exDS vet
"How in the world can the words that I said send s
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2002
- Messages
- 441
I flew back home last night from a marathon 3-day experience at Disneyland. Although I had been planning to be at the 50th for twenty-five years, I actually canceled my trip in May. By July 4 I was in remorse over my decision and within a few days I had another trip scheduled.
I arrived at LAX on Saturday and picked up my rental car from Hertz. They gave me a free upgrade from an economy car to a convertible. This was a great sign. So in the overcast weather, I dropped the top and made a b-line for Disneyland.
I was on Town Square at 10 am and called my other half from the dedication plaque. I then went to the "First 50 Magical Years" display and presentation. I was not impressed with either the display or the film. I found the 100th birthday display at WDW to be much more impressive.
The park was very crowded. A mixture of Disney fans, "nuts", and tourists alike. I cought the first "Snow White" show and thought it was pretty good. I had not seen it before. My goal for this trip was to see most of the attractions that I had not seen since my last trip to DLR in 2003.
Of course I hit the shops and of course the "nuts" were in each shop, in big numbers. There was even a line to get inside the Disneyana shop, and they had the entrance from the coffee shop closed.
I only stayed at Disneyland for about 4 hours that day. I also went to DCA and it was fairly empty. I walked right into the Hyperion theater for the Alladin show and was very impressed by this one. The Genie was awesome and this show is right up there with "Festival of The Lion King" at DAK.
Thanks to single-rider lines, I was able to walk on to both Grizzly River Run and Soarin' Over California. I had a corn dog at the Corn Dog Castle and browsed through some shops before leaving for the day.
My plan for July 17th was to become fully immersed in Disneland for that day. I did not camp out with the "nuts" at DCA. I arrived at the Mickey and Friends parking structure at 6:am and by getting into the far left lanes, I was one of the first cars to enter. I parked in the first row of the Mickey level. The tram dropped us off at Downtown Disney and like others, I was shocked by the line to get into the entrance plaza. My spot in line was a few doors up from Jaamba Juice.
While waiting in line, I met people from Stockton and Huntington Beach, CA and from Everett, WA. We had a nice time talking and watching the line grow. The procession of people from DCA to DL lasted just over one hour. We were debating whether they were being stopped at the end of Main St. or if they were being herded to the Festival Arena. It was obvious that they were probably going to both.
By the time I got into the park at 8:15, I walked to Fantasyland and then to get a view of the Festival Arena. Fantasyland was empty. You could walk on any ride there. The same applied to Buzz Lightyear on the way. The mob scene at the festival arena was unimaginable. The line stretched all the way to Splash Mountan and I believe it started making it's way back. By 8:30am all vouchers were gone. Fortunately the only pin I was interested in was the Walt one, and if I didn't get it, sobeit.
All of the other dated merchandise was available at The Emporium, Showcase and Star Traders. So I went to the Emporium and bought one of each item and took my purchase to package drop off. The line to the Festival Arena eventually dwindled down to nothing and at about 5:30pm, I was able to walk into the arena and get in line with one person ahead of me to buy my Walt pin.
The day had a bit of an earie feel to it. Part of this was because the Disney "nuts" were only there for two things. A pin that they had to stand in line for up to twelve hours to get. And the anniversary celebration at the castle. The anniversary ceremony started late. It was very nice. I especially appreciated Art Linkletter and Diane Disney Miller. Bob Iger was passionate and even impressive. I was standing on Main St. through Iger's segment, watching via big screen, because you couldn't get anywhere near the castle. When Eisner was introduced I left, rather than boo him. I walked to the Small World area where I caught the rest of the ceremony and got emotional when Walt's daughter recited the first sentence from Walt's dedication speech.
Over the next few hours I "took in" Walt's park from a variety of angles. I found myself spending a great deal of time on Main Street. I rode Splash Mountain and it broke down. Fortunately it was at the end, just after the riverboat. We had to be escorted off the ride and it was kind of cool seeing the backstage areas of the ride.
For the parade, I sat on the curb at Town Square and had a great view. For the rebroadcast of the Walt's dedication speech, I was ten feet away from the plaque. Security had cleared a path for Mickey Mouse to walk to the plaque. I had a clear view of Mickey at the flagpole. The small tribute was nice, but I felt that the announcer's voice sounded somber, rather than excited. It was almost as if Walt had died recently. I thought the moment should have been more sentimental.
I was able to get on several more rides, including Buzz Lightyear and Pooh. I thought the Buzz ride was better than the WDW version, but aside from the Critter Country setting, the pooh ride at WDW was better than Disneyland's.
I sat in the middle of the plaza or "hub" for the fireworks. The view was amazing. The new technology for the fireworks was quite impressive. I liked the "E-tickets in the Sky" part, although some of it was a bit long. Overall, I was not impressed with this show. I don't like the wishes music. Julie Andrews was a nice touch, but I could have done without "This is Julie Andrews." I think "Believe" was a much better show, and they could have done a better job with this one by mixing that show with the 50th anniversary element.
After the fireworks, I headed to Frontierland where I was in the front section across the water from the stage for the 10:30 Fantasmic! show. While I had not seen this show in four years, I was saddened to see that they replaced the Ursula float with more video. The video is impressive at first with the water screens, but for me, it get's old quite fast. Therefore it is all video from after the princess segment until the queen appears and then more video!. That part reminded me of the Florida version. Too much video! But the show was still great.
I left the park at midnight, after spending 18 hours at Disneyland. I was not exhausted or worn out from the crowds. I was very happy that I had no negative encounters with the "nuts" or "fungrabbers" on July 17. The birthday of Disneyland was a great experience for me. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
I returned to Disneyland on Monday morning just as the park opened at 8:00. I had an early entry, but chose to sleep in instead. I headed straight for Space Mountain, which I had missed the prior two days. The new ride was great. I loved the smooth track and the new music. My only criticism of the new Space Mountain is that it seems like they had gone over budget with the theming improvements and chose to skimp on the SpacePort. New railings and paint aside, I thought they were going to do more inside that area. Other than that, the ride was fine.
As I headed to Fantasyland, I solved the mystery from Sunday. I discovered what the missing element was from the day before. TOURISTS! I guess the tourists and families on vacation chose to visit other parks and/or parts of Southern California on July 17, fearing the dreaded capacity crowds.
Disneyland is just not the same without all of those first time or non-regular visitors. The expressions on kids faces when they see Mickey Mouse for the first time is priceless. I also enjoy watching and interacting with guests who appreciate Disneyland and don't take it for granted. Unlike the people who "reserve" spaces for Fantasmic! eight hours before the show. Or people who cry when the wait for a ride is 20 minutes or it doesn't offer Fastpass.
I believe Disneyland was more crowded yesterday than either Saturday or Sunday. The food lines were long, ride lines were longer. Strollers were everywhere and it was a sense of controlled chaos. The way Disneyland is when it is at it's best.
I will alway cherish the fact that I was at the park on it's actual 50th birthday. I appreciate the cast of Disneyland for doing an incredible job of keeping order in the park and planning the datails just right. The cupcakes were good too, and they lasted all the way until closing. I saw guests taking home full boxes of leftover cupcakes.
Most of all, I thank the Disney folks for allowing the disney "nuts" to camp out like they wanted to, and for giving them a location all thier own to congregate both at DCA and at the festival arena. After they got what they wanted, they went home or back to their hotels. This allowed the real Disney fans or purists to enjoy Walt's park on this very special day.
As I prepared to leave Disneyland to return to LAX, I hopped on one original ride that I had never ridden before. I took the horse-drawn streetcar from Sleeping Beauty Castle to Town Square. This was the perfect ending to a great trip to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.
I arrived at LAX on Saturday and picked up my rental car from Hertz. They gave me a free upgrade from an economy car to a convertible. This was a great sign. So in the overcast weather, I dropped the top and made a b-line for Disneyland.
I was on Town Square at 10 am and called my other half from the dedication plaque. I then went to the "First 50 Magical Years" display and presentation. I was not impressed with either the display or the film. I found the 100th birthday display at WDW to be much more impressive.
The park was very crowded. A mixture of Disney fans, "nuts", and tourists alike. I cought the first "Snow White" show and thought it was pretty good. I had not seen it before. My goal for this trip was to see most of the attractions that I had not seen since my last trip to DLR in 2003.
Of course I hit the shops and of course the "nuts" were in each shop, in big numbers. There was even a line to get inside the Disneyana shop, and they had the entrance from the coffee shop closed.
I only stayed at Disneyland for about 4 hours that day. I also went to DCA and it was fairly empty. I walked right into the Hyperion theater for the Alladin show and was very impressed by this one. The Genie was awesome and this show is right up there with "Festival of The Lion King" at DAK.
Thanks to single-rider lines, I was able to walk on to both Grizzly River Run and Soarin' Over California. I had a corn dog at the Corn Dog Castle and browsed through some shops before leaving for the day.
My plan for July 17th was to become fully immersed in Disneland for that day. I did not camp out with the "nuts" at DCA. I arrived at the Mickey and Friends parking structure at 6:am and by getting into the far left lanes, I was one of the first cars to enter. I parked in the first row of the Mickey level. The tram dropped us off at Downtown Disney and like others, I was shocked by the line to get into the entrance plaza. My spot in line was a few doors up from Jaamba Juice.
While waiting in line, I met people from Stockton and Huntington Beach, CA and from Everett, WA. We had a nice time talking and watching the line grow. The procession of people from DCA to DL lasted just over one hour. We were debating whether they were being stopped at the end of Main St. or if they were being herded to the Festival Arena. It was obvious that they were probably going to both.
By the time I got into the park at 8:15, I walked to Fantasyland and then to get a view of the Festival Arena. Fantasyland was empty. You could walk on any ride there. The same applied to Buzz Lightyear on the way. The mob scene at the festival arena was unimaginable. The line stretched all the way to Splash Mountan and I believe it started making it's way back. By 8:30am all vouchers were gone. Fortunately the only pin I was interested in was the Walt one, and if I didn't get it, sobeit.
All of the other dated merchandise was available at The Emporium, Showcase and Star Traders. So I went to the Emporium and bought one of each item and took my purchase to package drop off. The line to the Festival Arena eventually dwindled down to nothing and at about 5:30pm, I was able to walk into the arena and get in line with one person ahead of me to buy my Walt pin.
The day had a bit of an earie feel to it. Part of this was because the Disney "nuts" were only there for two things. A pin that they had to stand in line for up to twelve hours to get. And the anniversary celebration at the castle. The anniversary ceremony started late. It was very nice. I especially appreciated Art Linkletter and Diane Disney Miller. Bob Iger was passionate and even impressive. I was standing on Main St. through Iger's segment, watching via big screen, because you couldn't get anywhere near the castle. When Eisner was introduced I left, rather than boo him. I walked to the Small World area where I caught the rest of the ceremony and got emotional when Walt's daughter recited the first sentence from Walt's dedication speech.
Over the next few hours I "took in" Walt's park from a variety of angles. I found myself spending a great deal of time on Main Street. I rode Splash Mountain and it broke down. Fortunately it was at the end, just after the riverboat. We had to be escorted off the ride and it was kind of cool seeing the backstage areas of the ride.
For the parade, I sat on the curb at Town Square and had a great view. For the rebroadcast of the Walt's dedication speech, I was ten feet away from the plaque. Security had cleared a path for Mickey Mouse to walk to the plaque. I had a clear view of Mickey at the flagpole. The small tribute was nice, but I felt that the announcer's voice sounded somber, rather than excited. It was almost as if Walt had died recently. I thought the moment should have been more sentimental.
I was able to get on several more rides, including Buzz Lightyear and Pooh. I thought the Buzz ride was better than the WDW version, but aside from the Critter Country setting, the pooh ride at WDW was better than Disneyland's.
I sat in the middle of the plaza or "hub" for the fireworks. The view was amazing. The new technology for the fireworks was quite impressive. I liked the "E-tickets in the Sky" part, although some of it was a bit long. Overall, I was not impressed with this show. I don't like the wishes music. Julie Andrews was a nice touch, but I could have done without "This is Julie Andrews." I think "Believe" was a much better show, and they could have done a better job with this one by mixing that show with the 50th anniversary element.
After the fireworks, I headed to Frontierland where I was in the front section across the water from the stage for the 10:30 Fantasmic! show. While I had not seen this show in four years, I was saddened to see that they replaced the Ursula float with more video. The video is impressive at first with the water screens, but for me, it get's old quite fast. Therefore it is all video from after the princess segment until the queen appears and then more video!. That part reminded me of the Florida version. Too much video! But the show was still great.
I left the park at midnight, after spending 18 hours at Disneyland. I was not exhausted or worn out from the crowds. I was very happy that I had no negative encounters with the "nuts" or "fungrabbers" on July 17. The birthday of Disneyland was a great experience for me. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
I returned to Disneyland on Monday morning just as the park opened at 8:00. I had an early entry, but chose to sleep in instead. I headed straight for Space Mountain, which I had missed the prior two days. The new ride was great. I loved the smooth track and the new music. My only criticism of the new Space Mountain is that it seems like they had gone over budget with the theming improvements and chose to skimp on the SpacePort. New railings and paint aside, I thought they were going to do more inside that area. Other than that, the ride was fine.
As I headed to Fantasyland, I solved the mystery from Sunday. I discovered what the missing element was from the day before. TOURISTS! I guess the tourists and families on vacation chose to visit other parks and/or parts of Southern California on July 17, fearing the dreaded capacity crowds.
Disneyland is just not the same without all of those first time or non-regular visitors. The expressions on kids faces when they see Mickey Mouse for the first time is priceless. I also enjoy watching and interacting with guests who appreciate Disneyland and don't take it for granted. Unlike the people who "reserve" spaces for Fantasmic! eight hours before the show. Or people who cry when the wait for a ride is 20 minutes or it doesn't offer Fastpass.
I believe Disneyland was more crowded yesterday than either Saturday or Sunday. The food lines were long, ride lines were longer. Strollers were everywhere and it was a sense of controlled chaos. The way Disneyland is when it is at it's best.
I will alway cherish the fact that I was at the park on it's actual 50th birthday. I appreciate the cast of Disneyland for doing an incredible job of keeping order in the park and planning the datails just right. The cupcakes were good too, and they lasted all the way until closing. I saw guests taking home full boxes of leftover cupcakes.
Most of all, I thank the Disney folks for allowing the disney "nuts" to camp out like they wanted to, and for giving them a location all thier own to congregate both at DCA and at the festival arena. After they got what they wanted, they went home or back to their hotels. This allowed the real Disney fans or purists to enjoy Walt's park on this very special day.
As I prepared to leave Disneyland to return to LAX, I hopped on one original ride that I had never ridden before. I took the horse-drawn streetcar from Sleeping Beauty Castle to Town Square. This was the perfect ending to a great trip to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.
) Personally, I don't see what the fuss is all about. To each their own, I suppose.
Nut- I joined the overnight DCA party and stood in line before 4 a.m. just to do it.
Not Nut- I didn't get in any pin lines, nor did I have any interest in pins.
Everyone knows I'm a disney "freak", and that's ok.... 
) But, becasue we didn't know anybetter. 
Carrie, Jesse and Courtney, Crystal (you owe me my Stitch pin!), Heather, Kurt and Mom... you are all so dear to Kevin and I... you are ALL invited to the wedding 
