Sisters at DL: the first day

[AngieBelle]

I'm Angela, a WDW CM who grew up going to DL, but hadn't been back in 10 yrs.

I'm 26, and my sister Paula is 25.

We weren't going to go to DL until Saturday, but Paula, who works as a substitute teacher in LA, ended up not being needed to sub yesterday, so we took the opportunity to go to DL on a weekday. First we stopped at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica for breakfast at a blueberry place we'd read about called Jack and Jill's. The blueberry muffins were to die for!

We got to DL around noon. Although I grew up going to DL, I discovered I really didn't know it anymore. Walking down Main Street was especially mind boggling! It was like being in a parallel world...same feeling but different placement. Where Exposition Hall was supposed to be, there was an opera house. There was no Casey's Corner, and the ice cream shop, bakery, and candy shop were on opposite sides of the street and had different names! Then of course, the castle is like a doll's house compared to Cinderella Castle, but that doesn't make me love it any less. Supposedly, DL is a lot smaller than WDW's MK all around, but it didn't really feel that way to me. It was fun to not know every nook and cranny for a change- more to explore! I enjoyed seeing how the layout varied from MK.

On Main Street, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto had lines, but Bert from Mary Poppins was free roaming, and I had to get a pic. He looked a little too young but was very much in character- I told him I was visiting from WDW and he said that of course I must have just drawn a chalk pavement picture and popped right in! I giggled and said that well, that is my favorite part of the movie.

The first thing we did- on my insistence as Paula was more interested in rides- was to watch the 50 years movie in the opera house. It's really fun- I love the banter between Steve Martin and Donald, and I thought it was great how they incorporated old footage.

We then headed straight for the Matterhorn, and the wait wasn't bad at all, however Paula and I discovered that we are a bit too big to sit together on that ride and will ask for separate seats next time! It was decidedly uncomfortable! Expedition Everest over at AK is very much the Matterhorn on steroids.

We covered most of Fantasyland after that- there is a much larger selection of dark rides than at MK, and I also thought they were better done here- more fully involved with higher ceilings and scenery that goes farther up. I noticed this especially with Snow White which MK also has. I had really wanted to see Peter Pan too, but the darn thing broke down while we were in line. This happened again when we went on Roger Rabbit- although that time we made it back on later.

We hit a good chunk of the park with the lines being so reasonable (I'm so glad we were able to go on a weekday after all.) We made it to the Matterhorn, Alice, Pinocchio, Toad, Snow White, Big Thunder, Pirates, Indy, Tarzan's Treehouse, a storytelling at Fantasy Faire (I insisted), Gadget's Go-Coaster, Roger Rabbit, Space mt, and Buzz.

I love the upgrades on Space Mt! It felt very smooth and much more technologically advanced with the music and light effects than ours over at MK.

We had dinner at the Mexican place in Frontierland. It was actually pretty tasty and a lot of food. I don't think that place was there the last time I was in DL. We also managed to squeeze in the parade (when there's only 2 of you, it's easy to slip into a last minute spot, and don't worry- we were polite and careful that we weren't in anyone's way) and an ice cream sundae to share. I've seen the parade on tv, but it was awesome in person, and I snapped a few pics too. It's hard to get a good picture when they are constantly moving, but I did get a neat one of Alice mid-twirl. The Wonderland float was the one that was in front of us for the show-stop.

DL actually does have something similar to the BBB over in the Fantasy Faire. It's not advertised and done on a much less formal scale, but they actually do way more creative hairstyles than we do, and I was tempted to get it done but thought I really shouldn't spend the money on getting my hair done right now. DL also has new versions of the Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, and Jasmine outfits that we don't yet carry over at MK!

I wanted to get pics with the princesses but didn't feel like getting in line. I miss the days when the princesses at DL were much easier to access.

DL closed at 8pm yesterday so we walked around Downtown Disney for a bit. It felt a bit more sophisticated than WDW's. I'm trying to decide on a DL item or two to buy that I know for sure is not available at WDW. I only saw a handful of things, but I haven't made up my mind yet. We are still going back to the parks tomorrow with our cousin Alan and then I'll finally get to see DCA for the first time. And hopefully I'll be able to decide what to buy without everyone groaning, "Come on, Angela, just pick something already so we can go!"

I was really tired on the way home, and on the parking tram, a lady told Paula not to let me drive because I looked so tired. Then she added, "if you are old enough to drive!" *snicker* She looked shocked when I told her I'm 26!

 

[SydneyBristow]

Sounds like you had a great time!

 

[minniecarousel]

Cool Angie! I'm so used to the castle, I foget how tall the one in Florida is!

How was your second day?

 

[AngieBelle]

I'll try to get the 2nd day report up soon. I don't feel like typing it out right now. I will tell you, having unlimited access to WDW has spoiled me terribly! I hated having a limited time at DL! I really wanted to just take my time and explore and get to know the CA parks as well as I do the FL ones, but with a time limit, it became all about the rides- particularly since that was mainly what my sister and cousin wanted. They just don't get Disney like I do.

I didn't get a whole lot of pics, but here's the one character pic I got: me and Bert.

PS: my heart still belongs to DL, even though WDW has been my home for almost 5 years.

 

[AngieBelle]

Day 2

Saturday was our return to Disneyland- yay! Our cousin Alan who is about 6 yrs older than me decided to join us. It was the first time we'd ever hung out with just us and him. Nothing personal against him, but I was a bit disappointed he wanted to come because he doesn't "get" Disney at all and is only interested in the thrill rides. I knew I wouldn't get to do the parks quite the way I wanted to with him along, but I digress.

When we arrived, we stopped for a quick bit to eat at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney. I got a banana muffin.

Since Paula and I had gone to DL the other day, we headed straight for Disney's CA Adventure- the first time in 8 years that I entered a Disney park I had never been to before. Alan decided we should go straight for the coaster, so off to the Pacific Wharf we went to ride California Screamin'. The wait was about 20 minutes. I was thinking this ride would be much like RnR at the Studios since I knew it used similar launch technology, but actually the track was totally different- more longways and less loop-de-looping and not quite so headache inducing. I really liked it!

We spent the rest of the morning getting on the other rides in that area. Swing rides like the stinger are fun at first but after a few spins, I started getting dizzy. I like AK's crazy mouse coaster better than the one at DCA- it has more room and it moves more.

By the time we finished that area, we were hungry for lunch. Sometimes one of my favorite things to do when I'm stuck between two choices of entrees is to get someone else to order the other one and then share. Paula and I split the broccoli and cheese soup and the apple and chicken salad- both in freshly made bread bowels, yum.

We pasted through the Golden State section. I was curious about Goldren Dreams, but Alan had no interest so I didn't press it. We skipped Soarin' for although it is one of my favorite rides, it's identical to the one at Epcot. I had wanted to ride Grizzly River Rapids, but the line was too long and Paula thought it was too cold to get wet. We never did make it back over there- rats! However, we did go tromping through the Brother Bear area, climbing up stairs and through netted overhangings. It was fun! I like pretending to be a kid. I was thankful I was wearing strapped sandals and not flipflips. I saw one lady trying to do it barefoot because her flipflops were just getting in the way.

We continued over towards the Hollywood section. If there was one thing at DCA I was not going to leave without seeing the Aladdin show. While in that area, we rode Monsters Inc which I thought was just adorable. I have to wonder if Roz at the end of the ride is controlled by somebody. That day, I was wearing one of the Disney Diva hairpieces from the BBB. I was sitting alone in the 2nd row, and Roz said, "Hey lady in the 2nd row- nice hair! Can we trade?" and then to the car behind us she said something about big ears to the lady wearing mouse ears!

We had gotten fastpasses for Tower of Terror so that's where we went next. It feels very similar to FL's but, as I had read, the elevator does not move forward as it does at the Studios. I missed that part, but there was a new cool mirror effect that ours doesn't have.

Paula came with me to see Aladdin while Alan rode ToT again. I LOVED Aladdin! It's always been among my very favorite Disney movies anyway, but I really enjoyed seeing it done on stage. There were some very clever effects and some interesting story changes to condense the plot. The Genie stole the show making pop culture references to everything from Hannah Montana to Let's Make a Deal. I loved the puppet figures they used for Prince Ali's entrance.

After the show and meeting back up with Alan, we did a quick sweep through the animation area which has basically the same sort of things as the animation area at the Studios but with much more amazing backdrops- themed to Ursula's cavern and the Beast's library.

The Pixar Play Parade was going on just as we were heading back to DL, but I was the only one of the three of us who cared to see it. I kept dragging my feet- trying to watch it as we walked towards the exit.

At DL, we redid Space Mountain and Matterhorm- this time making sure to get separate seats! It was more crowded than Thursday since it was now a weekend, but overall not too bad. By this time, it was dinner. We poked into a couple table service locations, but this being Saturday, there were no available tables. We settled on French Market over in New Orleans Square. Paula and I decided the fried chicken platter was enough to share so we saved a bit of money and split it.

While in New Orleans Square, we hit Haunted Mansion. It's barely different from MK's at all, although Mk's has the edge for being just a tad longer.

After reading online about a treat called a Tigger tail, I was curious to try one and so was Paula. We were talking about it all day. It was one reason we shared dinner- so as not to be overstuffed for dessert! A Tigger tail is 4 marshmellows dipped in caramel and orange flavored chocolate, then given Tigger stripes. They are sold in the shop by the Pooh ride. We went on the ride since it had a posted 3 minute wait time. (Yes...3 minutes....I've never seen a wait time for 3 minutes before. lol.) My cousin commented that he couldn't believe he was going on a Pooh ride. He'd been poking gentle fun at my Disney enthisiasm all day- saying that Disney is my boyfriend and such.

After the ride, Paula and I got our treats- they were quite good but a bit too sweet and hard to eat. The chocolate kept crumbling as we bit into it. I actually like regular chocolate better than orange flavored chocolate, but that's just me. I'm glad we got to try them though.

I kept bugging Alan and Paula about wanting to try the new Nemo subs. Alan wanted to go on Indy. The posted wait was a whole hour- ugh! But it was the last thing Alan was interested in so he and Paula got in line. Alan said this would be it for the night so if I wanted to do something else I could go off on my own for a bit. But I love Indy and hated the thought of them going on without me. I'm always torn between old favorites and new curiousities! Anyway, I stayed in line. In the meantime, we missed the fireworks. The line actually moved quickly and we got on in only a bit over half an hour. I made one last plea for Nemo, but when we got there, the line for the subs was an hour...so it was a no-go. Oh well...I guess I'll have to wait until next time. I mean, it's not an E ticket attraction or anything...only something new I was curious to see.

Of course, I had to drag them into the shop to pick out my souvineers. Trying not to linger too long, I settled on a t-shirt, a 50s style Minnie plush, a keychain, a pin of the castle, a pictorial souvinner book, and a DCA charm with the chipmunks.

I could have gone back another day or two. I wanted to stop and smell the roses and take my time to explore the way I do at WDW, but I just didn't have the time. I'm so spoiled! Paula actually gave me the option of returning for one more day...but I just got the feeling she really didn't want to do another themepark day. Sunday was also my last full day in CA before I flew home and I wanted to do something more relaxing. We went to Venice beach, and this time I had my bathing suit. I don't care that it was chilly, it was my last chance to go in the water!

I love DL! I want to go back and actually stay at a hotel out there for a few days!

 

[Nancyg56]

Hi Angie! I loved your TR. My sister and I are going to DL in September and it is so much fun to start planning our visit by reading the reports. My niece is leaving Monday to begin her time in the CP in DL so I hope that she loves it as much as others have.

 

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing

 

[minniecarousel]

As fun as it is to go to Disney with others, it can be frustrating NOT doing everything you want to do. I'm glad you waited for Indy (although, I've never ridden it w/o a Fastpass!) I'm not a big fan of Nemo. It is nostalgic since I remember the original subs.

Glad you got to come out West, Angie!

 

[Ferry Joy]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.