PsychoAlice's California Adventure

[WDWPsychoALice]

Well we started off the day pretty late, waking up at about 1030. Our Check out time was at noon and we hadn’t decided if we were going to San Diego or not. After an early lunch at Carl’s Jr. we had decided on going to California Adventure. Little did I know that it would be an adventure for me also? Something today would set me afloat and I would experience a whole range of emotions on my adventure. Well we got to the park at about 1pm. I honestly didn’t expect California Adventure to be as amazing as I found it to be. It’s a new park for me. We headed to Muppets 3-D first. I loved this show at WDW. I was in search of a net full of Green jello like they had at WDW and explained to Sean why that was so humorous to me. A net full of jello…get it Annette Funicello ..Haha ok so it’s funny to me! Sean took some great pictures of DCA. We then headed over to Disney Animation..this place is as close to the most awesome attraction that I have ever seen in my entire life! We first sat thru Walt’s Story. I was a little put off that Mike Eisner was the speaker for this and got a little ticked off at first. But once he went thru his monologue and Walt life had become the forefront of the screen I began to cry. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I have truly been blessed by the spirit and love of Disney at this moment. I just could not stop the tears from falling. I knew what was happening with Disney at this particular moment. I know that everything I have ever dreamed would become of Disney is crumbling at the foundation. The Uncle Walt’s dream, that I have never known personally, is not what he expected. Everything he dreamed and hoped for is being thrown into a fan and being scattered by the wayside and it is now starting to affect me. Me, a person who isn’t a cry baby. Someone whose love and passion for a company that has touched my life, someone who could be any of us is touched by a man who had a dream of bringing families together in a place so magical. Someplace different, someplace that’s so full of love and magic. My heart is overwhelmed with the thought of Disney. How I wished I could talk to someone who also has Disney so close to their heart. That someone was walking around DCA today. That someone saw me standing outside of “Off the Page” waiting for my boyfriend. Someone who saw me taking in all things Disney. I was standing there wandering what Walt would think of this new park. The President of Comcast and the research analyst for Fulcrum Global Partners who works hand in hand with Comcast. He approached me, someone who is a no one. Just someone who puts more money into the bank of Disney, proudly of course. He asked my name and I questionably told him. He introduced himself. I was standing there speechless. He told me he was the man who was to buy Disney. My eyes welled up yet again. I then grabbed the man and hugged him. Here is a man who is worth Billions of dollars, buying the company who I love so much and I hugged him. He told me that he was going to make the company I love so much a better place. Me a no one, just another over the top fan whose life is consumed by Disney. I also grabbed Richard Greenfield and hugged him to. I said thank you to these men and hugged them again. They told me not to forget their names. I, in turn, told them not to forget the name PsychoAlice. They both gave a chuckle and wrote it down. Could all the money in the world of Comcast outweigh the love and gratitude I gave them that day? Did they know just how much that meant to me? I hardly doubt it. I want my Disney Company to heal and get back on track. I want the Disney Board of Directors to know that Disney isn’t just a money making machine to project and cushion their bank accounts. Walt didn’t care about the money. He had no head for facts and figures. That was his Brother Roy’s job. Walt took a chance on making a place for families. Did his spirit have any clue how much my heart was filled that day? I have given Comcast a breath of a Disney fanatics love for such a company. We parted our ways after another round of hugs and thanks from each person. I was floating on cloud 9 that moment. Sean had returned from using the bathroom at that time. I wish I could have seen the look on my face as I told him what had just happened. I was talking a mile a minute. I even tried to call my mom then. I got a hold of my step dad who had never heard me be excited. I can’t believe he understood half of what I said. I settled down and was just following Sean who was taking pictures. We found another Smokey treat ride. I was starting to settle down but was still just full of smiles. There were to little girls about 3 years old running around. One knocked over an ash tray and looked at me like she had done something really bad. Like she was about to cry. I picked up the ash tray and told her that it was all better and to continue running around and play. That’s what this place is about. Little Princes and Princesses laughing and smiling. We were ready to move forward in this new park. I told those girls to have a beautiful and wonderful Disney day and never forget to smile! We then took the Redwood Creek Challenge. I needed to get some of my energy out. We walked thru it on rope bridges. So many kids were laughing and having a good time. I felt like a kid again! As we were coming out of that there was Mr. Comcast walking the other way. We followed him for a bit trying to get pictures of him without him knowing. I told Sean I felt like a stalker and to just get a picture of the back of him. I didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to him. So we moved over to Paradise Pier. We took a spin on the Sun Wheel. It’s a Ferris wheel on steroids! I loved it! Another great photo taking opportunity! We then grabbed our fastpasses for California Screamin! I'm glad we did. It was only 3:30 and our fastpass was for 8:10! The park closes at 9 pm! We then decided it was a bit too breezy and went to the car to get our jackets and venture off site for lunch. We ended finding a great Thai restaurant. Had some dinner then we went back to DCA. Well Sean put his thermal shirt on proceeded to lock the door and shut it. Then asked me where the keys were!! Oh no he didn’t!! Yep he locked the keys in the car!! Well we got Security up there (In the world’s largest parking structure!!) and they tried for about 30 minutes to get it unlocked! Well my MacGyver thinking boyfriend came up with a great idea! He took off my antennae from the car and used the security’s leatherman and bent the top of my antennae stuck it thru the seal of the car door and unlocked it! Yea!!! It’s great to know I haven’t a helpless man! Well we got thru that unscathed and headed to California Screamin. What a great ride! It looks like a wooden coaster but it’s actually a steel coaster and it’s the first coaster that Disney has turned its guest upside down on American soil! We got off of that and saw that we had about 15 minutes to get in line for something else. I really wanted to ride Soarin’ over California. The standby line said 200 minutes. We got in it anyway! It was only actually 45 minutes! We had gotten there just in time. Only about a dozen more people got in line before they closed the standby line! I will have to tell you that this is one of the best rides on the planet! You are suspended in these seats and taken up in front of what looks like an IMAX screen. They even put the smells of California in there. Everything from the smell of the ocean to Napa Valley’s rich soil. I was truly amazed! After we finished our flight over California the park was empty! Sean took some more great pictures of the park empty. We found our way back to the car and set off for home. This was the best weekend I had had in quite a long time and I'm glad we had the chance to do it! But I am already wanting to go back!

 

[Minniespal]

Great trip report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[Firefly777]

Well we got thru that unscathed and headed to California Screamin. What a great ride! It looks like a wooden coaster but it’s actually a steel coaster and it’s the first coaster that Disney has turned its guest upside down on American soil! [/B]

Great report! I just have to be nit-picky for one second and say that Screamin' is the first coaster at the DLR to turn upside down, but the first in America was Rockin' Roller Coaster.