead of us tomorrow to Las Vegas.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Leaving California - The Desert Drive
We began the morning by quickly packing up the car as we had two tasks to complete before heading to Las Vegas. We had to be in Vegas by 3:00pm to return the car and avoid another day charge. After trying to reach our old Disney Vacation Club Guide the day before without any success, we were told he would be in today at 8am. We made our way over to the DVC booth and asked them if they could ring him for us. They did so but all we received was his voicemail. We were disappointed but we left him a message anyway and wished him well as we heard he broke his leg!

With task #1 complete, we moved on to the Paradise Pier Hotel where our new Australian friend Alie was going to be checking into later that day. (She went to San Francisco for two days to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum) We wanted to leave her a little surprise when she checked in and approached guest services. He asked us to go into the 'normal' check-in line to leave something for a guest. As we headed in that direction we realized that the line up was a bit long and there was only one person working the desk. To make matters worse, the current 'guest' was asking a lot of the cast member and not leaving quickly. After about 10 mins waiting in line, the gentleman at guest services came over to us and said he would take it for us as he seen the delay we were experiencing. This was great and after a few quick questions, we were on our way.

Back in the car I programmed the Mandalay Bay Resort into the GPS. It found this address, versus yesterday, and there was no zip code guessing required We said our last good byes to Disneyland promising that we would be back sometime in 2011 or 2012 to experience the MAJOR additions that they are now constructing. We will likely split our stay between the first west coast DVC Villas at Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel again. The Disneyland Hotel rooms are currently under rehab and the new rooms look amazing. Did I mention that most of California Adventure and Disneyland in general is under major construction?!?!

As Disneyland is so close to the freeway, we easily made our way onto the freeway and began our driving adventure. We were a bit afraid of what the traffic might be but were surprised it was very light. There was still the 'crazy' lane changes and odd off ramps that we were required to manoeuvre, however, we slowly went from the concrete jungle to semi-desert to desert within an hour or so. The landscape was very different from anything we have ever seen and absolutely beautiful. (Editor's note: Last time I did this it was at night and very dark) Lisa Marie grabbed the camera and began to take what amounted to almost 400 photos over the course of 4 hours. We encountered some very nice neighbourhoods/towns that had sprawling estates next to some very small homes. It was very odd to see such wealth next to these homes with junked cars in the yard. The mountains were some of the most intriguing features as both the road and rail seemed to snake with them in harmony. As we drove a bit further, the air became much colder and the skies darker. Soon I realized that we were driving into a sand storm. This was such an interesting weather experience. Electronic signs along the highway warned drivers of "VERY HIGH WINDS, USE CAUTION". We even seen some tumble weeds moving across the highway. If I had to describe it, I would say it's like fog but with sand substituting moisture. After a few hours of driving, we decided that we would stop in Barstow, CA. I remembered stopping here the last time I came through and it contained a large outlet center just off the highway. Well my memory was correct and we were able to find a Starbucks easily. When we got out of the car we were shocked at how cold it was compared to LA and it was very windy! On our way out of Starbucks, we picked up an outlet center map and after reviewing, we agreed that next time we will come here to shop instead of making a special trip just outside LA. Back in the car we jumped on the highway again. The landscape was now completely desert looking. Joshua trees, catus and tumble weeds were abundant. There were also interesting place names such as Zzyzx Rd. and Death Valley. As we made our way down the highway, we passed a sign that read "Turn off AC for next 16 Miles to Avoid Overheating". Odd I thought to myself. Then as we continued, the car's RPMs started to run a little high consistently. I was worried as this car was terrible to begin with and I thought there may be something mechanically wrong with it. I looked back and realized that we were actually climbing on a very gradual grade. We eventually climbed to 4000 ft. After reaching the top, we began to descend on a steeper grade and passed a sign that read "RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP 1/2 MILE RIGHT EXIT". Trucks must lose their brakes often enough to have such a ramp. As we passed the ramp, Lisa Marie took some pictures. The ramp is basically a bunch of gravel and it did look used. We then drove into the Mojave National Preserve which had a very diverse range of landscape including mountains and large flat plains. Soon we were approaching the Nevada State Line. It was funny to see as there are two major casino/hotel/shopping complexes on either side of the highway right on the state line. The casinos/hotels didn't look that high end but the shops were an outlet type with the typical brand names. After a short while we drove out of the sand storm and you could see it to our right. Lisa Marie captured some terrific pictures of it and you can see the sand 'waves' as they pass over the desert. Now nearing Las Vegas, more and more billboards lined the side of the road and then all of the sudden we came over a ridge and there was Las Vegas in all it's splendour. Both of us agreed that the drive from LA to Las Vegas was one of the highlights of this vacation and both of us enjoyed it immensely.

We made our way to Mandalay Bay Resort (which is HUGE by the way) and pulled into the parking garage. After checking in and familiarizing ourselves with the hotel, we made our way back to the car to grab our bags and bring them up into the room. We made great time getting to Vegas and had time to take pictures of the room while it was still in pristine condition. We noticed, after closer inspection, that there was a used soap in the bathroom as well as an empty nut package and IBM conference material next to the TV. As most of you may know me, I'm a bit of a germ nut. Lisa Marie knows this and promptly informed me that we would be making a stop to the front desk to ensure the sheets are changed and new soaps are provided. We approached the friendly representative at the front desk and she apologized and said someone would be right up.

Once the photo shoot and our front desk visit was completed, we headed back to the parking garage to get the car and return it to Avis at the Planet Hollywood Resort. Of course this was not before an adventure in gassing it back up. We asked the nice GPS lady where the closest gas station was and quickly arrived there. After getting out of the car and inserting my credit card into the pump, it asked me for my zip code. Again I don't have a zip code so into the station I went. When I explained my situation, the guy told me that he would charge my card but I needed to give him an amount. As this was not my car, I didn't know how much 'filling up' would cost so I told him that I didn't know how much. The guy behind me then said, "just tell him any amount above what you think it is. He's going to just pre-authorize and then you will only get charged what the pumped amount is." Well that was a more helpful explanation. I told the attendant $60.00 and back to the car I went. Turns out it only took around $38.00 to fill and the receipt stated the same thing the nice customer inside said, I would only be charged THIS amount. I waved to the customer as he was coming out to his car and said thanks. We were back on the road and only a few blocks from Planet Hollywood. When we got near Planet Hollywood, there were no Avis signs to be found at all! So we just followed the 'check-in / parking' signs until we ended up in the Valet section. Before I could say anything, the valet was writing out a claim ticket. I asked them where Avis was and they said, "right here!". I must have looked at them funny as they continued, "just leave it right here". I found that very odd but accepted it and we just left. I wondered if I should have gone into Avis but I didn't. I will next time as I worried about it for a few days until the charge showed up on my credit card.

We walked around for a while and made our way over to the Mall in this hotel. We hadn't been here last time and it's HUGE! Lisa Marie enjoyed shopping for a few hours but then the two of us were starving so we started the looooong walk down to our hotel. We stopped at Excalibur's food court and had Quiznos (yes very fancy). We then headed back to the hotel to grab our player's club cards and hit the slots. We were pleased to see that they had changed the sheets and provided fresh soaps next to the sink. However, Lisa Marie now noticed that there was a used soap in the shower. That was it for us! Down to the front desk we went once again. After discussing the predicament with the front desk, they offered to move us. Only thing was that they would have to give us a queen bed standard room as the hotel was sold out. I wasn't really impressed by this and they wouldn't upgrade us. We chatted a bit longer and came to an agreement where they would have the entire room serviced and give us a $25.00 food and beverage credit. We headed to the slots and found our favourite 1 cent game. Yes we are big spenders! It was after 9pm before we decided we had enough for today and should get a little rest. We went up to our room anticipating a short nap followed by an early casino call

 

[Aburns8]

My DH and I did this trip in December 2008. We loved it! I always like to hear other adventurer's experiences. The Disney Archives are new, they did have that for us to tour. I guess that means that I have to take that tour again!

 

[runskyhy]

Awesome trip report! It was very thorough! We took this trip two months ago and I am still trying to finish my TR! It is fun to read about things I had forgotten about! Thanks!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I can't believe I just finally made it over to the ABD threads. We leave in one month for our CA Backstage Magic Tour with the Podcast Crew.

I look forward to reading your Trip Report ...

Jennifer

 

[jessica52877]

Thank you! I always find these interesting and might plan one in a few years. I'll be interested in seeing the "extras" you get to do going with disney vs on your own.

 

[briano72]

great trip