Just got back to Sacramento from my So Cal trip (the highlight of which was Club 33). We were there for the 11am brunch, and because a couple of the people in our party were running late, we didn't get to the park any earlier than that. This was only the second time that I've eaten at Club 33, the first time being over 10 years ago. They've since added a bar that wasn't there before and I also noticed that the dining room that used to have the hidden microphones in it had been remodeled. Still, the club is just as ornate and beautiful as I'd remembered, and the service was impeccable. Our server, Mark, was awesome and had a wonderful sense of humor. I took several pics of the inside, which I'll post in the next few days. All in all, I would say, without reservation, that I'd recommend this experience to anyone if you ever get the rare opportunity.
Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot more to report about the trip. We had gotten there late and then didn't get out of Club 33 until probably 1pm or so. Also, it was quite crowded, and we had to meet up with another friend at House of Blues at 9pm that night. Consequently, we weren't able to do as much in the parks as we would have liked. After Club 33, we headed over to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and pretty much walked right on. Although it's certainly not at the top of my Disney attractions list, it is an enjoyable attraction, and it was nice to ride something that didn't have an hour or more wait (which pretty much all of the major attractions did have). After that, we made our way back down Main Street, looked in a few of the shops, and decided to head on over to DCA. Prior to leaving though, I happened to look at the Castle and noticed what appeared to be a dent on top of one of the lower turrets (on the right hand side, when facing the Castle). Has anyone else noticed this? Aside from that, I think the Castle looks great with it's new color scheme.
Over at DCA, we sat and had ice cream and then one of the people in our party said she wasn't feeling well and went home. The remaining two of us weren't too depressed about it, because she had indicated earlier that there was no way we'd be able to get her on Tower of Terror. After she left, the two of us went immediately to Tower of Terror. My friend had never been to DCA and had also never been on Tower of Terror in Florida. So this was a special treat for me. It was actually MY first time on this particular Tower of Terror. In terms of comparing it to the Florida version, I would probably say the Florida one has a slight edge to it. But only slight. This version was much better than I had read it would be. I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the drop sequence was not random, like in Florida, that didn't bother me. Also I liked the extra effect. I didn't miss the 5th dimension section, since that's actually the only part of the Florida version that I've always found to be quite lacking. My only two complaints (which are both very minor) are the fact that there's more narration in this one (I actually think that just having the music and very little narration makes the Florida version more creepy), and also the loading area in the boiler room being two levels. I realize this was for efficiency in loading, but it kind of spoiled the illusion for me that both levels would be the "basement" level.
After Tower of Terror, we grabbed a fastpass for it and then did "It's Tough to be a Bug". My friend had seen "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" at Epcot and I knew she'd like this even better....which she did!! Several kids were crying though, and it suddenly occured to me that every time I've seen this show, there have been kids crying by about midway through. I later made the observation that this attraction which sets out to create a better understand about insects, probably traumatizes a lot of kids and makes them even MORE frightened of bugs!! LOL!! That part where the black widows come down from the ceiling would have terrified me as a kid.
After that, we were going to do "Soarin'" but the line was too long. So then we walked around Paradise Pier and did the Maliboomer. By then, it was time to go back to Tower of Terror and use our fastpasses. While we were standing in line, another guest gave us two more fastpasses that he could not use. That was so cool!! We got off and immediately rode again.
Sadly, by then it was time to go meet up with our other friend at House of Blues.
It was fun being there with someone who'd never been to DCA. Although I've always been very critical of this park, my friend was actually quite impressed. She's not a hardcore Disney buff, by any stretch of the imagination, so is was interesting to see it all from her perspective. Initially she didn't quite understand what the theming of DCA was supposed to be. But once I explained it to her, she thought it was really cool and imaginative of Disney to create a park like this. She also was very impressed with all the attention to detail and she was absolutely blown away when I told her this all had once been the Disneyland parking lot. She also said that Tower of Terror was the best ride she'd ever been on anywhere.
All in all a wonderful trip, but we were left wanting more because we hadn't had enough time. Consequently, we're already planning our next trip down....some time after Space Mountain reopens!!
Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot more to report about the trip. We had gotten there late and then didn't get out of Club 33 until probably 1pm or so. Also, it was quite crowded, and we had to meet up with another friend at House of Blues at 9pm that night. Consequently, we weren't able to do as much in the parks as we would have liked. After Club 33, we headed over to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and pretty much walked right on. Although it's certainly not at the top of my Disney attractions list, it is an enjoyable attraction, and it was nice to ride something that didn't have an hour or more wait (which pretty much all of the major attractions did have). After that, we made our way back down Main Street, looked in a few of the shops, and decided to head on over to DCA. Prior to leaving though, I happened to look at the Castle and noticed what appeared to be a dent on top of one of the lower turrets (on the right hand side, when facing the Castle). Has anyone else noticed this? Aside from that, I think the Castle looks great with it's new color scheme.
Over at DCA, we sat and had ice cream and then one of the people in our party said she wasn't feeling well and went home. The remaining two of us weren't too depressed about it, because she had indicated earlier that there was no way we'd be able to get her on Tower of Terror. After she left, the two of us went immediately to Tower of Terror. My friend had never been to DCA and had also never been on Tower of Terror in Florida. So this was a special treat for me. It was actually MY first time on this particular Tower of Terror. In terms of comparing it to the Florida version, I would probably say the Florida one has a slight edge to it. But only slight. This version was much better than I had read it would be. I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the drop sequence was not random, like in Florida, that didn't bother me. Also I liked the extra effect. I didn't miss the 5th dimension section, since that's actually the only part of the Florida version that I've always found to be quite lacking. My only two complaints (which are both very minor) are the fact that there's more narration in this one (I actually think that just having the music and very little narration makes the Florida version more creepy), and also the loading area in the boiler room being two levels. I realize this was for efficiency in loading, but it kind of spoiled the illusion for me that both levels would be the "basement" level.
After Tower of Terror, we grabbed a fastpass for it and then did "It's Tough to be a Bug". My friend had seen "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" at Epcot and I knew she'd like this even better....which she did!! Several kids were crying though, and it suddenly occured to me that every time I've seen this show, there have been kids crying by about midway through. I later made the observation that this attraction which sets out to create a better understand about insects, probably traumatizes a lot of kids and makes them even MORE frightened of bugs!! LOL!! That part where the black widows come down from the ceiling would have terrified me as a kid.
After that, we were going to do "Soarin'" but the line was too long. So then we walked around Paradise Pier and did the Maliboomer. By then, it was time to go back to Tower of Terror and use our fastpasses. While we were standing in line, another guest gave us two more fastpasses that he could not use. That was so cool!! We got off and immediately rode again.
Sadly, by then it was time to go meet up with our other friend at House of Blues.
It was fun being there with someone who'd never been to DCA. Although I've always been very critical of this park, my friend was actually quite impressed. She's not a hardcore Disney buff, by any stretch of the imagination, so is was interesting to see it all from her perspective. Initially she didn't quite understand what the theming of DCA was supposed to be. But once I explained it to her, she thought it was really cool and imaginative of Disney to create a park like this. She also was very impressed with all the attention to detail and she was absolutely blown away when I told her this all had once been the Disneyland parking lot. She also said that Tower of Terror was the best ride she'd ever been on anywhere.
All in all a wonderful trip, but we were left wanting more because we hadn't had enough time. Consequently, we're already planning our next trip down....some time after Space Mountain reopens!!
:animwink:
