My Christmas Trip to Disneyland

[MerHearted]

My 2nd Disneyland Trip: A Christmas Fantasy

At the end of my second trip to Walt Disney World, I set a return date to Disney for Christmas of 2005. It was meant to be a trip to celebrate a new life and my dreams come true. Two and a half years later, the day had finally come… except, with a few unforeseen alterations. For one thing, instead of a flight to Orlando, Florida, I found myself on the morning of December 17 holding a boarding pass to Los Angeles, California. I would not return to Walt Disney World, but surprisingly Disneyland. Let’s just say a wild story about my mother finding her long lost goddaughter in California led the switch to be made. I had visited Disneyland two summers ago. I knew I would be back someday, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. Also, this trip wasn’t going to be much of a celebration of a new life, for very little of what I envisioned has happened. My dreams have yet to be fulfilled. It has almost come to the point where I have begun to doubt them. This trip could not have come at a more perfect time. I needed an escape, a rejuvenation for my heart. All three of my previous Disney trips occurred in the middle of the summer. This would be my first time visiting in another season and what a special season it would be. This is my Christmas Fantasy.

For the first time since my first ever Disney trip over 4 years ago, I would be traveling with my parents. However, they would not be going to Disneyland with me. I extended the invitation but they declined. I suppose that goddaughter has some priority for them. It’s quite a shame too. I would have loved to take my parents to Disneyland, kind of going full circle from when they brought me to Walt Disney World in 2001. But oh well, I would see some of my friends on this trip to keep me company. The 6-hour flight over Los Angeles wasn’t too bad. I managed to keep myself entertained by reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I had never read the books before but I figured I should start. I was able to finish the whole thing on the flight. I think I actually enjoyed the book more than the movie. We got to Los Angeles and my uncle picked us up and headed over to Anaheim. At my uncle’s house, which is a 5-minute ride from Disneyland, I was given the same room I had last year. It was a little place right beside the garage, with easy access to his old car. I got a lot of pleasant memories back from seeing that room again. We rested up and the next morning, I would return to Disneyland.

 

[MerHearted]

Veni Vidi Vici
Day 1: December 18, 2005

Like last year, my uncle gave me his old car to drive to Disneyland. There was a slight little problem however. It was a really old car and hasn’t been driven in months. I got in the car, turned on the engine, and the whole thing started to shake. I immediately stopped the car, jumped out of it, and went and told me uncle. He said it was fine to drive. The odometer doesn’t work, the brake light is on, and it shakes like a Polaroid picture and he says it’s fine to drive?! It’s a car of death! Well, I took his word for it and took it to Disneyland. On the 5-minute drive there, it felt like the car was going to explode. But I safely made it into the Disneyland parking structure. Hey, they raised the price from $9 to $10. Hmph! For the first time, I got to park outside instead of in the structure. I headed toward Disneyland and a strange feeling overcame me. It felt weird. I looked all around and it felt like I never left in the first place. This didn’t feel like a new trip but a continuation of last year’s. The tram ride, the plaza, it all felt like it did last time. It felt so comfortable. Everything was right where I left it. Well, that’s not entirely true. The whole place was covered in Christmas and 50th Celebration decorations.

It was park opening as I stepped into Disneyland and was greeted by a very pleasant sight. It was Alice, and not just any Alice. It was my Alice! It was the very same Alice I had so much fun with last time. It really does feel like I never left. A picture on the right of Main Street caught my eye, it was one of the Happiest Faces on Earth collages. This one was Steamboat Willie. I had pictures in this one! This collage was unique in that it was made of 2 different collages. The picture of Steamboat Willie was made up of faces of cast members and each cast member was made up of pictures of guests. The guest pictures were really small. I doubted that I would be able to find my pictures in it.

With that, I turned the corner of Main Street to see an amazing site. Not everything is the same as I left it two summers ago. I had the time of my life in my last Disney visit. It was almost everything I could hope for, well, except one thing. There was no Sleeping Beauty Castle. It was covered in a giant blue tarp, being refurbished for the 50th Celebration. It was no longer being refurbished and there it was before me, shimmering in pink and gold. It is a little castle, but I think it fits the park nicely. It was a beautiful thing to look at but you know what. I don’t think it carried the emotion with it that Cinderella Castle does for me. Perhaps it was because I was able to enjoy Disneyland without it last year. It doesn’t carry any memories for me. Or maybe it’s because I simply love Cinderella Castle too much. Still, it was wonderful to finally be able to see Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle for the first time

Strolling down to the castle, I took a big whiff of all the smells of Main Street, U.S.A. as I watched the horses and trolleys go by. It’s just one of the most pleasant things there are. I got to the castle and began observing the detail of it and taking pictures. I then looked left of the castle and saw something quite interesting. Cinderella was standing there, all alone, and just staring at me. It was a little awkward. We just stood there looking at each other. I finally raised my hand and waved at her, she waved back. I wanted to get over and meet her. Ah! I forgot! I need an autograph book! I hurried back down Main Street to get to the Emporium when I noticed my cell phone was flashing. There was a message from Kirsten. She had arrived. It was pretty funny. There I was on Main Street, holding my phone to my ear listening to Kirsten’s message when Kirsten walks right by me. Hey! She was holding something chocolately. We greeted each other and I told her that I just saw Cinderella and had to get an autograph book. We went over to the Emporium and got one. It’s a new one, just for the 50th. It’s red with gold letters and has all the characters dancing out of the castle. Cool!

We headed back to the castle in search of Cinderella, but met another princess along the way. It was Belle! She was very pretty. She noticed that I had on my Ariel shirt. (This is the first time I’ve worn that shirt since my last trip!) I told her Ariel was my favorite and she asked me if I had met her yet. I said I haven’t, but I planned to. She told me to say “Hi!” to Ariel for her. I told Belle I met her last year, but that she probably doesn’t remember me. Then, which was probably one of the funniest things a character has ever said to me, Belle gives me a really mischievous look and says, “Should I remember you?” Did Belle just accuse me of causing trouble? That left a guilty look on my face as though I just got caught red-handed. I stuttered and went “Uhhh… uhhh… uhhh… I hope not!” That was so funny! I got a picture and an autograph and said good-bye to Belle. Belle rocks! We went over to the place I saw Cinderella, but she was now gone.

Vince and Belle

Kirsten and I then went into Fantasyland and saw the Princess shop. Ok, we just have to go in! I remembered last year, I spent so much time here listening to princesses tell stories. I wondered if they still do that. I didn’t see it on the park schedule though so that was disappointing. We walked by the costume section and I spotted the Snow White bow I wore last year. Ah, what the heck. I put on the bow and this time even put a Snow White dress in front of me. Kirsten took my princessly picture. This is becoming quite the tradition! We then walked around Disneyland to see what was around. What should we do first? Kirsten suggested Space Mountain. I never rode Space Mountain before. It was closed here last year and I never rode it in Walt Disney World. I was afraid of it. Remember, I don’t like drops. But last year, I conquered Splash Mountain. Surely, I could take on Space Mountain with ease now. It is the only mountain I’ve yet to conquer. I’ve done Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Matterhorn, and Splash Mountain. For this trip, I was ready to make it four-for-four. We went and got fastpasses to Space Mountain. On my first ever Disney trip, I had a fastpass for Space Mountain but never used it. Kirsten insisted this time, I would use it.

When we walked back to the castle, we saw Ariel’s Grotto had opened. Ariel, I’m coming! I quickly darted over to see her. Kirsten said Ariel wouldn’t want to see me after I stood her up last year. I didn’t stand her up! I didn’t know she was serious when she asked me to go swimming with her. Well, maybe she forgot. Of course, Belle apparently doesn’t. When I got to Ariel, I saw that it wasn’t the Ariel I met in Disneyland last year but the one I met in California Adventure. And she was not upset at all, but was happy to see me! I showed her my shirt and I told her all about how she was my favorite. I also told her that Belle wanted me to tell her she says “Hi!” I got a picture and an autograph. Ariel was just so sweet and fun! I absolutely love her! Kirsten got a picture too. Kirsten had on Stitch ears and Ariel told her she stole Eeyore’s ears. Kirsten corrected her and said she stole Stitch’s. Hehe, I met Ariel. I’m happy now.

Me and My Ariel

Back at the castle, Cinderella was back and we went over to see her. She was very elegant and spoke very properly, almost too properly as though she was Mary Poppins instead. She saw my shirt and asked to see what it said. “Ready to make a splash!” She asked if Ariel was my favorite and I said she was but that I liked Cinderella too. She asked if I met Ariel yet and I told her I just did. I got my picture and autograph and we went over to see the other princesses. Snow White and Princess Aurora were there but they were about to leave. As Aurora left, she saw Kirsten, pointed and said “I love your ears!”, which seemed to make Kirsten very happy. I then decided to get a churro. Mmmm, how I’ve miss thee, oh churro. One bite and it felt like a year and a half was worth the wait!

We then decided to do an attraction and went over to “it’s a small world”, but it’s different this season. It’s “it’s a small world” holiday now and you know what? It’s even better! The whole ride is covered in Christmas decorations inside and out. And instead of just singing the title song, the dolls mix in “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls.” The mermaids in it sing “Jingle Shells.” And even Stitch found his way into the ride. The holiday makeover made the ride, which was great as it was, 10 times better! I loved it!

"it's a small world" holiday

The park schedule said that the White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia would be doing meet-and-greets but she was never at her spot whenever we went by. It was too bad too cause I wanted to ask her for some Turkish delights and possibly have her slap me. Back in Fantasyland, we saw Merlin do the Sword in the Stone ceremony. When Merlin mentioned the “royal rod”, Kirsten broke into laughter. That girl needs to get her mind out of the gutter. We then went over to ride Dumbo. We couldn’t get the gold Dumbo. All of the original Disneyland rides have a gold part to them. We got a purple Dumbo instead. Well, we got our Dumbo fix. You must always ride Dumbo on every trip.

Tomorrowland was our next destination as we got in line for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Again, with her mind in the gutter, Kirsten decided to play around with the name of the ride. Uhh, you figure it out. I love the queue for Buzz Lightyear. Not because it doesn’t anything special, but because it curls all the way over to Ariel’s Grotto. I got to see Ariel again while in line. Wooo! Well, for the ride itself, Kirsten mopped the floor with me. How come I never win this game? She had about 10 times as many points as I did. Our picture on it was pretty funny. Kirsten looked “in the zone” while I looked like I could care less. Well, maybe that’s why I’m horrible at this. Afterwards, we had lunch at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port. We had pizza, what else?

So what’s next! I know, something I haven’t ridden since my first Disney trip, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was the first coaster I ever rode at Disney. I was scared of it then, but I should be fine with it now. On the way there, we saw the Laughing Stock, Co. perform in front of the Golden Horseshoe. These guys were hilarious! They did a skit where the mayor of Frontierland forced the sheriff to marry his “lovely” daughter, Sallie Mae. His daughter was a guy in drag. It was so funny. A lot of the things they said were very “un-Disney” but it was too funny. They acted out their version of “Romeo and Juliet”, calling it “Rodeo and Judiet”. The funniest line was when Sallie Mae threatened to break the sheriff’s leg. The sheriff responded with “I’ll break your face, but nature already did that.” After the show, we got in line for Big Thunder. We had a couple of people jump ahead of us in line. Darn Californians and their lack of line etiquette! We rode Big Thunder and you know what? This ride was freakin scary. I don’t remember this ride being that scary. I was thrown all over the place with sharp turns and dives. I nearly got thrown off the thing. Kirsten also took it upon herself to mention where I was sitting was where that guest had died on the ride. Well, that makes me feel so much better! After Big Thunder, I began to reconsider the Space Mountain thing. Ok, if Big Thunder was that scary for me, how could I do Space Mountain? Kirsten insisted I could do it and said there were no drops. No drops? I swore Space Mountain had one, or was it only Walt Disney World’s version?

Kirsten and I then walked through Santa’s Reindeer Roundup at Big Thunder Ranch. There we saw, well, reindeer. I immediately thought of a certain Simpson’s episode. One of them sure did like chewing on his own leg. After looking at the reindeer, Kirsten then squealed. She saw the Pluto dressed up as Rudolph. He was with Chip and Dale dancing along to the band playing at the ranch. Kirsten was absolutely gushing all over him. It was both funny and cute. She got her picture with Pluto and we were off. We got to Mickey’s Toontown, which was filled with Christmas décor. We then saw Goofy come out in a Santa costume. Ah, I have to meet Santa Goof! I got his picture and autograph after waiting in line. He was quite popular!

Vince and Santa Goof

 

[MerHearted]

The time had finally come. Our fastpasses for Space Mountain were now in effect. We headed over to Tomorrowland, but after Big Thunder, I was feeling really uneasy about this. Kirsten, however, wasn’t letting me go anyway. She grabbed onto my backpack and made sure I got in the ride. The ride went off and I was in complete awe. I was no longer scared. I just stared out at all the stars in the ride. It was beautiful. The ride was simply amazing. Wow, it was one of the best rides I’ve ever been on! The twists and turns through the stars and the music, oh wow, what great music! Space Mountain was awesome! It wasn’t scary, it was thrilling! I think this is a new version of Space Mountain. I wonder what the old one was like. Well, I’m glad to have ridden it. And that completes it, I have conquered all of the Disney mountain ranges. It took four trips but I finally did it. I was quite proud of myself.

While waiting for Space Mountain, I got a text message from Roxxy. She was coming. After the ride, we headed over to Town Square and waited for her. There we saw a bit of Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams from afar. I decided not to see any parades today. I love parades, but my friends weren’t too fond of them. And I had plenty of time later in the week to see them. As we waited, we spotted Aladdin and Jasmine just randomly dancing and spinning around in Town Square. Kirsten tried to see them but they soon left. I then got a call from Roxxy. She told me she couldn’t make it. What?! She was only kidding… evil girl. She arrived bearing gifts for my birthday and Christmas. Awww, that was very sweet of her. She said my gifts were quite fragile so I decided to store them in a locker instead of carrying them around with me. The three of us then went over to ride the Indiana Jones Adventure. But we saw that it had a huge line when we got there so we decided to go on Haunted Mansion Holiday instead. Like “it’s a small world”, the Haunted Mansion was changed for Christmas. The characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas have taken over it. Now, I have never been much of a fan of the Haunted Mansion. Everyone says it’s funny and whimsical, but it gives me the creeps. The holiday version of the ride didn’t do much better for me. It was still creepy, except everyone was wearing Santa hats, which kind of made it even creepier. Also, they have me on the naughty list on this ride. It was right there “Vincent” with a naughty symbol next to it. Roxxy has a nice symbol on her name. Hmph! What does this place have against me? First Belle, now this.

Haunted Mansion Holiday

After the ride, we were joined by Ray, who Roxxy had invited. Together, all four of us went on Pirates of the Caribbean. They changed the ride. It used to have a big drop at the beginning but now it had two little drops instead. Or at least I think it did. I was pretty sure it had a big drop. We were then hungry. There was one place in my mind that I wanted to eat, Ariel’s Grotto in Disney’s California Adventure. It’s been changed to include all the princesses and a human Ariel! I suggested it and we all headed out of Disneyland for its neighboring park. We got all the way to Paradise Pier and were about to go into Ariel’s Grotto. But we were then told that the restaurant was booked for the evening. What?! How could it be booked? Nobody goes to this place. Last year, we just walked right in. I wasn’t going to have dinner with Ariel. That made me sad. But that sad feeling was nothing compared to the horror that I would immediately face. I didn’t realize it but I had just done an incredibly stupid thing. I looked up and right before me stood California Screamin’. What have I done? I’ve led them right to it. Kirsten, Roxxy, and Ray were now insisting I go on Screamin’. Whoa! Whoa! WHOA! NO! This was never the plan. I will NOT ride California Screamin’! I had planned on Space Mountain being the thrill ride of this trip and that would be it. And Space Mountain was a completely different beast. This is Screamin’. I absolutely fear this ride. Look at the size of it! There is no way I’m riding this. But the three of them were quite insistent that I ride. I told them to ride on their own but they wanted me. No no no! Roxxy then grabbed me and dragged me towards the ride. That girl is surprisingly strong! She said she’s been waiting all year to get me on this ride. Man, she’s evil! This wasn’t even asking me on this ride, they were forcing me. They would not take “no” for an answer. In a desperate attempt to get out of Screamin’, I feigned pregnancy. I told them I was an expectant mother and I couldn’t ride it. Yeah, they didn’t buy it. I can’t believe this. I stood in front of Screamin’ and stared at its enormous drop. That thing’s twice the size of the Splash Mountain one and even that one took a lot of courage to ride. How could I do this? Could I even handle it? I’ve never ridden anything like this. How on earth did this evening go from dinner with Ariel to California Screamin’? Talk about two opposite ends of the spectrum. And why did it have such a short line? Of all the times to not have people riding it, you chose now?! I got on the ride in complete disbelief. Roxxy seemed to enjoy it as she kept taking pictures of me in the process of going on the ride. The look on my face was not a happy one. The harness was strapped on me and there was no escape now. Kirsten sat next to me and told me, “Feel free to scream as much as you want.” I replied, “Oh, I will!” And before much else, the coaster blasted through the track. We immediately went up a drop. I closed my eyes as we went down. Is that it? Did I do it? Was that the big one? Uhh… no. The giant drop was still towering before me. We made it all the way to the peak. I thought, “Well, there’s nothing I can do. Take it and don’t think.” And with that, we plummeted down, spinning as we went. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Before I knew it, it was over. I made it through the drop and… “Oh crap, here comes that loop!” I was thrown into the seat of the car as it went upside-down through the Mickey loop. It was then over. I got through California Screamin’. I did it. I actually did. I conquered Screamin’! I conquered the single thing I feared the most at Disney! I was completely dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe what I just did. And it wasn’t really that bad. Amazing! I felt like I could do anything now. Ray asked if I wanted to go on Tower of Terror, which I quickly said “no” to. I think I’ve had my fill of thrills for the day. Roxxy said she enjoyed all the screaming I did on the ride. That girl is evil to the core!

California Screamin'

We were still hungry, seeing how we couldn’t get into Ariel’s Grotto and all. So we decided to get a little snack and visited the Mission Tortilla Factory, which had a really amusing intro by a bunch of kids. Inside, you saw tortillas being made and were given a fresh tortilla at the end. Tortillas sure are dry without anything in them. The four of us then made our way back to Disneyland and went over to Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante for dinner. This was the last place I ate on my last trip. I had some chicken tacos, but I couldn’t finish them. I dunno, maybe it was Screamin’ but I didn’t feel like eating too much. It sure was nice to be able to sit down for a while. I think I spent all day on my feet today.

After dinner, we made our way to the hub in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle for the fireworks. It was about 2 hours before the show. Kirsten said this was the best time to get a spot. While we waited, we got into a flashing battle with our cameras trying to blind each other. Some people taking pictures of the castle seemed to join in and I was constantly hit with flashes. We saw a bit of the Christmas parade as it went by on Main Street for its evening showing. Roxxy and Ray then said they had to go. I hugged them good-bye and it was back to me and Kirsten again.

Roxxy is shamed.

The fireworks show started but they didn’t close the walkway in front of us so we couldn’t see it clearly sitting down. We were forced to stand up, much to the objections of the people behind us. But they eventually stood up as well. Now, Remember… Dreams Come True has been hyped as the biggest, best Disney fireworks show ever. Did it live up to the hype? Oh, I believe so! I have never seen anything like this before. It wasn’t just a fireworks show, there were lighting effects, fires, explosions, lasers, and the coolest Tinkerbell ever! Everything was perfectly in sync with the music. The show actually starts off with music from Wishes, but then cuts into “E-Ticket in the Sky”, where it replayed various attractions through the fireworks. Remember is a very fitting show for the 50th celebration. It felt like it went through the entire park and its history. It paid tribute to the Disneyland Railroad, the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Indiana Jones, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Davy Crockett, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Roger Rabbit, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Star Tours, and others. Actual ride audio was played included safety spiels and everything. All the effects fit each attraction just right. There was a stretching effect for the Haunted Mansion, gunshots for the Frontierland attractions, lasers for Star Tours, and even a cannon battle with the Matterhorn. If I have one issue with this show, I don’t think it’s very emotional. It doesn’t really pull on the heartstrings so much. It was really more of this grand spectacle that left you going more “Whoa!” than “Aww.” The other fireworks shows seem to do that by hitting on all of the fairytale stories and their songs, which I adore. Remember seemed to be more about Disneyland itself, than the stories that make up Disney. And for this kind of celebration, that’s just fine. There were some touching moments, mainly the Wishes sequences and Tinkerbell’s awesome flight. Tinkerbell doesn’t just fly over the castle here. She swoops around all over it as though she really could fly. It was also a very long show, going about 17 minutes. Simply amazing! When the fireworks were done, a beautiful version of “White Christmas” was played and “snow” was released from the two sides of the castle. The “snow” was really just soap. But hey, there’s snow in California and that’s cool! It was really a warm ending to a great show.

After Remember… Dreams Come True, Kirsten and I headed over to the Rivers of America to see the second showing of Fantasmic! I’m not sure I was totally able to enjoy it though. By this point, I was dead tired. Maybe I was jet-lagged. Or maybe it was from all that walking. But I was just out of it by this point. I was slipping in and out of consciousness waiting for Fantasmic! When the show started, I kind of just wanted to finish it just to call it a day. So after Fantasmic!, we headed out of Disneyland and back to the trams to take us back to the parking structure. I hugged Kirsten good-bye and drove back to my uncle’s house. Since I parked outside of the parking structure today, I got to use the Disneyland Drive exit, instead of Ball Road, which made getting back much quicker. And that was the end of day one and what a day it was. I came, I saw, I conquered.

 

[MerHearted]

When I Find Peace of Mind
Day 2: December 19, 2005

Back in the car of death this morning. Didn’t really get much sleep, maybe 5 hours. Still tired. But who can rest when there’s Disney? I wasn’t lucky enough to park outside today, they had me in the parking structure in the Donald section, all the way on the 5 level. Have to take Ball Road to leave tonight. Oy, that’s a long escalator ride down. The parking structure is kind of fun, speed bumps are a blast in an already shaking car. Well, enough of my adventures in parking. I got off the tram and headed to the entrance plaza to see an enormous crowd. What? Oh come on! I understand the crowd yesterday. It was Sunday. Today is Monday, don’t you people work? I must admit for this trip, the crowds have been the largest I’ve ever seen. I was at Walt Disney World on the 4th of July and it wasn’t this bad. After about 10 minutes waiting in line to get in, I took in the sights of early morning Disneyland. It’s my absolute favorite time of the day. It’s usually not as busy as the rest of the day and you can get so much done. There’s much I want to do today. I’m on my own. Kirsten and Roxxy had to go back to their “lives.” They should realize that I’m the most important thing in their lives. Ok, maybe not but I’m close!

I walked around Disneyland trying to figure out what to do first. I went by “it’s a small world” holiday and heard its song. Oh, I can ride this! No, you went on it yesterday. Do something else. But it’s calling out to me, I must get my small world fix. And with that, I headed in what’s becoming my favorite ride at Disney. How can anyone possibly get enough of it? Those who hate it are misguided. After being delighted by the holiday dolls, I was feeling a bit hungry so I headed over to Main Street for some breakfast. I went into the Blue Ribbon Bakery with a craving for some baked treats but to my shock, there was a huge line for the goods. Gosh darnit! When did you Californians figure out how to form a line! Oh well, I guess I’ll have a churro. I went over to the cart and enjoyed my second churro of the trip.

As I had my churro, Snow White had arrived in front of the castle. I quickly finished off the thing and wiped off any cinnamon stains. I have to look my best for the fairest of them all. Snow White was bundled up in a scarf and some hand-warmer thing. A lot of the princesses are wearing those. Snow White greeted me and asked where I was from. I told her Philadelphia. With that answer, she gave me a burr and said I must think it’s really warm here, but it’s cold to her. I then actually got into a conversation with her about weather. I told her about the snowstorms we’ve been having. She then told me about her homeland of Germany and how cold it is there. It was funny, I don’t think I’ve ever had a discussion about the weather with a princess before. I got my picture and autograph and I bid Snow White adieu. I’ve met 4 of the 5 major princesses, only Princess Aurora remained.

The fairest of them all.

After seeing the princess, I had to urge to try something again, Space Mountain. I loved it so much that I want to do it again. So I got over to Tomorrowland and got myself a fastpass for it. I then went over to Adventureland to see something I’ve never seen before, the original Enchanted Tiki Room. It was closed for refurbishment last year and Walt Disney World has the new version with Iago and Zazu. Hey, they sell Doll Whips right outside the Tiki Room. I didn’t really feel like having one right now. I thought the Enchanted Tiki was really nice. Walt Disney World’s new version got annoying after a while. When that was done, I went to do the ride I missed yesterday, the Indiana Jones Adventure, one of my favorites. I got in the second row of the car all the way on the right-hand side. When I got in the car, I realized this is where that new giant snake attacks. Ok, I don’t want this seat. Too late, the car went off. Oh boy, I’m not going to like that snake. When we arrived at the snake, I ducked for cover as it lunged at me. After that, the ride wasn’t too bad. I still love the arrow sequence.

Frontierland was my next destination as I caught another showing of the Laughing Stock, Co. It’s a different show at different times of the day. They all come together to form one story. That’s pretty cool. I hoped I would be able to see all the different ones on this trip. In this one, two of them played bank robbers trying to rob the guests while being chased by the sheriff. This show was just so funny. When they tried to rob the guests, one of the robbers went “They’re probably rich.” The other replied, “Not after coming in here.” During the gunfight, one of the robbers squealed like a little girl and ran away, forcing his partner to go “Hey what are you doing? Real men don’t run away from a fight.” His friend came back and he walked away. His friend asked what he was doing and he said that he was walking away from the fight. It was hilarious. It even involved some Star Wars moves. After the show, I realized that I lost my guide map. I must have dropped it on Indiana Jones. So I went back to Town Square to get a new one and saw the Disneyland Band performing. I thought I would sit back and just enjoy them for a while. I then got a little hungry, I guess the churro wasn’t enough. I suddenly felt the urge to tackle something I’ve not had since Walt Disney World, a turkey leg. I’ve never been able to finish one before. Those things are just too big! But I wanted to try now. Hey, I conquered California Screamin’, surely I can handle a turkey leg. It took me about a half hour to get through that thing. But in the end, I simply couldn’t finish it. Curse you turkey leg, you’ve bested me again! While I was eating, I was able to see a local community group perform nearby. They were okay, it was only a group of junior-high kids.

Stick 'em up!

When lunch was done, my fastpass time for Space Mountain had come. But when I arrived, the ride had broken down. They stopped it for about 10 minutes and restarted it. Alright, I like the ride, but I am not riding a broken Space Mountain! I really had no choice though. The ride went fine, except there was no music. It’s not the same without the music. Half of the fun was the music. Once that was done, I went over to see another show that wasn’t available last year, Aladdin and Jasmine’s StoryTale Adventures. This is something like the princess storytellings, but with Aladdin and Jasmine. Kirsten loves this show, so I wanted to see it. It was pretty cute. Along with the couple, there were two other storytellers, one that did the intro and the other to act out all the extra parts. They actually had a little girl play Jafar, which was too funny. Aladdin had a battle with Jafar that he simply couldn’t win. Jasmine would gasp every time someone mentioned Jafar’s name. At one point, Jafar was mentioned so much that Jasmine looked like she was hyperventilating. There weren’t too many memorable lines though, which the princess storytellings were full of. It seemed a little more rehearsed too. The princess ones seem more ad-libbed. Still, I enjoyed the show.

Aladdin and Jasmine Storytelling

It was then about 2:00 and I wanted a good spot for Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams, the 50th anniversary parade. Seeing the parade from afar yesterday, I knew where a princess parade stop was and headed right to that spot. It was in Town Square. The parade came and oh wow, what a parade! I think this is the best parade I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying a lot! All the floats are incredible and everything is scripted with dancing and stunts. And the song is awesome! It’s so addicting, like Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration’s. The parade starts off with a golden train carrying Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Tinkerbell up close. She’s adorable! Next came the Beauty and the Beast float, which was beautiful. Belle and Beast danced atop the steps. Then came the Pinocchio float, which actual human puppets tied to strings and performers doing stunts on what seemed to be a bungee cords. The next float was one I had to love, Ariel! She sat on top a giant shell overflowing with water. She told us all about her dreams as she brushed her hair with a dinglehopper! After Ariel, there came an Ursula float. Ew, why does she have a float? Then came the Alice in Wonderland float, which was shaped like a giant tea party table. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum drove around in giant teacups. The next float was probably the coolest, it was The Lion King, featuring moving Simba and Nala on Pride Rock. There was even a walking Rhino puppet and people on stilts. After that came the float I was waiting for. The final float was the princess float with Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Aurora with their princes. Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Donald decked out in royal clothes were also with them. The Seven Dwarves led the float. I was right, the float stopped right in front of me and they performed a show. All the princesses came and danced and waved golden ribbon things. I love golden ribbon things! It was so cool and all done to that really catchy song. What an awesome parade!

Opening float for Parade of Dreams

 

[MerHearted]

There would be another parade in about two hours, Disneyland’s Christmas parade. It plays twice daily. There was enough time to catch another Laughing Stock show, so I went over to Frontierland. This was the same show I saw yesterday with the man in drag. The actors switched roles in this. I guess they change it up so that they don’t get tired of always doing one role. It was still pretty darn funny! I then went over to Main Street to get my spot for “A Christmas Fantasy” parade. It was really nice, just sitting back and watching everything go by Main Street. All the smells, the sights, the shops, the people strolling by, it was really just peaceful. As I waited, I began thinking about how special this really was. Why is it that people can never get enough of the Disney parks? Is it the attractions? I don’t think it is. I’m sure you eventually get tired of doing the same thing over and over. I think it’s this very atmosphere that people can’t get enough of. It’s this peace, this peace of mind that you get from the atmosphere at Disney. It’s what surrounds everything you see, hear, and do. It’s addicting. It keeps drawing you in. This is the true magic of Disney, I think. While sitting there on Main Street, memories of all three previous Disney trips came back to me. They were memories of the atmosphere and the moments of peace. I actually got a little choked up thinking about them. Carolers then went by to sing for the people waiting for the parade. That’s a really sweet idea. I thought one of the carolers was just too cute for words. They began singing “O Christmas Tree”, but in honor of the giant tree in Town Square, they sang “O Plastic Tree” instead. It was funny and cute.

The middle one is adorable!

The Christmas parade finally came and it was really a nice parade. It was one of the better I had seen. Although, I had just witnessed the best parade I have ever seen, so this parade got a little overshadowed by it. There were toy soldiers, elves, reindeer, snowflakes, snowmen, and all the holiday characters you would expect. There was even a live ballerina twirling in a music box along with a live teddy bear. Kirsten says that bear is creepy but I think it’s cute. There were plenty of Disney characters too. Mickey and Minnie actually ice skate on their float. Ariel sits on a pile of large blocks. Buzz and Woody were also on a pile of blocks. I think Goofy and Max were making baked goods. Genie drove Aladdin and Jasmine in a car that went all over the place. The princess float was cool. It had Cinderella doing some kind of procession with a candle. The parade also had a catchy song. I still liked the song for Parade of Dreams more though.

Toy Soldiers

It was then time for dinner and I went looking for some grub. To my surprise, there were enormous lines at every single restaurant in Disneyland. Lines actually stretched outside the buildings. Oh come on! I went all over Disneyland looking for a place to eat but couldn’t find one. All I saw that was available was a turkey leg cart. I don’t want another turkey leg. I went over to the cart and saw it also sold chimichangas. What on earth is a chimichanga? Well, I guess I was about to find out. I got one and realized it was just a burrito. Why didn’t you just call it a burrito then? It wasn’t too bad at all.

It was now 3 hours till the Remember fireworks. Last night, our view was block by that stupid walkway. I wanted to have an clear view today. I headed to the front of the castle and saw some people had already claimed their spot for the fireworks. Wow, now that’s hardcore. I decided to join them and found myself sitting in the second row directly in front of the castle. I should get a great view now. How I managed to kill three hours, I still have no idea. I did exchange some text messages with Roxxy while I waited. Also, the second showing of the Christmas parade went by on Main Street. I didn’t get to see much of it, just heard it mainly. About 45 minutes before the fireworks, there was an announcement that the show may be canceled due to high winds. What? I don’t feel a wind. Those flags aren’t blowing on the castle. Where is this wind? Every 15 minutes, they made the same announcement saying that they hoped to do the show as scheduled. But when the time finally came, they made the official cancellation announcement. They then immediately went into the “White Christmas” sequence with the snow. Gosh, I just spent 3 hours waiting for nothing. The funny thing was I wasn’t really that upset. Just a little disappointed, I guess. But I had 3 days left, there would be other chances for the fireworks. So I went over into Fantasyland to find things to do now that there were no fireworks. I saw that Alice in Wonderland had a really short line. Alice never has a short line! It’s my favorite of the Fantasyland dark rides. It’s just so whimsical and fun! I rode that and then went over to ride the King Arthur Carrousel. One of the things I love doing in riding the carrousel at night. It’s just so magical. I loved twirling around seeing all of Fantasyland lit up on it. I then went around seeing if anything else had a short line and there was. The Storybook Land Canal Boats had a short line so I was off to it. I really liked this ride from the last trip just cause it visits all the stories I love. Beauty and the Beast isn’t in it though. They should really put that in it. The ride is so much more special at night, seeing all the little worlds lit up.

Sleeping Beauty at night

It was now getting late so I thought I should call it a day. I went around the park and took in a couple more sights and pictures before leaving. Maybe canceling the fireworks wasn’t such a bad thing. I got to do a couple of attractions that I would have missed had the show gone on. The tram took me back to the parking and I drove back to my uncle’s house in the car of death. On the way back, the car of death actually died. I stopped at a red light and then it just stopped. The engine just stopped. What on earth?! I was stuck in the middle of the road! I turned off the car and turned it back on and the engine came back. Ok, that was just too weird. I got back to the house and told my uncle his car died. He said that actually happens quite often and I should be fine. Oh really!

 

[MerHearted]

Princess Tales
Day 3: December 20, 2005

Alright, I do not want to get back in the car of death after what happened last night. But seeing how it was my only way to get back to Disneyland, I had to take it. Luckily, I got there with no problems. They put me back in Donald in the parking structure. I got to the entrance plaza expecting enormous crowds again but to my surprise, it was relatively sparse. Wait, you all come on Monday but not Tuesday? Of course, that wouldn’t last long as during the day the crowd grew back to its expected size. While taking a picture of the golden Christmas tree, Alice and the gang strolled by my view. Ah, might as well follow them and see what they’re up to. They went into a store on Main Street where apparently Peter Pan and Wendy were hiding. Oh, it’s hide-and-go-seek. That game must be really hard in a place as big as Disneyland. Alice gave up and Wendy jumped out and exclaimed “Neverland wins!” Cute! Afterwards, I went straight for Fantasyland and saw that there were no lines for Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I jumped in right away. I then saw that Pinocchio’s Daring Journey had no line as well. Well, that’s two rides just like that. I then went over to Peter Pan’s Flight and saw that it has a gigantic line. Come on, it’s 8:30 in the morning! Why is this ride so popular?

Alice off to fun!

I had a goal today, to meet my final princess, Sleeping Beauty. So after walking around Fantasyland, I went over to her castle to wait for her. I waited and waited. I knew she was she going to be there. Then after about 20 minutes, I saw Princess Aurora step out of the castle. Woohoo! I got up and wentt over to the front of the castle to see that she was gone. What? She just vanished. She was right there. How could she have just disappeared like that? Where did she go? I went around to all the princess meeting spots and there was no sign of her. Was I just imagining things? I swear I saw her! How does a princess just disappear into thin air? Maybe she was in the princess shop. I went in but she wasn’t there. I did find something though, my Snow White bow. Hmmm… I was now tempted to actually buy it. “No, people will think you’re weird”, I said to myself. “But people already think I’m weird”, I replied. Good point! I grabbed a bow and went over to the cashier. There, I saw her telling another guest about the princess storytellings? What? You still have them? It’s not on the schedule. That’s great! I love the princess storytellings! And better yet, she said Princess Aurora was doing one now. I’ve never seen hers, only Belle’s and Snow White’s. I then went to pay for my bow when the cashier asked me “Will she be wearing this or do you want it in a bag?” I replied, “Uhhh… in a bag.” What? It’s not like I’m going to wear it around, unless I really felt like it. It’s more of a souvenir.

I got out of the princess shop and there was still no sign of Aurora. I decided to just wait some more and maybe she would come back. After waiting for about 10 minutes, Peter Pan and Wendy skipped by me. What are they up to? Mischief, no doubt. Hmmm… no! I can’t go with them, I have to wait for the princess. Ah, screw it! Hey Pan, wait up! I went along with the two of them to see what they were planning to do. They ended up leading me right to Ariel. We were at her grotto and both sides were very curious about each other. Peter actually asked Ariel if she was a codfish. Hey! She is absolutely not! Ariel replied, “I’m not a fish!” Wendy responded by telling her that she was half-fish. Quit picking on my Ariel! Peter and Wendy then went off to the Plaza Inn where they found Captain Hook. Oh, this is going to be fun. They tried to get his attention by crowing at him but he seemed to ignore them. Pluto then walked by us and the two of them got him to join in. Pluto went over to Hook and dragged him over to us. With that, Peter and Wendy made ticking noise, which scared the dickens out of Hook as he ran away as fast as he could. Gosh, those two are evil. I came back to the castle to find Princess Aurora there with a long line to meet her. Damn it, Pan!

Poor ol' Captain Hook

I chose to come back later and went over to Town Square to see a new attraction for the 50th, Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years. It was an exhibit with tons of old artifacts from Disneyland, including models, paintings, pictures, and even old tickets. There was also a movie that starred Steve Martin and Donald Duck. It was funny, sweet, and enlightening. I actually learned a lot, including that there used to be real mermaids in the lagoon. It was a very touching movie. I still think the best movie ever is the one at the end of the Magic of Disney Animation at the Disney-MGM Studios. I then went back to the castle to see that Aurora was gone. Good, now I’ll just wait for her to come back. And no running off this time. Finally, she had come back and I immediately ran over to her. She guided me to the back of the castle. I told her how I’ve been waiting to see her and all the fun I’ve had so far. She was actually the same Aurora I met last year, which was cool! I got my picture and autograph and I was off. I met all the princesses. Well, there was Jasmine but I think she might be a little harder. I decided to walk around a bit to kill time before the first princess storytelling. When it was time, I got over to the princess shop and saw a huge crowd. Whoa! I’ve never seen that before. The princess storytellings usually only have a small group of guests. It’s more intimate that way. But I guess because the park is so busy now, everything else will be. It was Aurora set to tell the story but with such a large crowd, I couldn’t see anything. I thought I should just come back another time.

Finally, Aurora!

I saw that it was time for another Laughing Stock show so I quickly got over to Frontierland. It was a different one this time. They were playing the Dating Game with three guests for the hand of “lovely” Sallie Mae. They were all blindfolded of course, so they had no idea what they were playing for. Sallie Mae was too funny as s(he) kept getting all over the poor contestants. It was now lunchtime and I wanted to try those skewers people seem to talk a lot about. I got over to Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland and got a Banyan Beef Skewer and a Polynesian Chicken Skewer. Both were good, but I really liked the beef one. It was nice and spicy.

"Lovely" Sallie Mae

After lunch, I got back early to the princess shop to wait for the next princess storytelling. It was Belle this time. Her assistant was Brian, but I don’t think he was as funny as some of the other assistants I’ve seen. I had a much better view. However, at around show time, so many people tried to cram themselves into that little space it was ridiculous. They wouldn’t stop talking either. Uh, hello, Belle’s trying to tell a story here. Shut up! Some people just have no regard for others. When the story was over, I went back over to Frontierland to check out Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe Stage. This show was absolutely hilarious! I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard, probably not since the Adventurer’s Club at Walt Disney World. It was just a band playing some rock and some bluegrass, but it was just so funny. They threw in so many different things, including an Elvis impression and Riverdance. The lead kept pointing his rear end at this poor girl up in front. Eventually, at the end, the lead got himself hurt and began to wail in agony. He exclaimed, “Ow! What happened?! This isn’t Disney magic! This isn’t Walt’s dream!” I laughed so hard, my sides actually hurt and I couldn’t breathe.

It was almost time for the Parade of Dreams now. I headed over to Main Street to pick my spot. While waiting, I got to enjoy the Dapper Dans and the carolers sing. That incredibly cute caroler was with them. The Parade of Dreams got started and I was in for a treat. Instead of one parade stop, I got two! I got the Beauty and the Beast stop along with the princess stop from yesterday. I love this parade! Beautiful floats, incredible performers, just awesome! And I can’t get that song out of my head!

Cinderella blows a kiss

When the parade was finished, I decided that I should pay a visit to Disney’s California Adventure. I still felt uneasy voluntarily leaving Disneyland, even if just for a while. I loved Disneyland so much, it was hard to pull myself out of it. That soon changed however, as I walked into Disney Animation, which has the greatest lobby ever! As I came in, I was surrounded by images and songs of Disney films. They covered you from every angle. And then, Part of Your World played. It was incredible. I got chills down spine from it. All around me was the Part of Your World scene. Disney Animation is just the coolest place to just hang out. I was no longer sad to be away from Disneyland. I was quite happy here. One of the new attractions in Disney Animation was Turtle Talk with Crush. I really had no idea what this was about. But I did find out and it was so cool! You actually get to talk to an animated Crush on screen and you can say or ask anything you want from him. And he actually responds with all the right expressions and animations. I have no idea how they do it. No way this is pure artificial intelligence. No algorithm is that good. There has to be someone behind the scenes doing all of it. Turtle Talk was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen at Disney.

Part of Your World

 

[MerHearted]

I got out of Disney Animation and guess where the exit led me. Right into the Off the Page store. Ahhh! So much Disney art. I want them all! But I can’t have them and that makes me sad. I went by a book of Disney sketches and the cast member working there asked me if I want one. She said I just have to pick one and the animator sitting there would draw it for me and I can even personalize it. Hmmm… I can afford this! Without much thought, I quickly flipped the book to The Little Mermaid section. There I found a really pretty sketch of Ariel sitting on a rock. I told her that I wanted that one. She asked if I wanted anything written on it, I said “Part of Your World.” I’m not entirely sure what it is about me and Ariel. It’s not just being a big fan of her. All fun and jokes aside, I think I have a bond with that character. I know she’s just fictional, but it’s what she stands for. It’s who she is. In her, I see a great deal of myself. She’s fiery, fun, and a bit of a troublemaker. But she’s also such a dreamer. Her situation, who she is, what she wants to do and see and be, there’s so much I can relate with her. We both carry this expectation of who we are and what we’re supposed to be, but we really don’t want that. We want something that no one in our world can really understand. My absolute favorite movie scene is in The Little Mermaid, where Ariel has just turned human and Sebastian is throwing a fit. He goes “Maybe there's still time. If we could get that witch to give you back your voice, you could go home with all the normal fish, and just be . . . just be . . . " And he looks in her eyes and realizes, "just be miserable for the rest of your life." I love that scene, because that was it. Someone finally got it. I paid for my sketch and the cast member told me that I should have it later tonight. The animator had a couple of other sketches to work on. I watched her and was amazed at how good she was. I can draw too but nowhere near as good. What takes me 20 minutes to do, it seemed to take her 20 seconds. I couldn’t wait to see my drawing.

I walked out of the store and saw a show was about to be performed in front of Disney Animation. It was the Drawn to Animation show. Nothing against all of the other atmosphere shows I’ve seen, but this was fantastic! It was three “animators” singing about well, animation. It was all choreographed and done really well. They all had amazing voices. They actually sang a bunch of different Disney songs, including Go the Distance, You’ve Got A Friend in Me, Hakuna Matata, A Whole New World, and A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes. One of the singers, Heather, did an absolutely beautiful rendition of Part of Your World, one of the best I’ve ever heard. At one point, she held a Jessie doll and sang When She Loved Me. At the end, the three of them were joined by the actual characters that they were trying to draw, Cinderella, Hercules, and Sorcerer Mickey. I loved this show!

Drawn to Animation

I then decided to have some dinner and got a Sicilian sausage at Award Wieners. It was then time for the next showing of Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. But when I got to the Hyperion Theater, there was a sign that said the show only played Wednesday through Sunday. Well, that just sucks, it was Tuesday. I guess I would have to come back later in the week for it. Gosh, what was I going to do now? I then looked to the left of me and saw a large Monsters, Inc. façade. Hey, I think they’re doing the soft opening for the new Monsters, Inc. ride today! It’s called Monsters, Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! Wow, I actually get to try something on its first day. The ride was amazing. This was, by far, the best dark ride I’ve ever been on. It makes all the other dark rides look like nothing. For a dark ride, it was really long and each scene was done so well with such detail. Practically every scene from the movie was in it. And the ending even featured an interactive Roz. Wow, I’m definitely glad to have been able to experience that.

The new Monsters, Inc. ride

On the way to Soarin’ Over California, I walked by the Block Party Bash, which was well a block party with all the Pixar characters. Those dancers sure seem like they have a lot of sugar in them. Soarin’ had a relatively short wait. I just love Soarin’. It is such an awe-inspiring ride. You just go through the whole thing with your mouth gaping open. After my flight over California, I went back to Disney Animation. I just can’t get enough of that lobby. All the musical sequences are done so well. The Mulan and Lion King parts are especially chilling. The Part of Your World sequence gives me such a heavy heart. I probably spent close to an hour in that lobby, just watching all the different scenes. I then went back to the Off the Page store to see if my sketch was ready. It was! The cast member showed it to me. It was beautiful. The animator drew in green and rust, which made it seem to leap off the paper.

I thought now would be a good time to get my spot for Disney’s Electrical Parade. I found a bench in front of Paradise Pier and waited for it. I was soon joined by a nice couple from Sacramento. We spent a good amount of the time waiting talking to each other. It was really nice to have some company. It was actually the girl’s first trip to Disney since she was little. It was about 15 minutes before the parade started when we noticed how small the crowd actually was. There were plenty of spots left on the parade route. Wow, if this was Disneyland, there would be a thousand people already here. I guess California Adventure doesn’t draw too much of a crowd, which is a shame. I think it’s a very nice park. But the light crowd made for a really relaxing atmosphere. I was able to just enjoy the Electrical Parade sitting back on the bench. The Electrical Parade is fun, but I think I still like Spectromagic more.

After the parade, I quickly darted back to Disneyland to see the fireworks. It was 5 minutes before Remember started and there was a massive block of guests standing in Main Street. I managed to squeeze myself somewhere near the end of Main Street. Remember… Dreams Come True went off without an issue and it was kind of nice seeing it from deep in Main Street. I appreciated the show even more this time. The snowfall afterwards was really special. Unlike in front of the castle where there is so much space, the area in Main Street is pretty cramped. But that made for a beautiful snowfall as the whole area was covered in snow. It was simply magical.

Snow in Main Street, U.S.A

It was now late and I wanted to head over to Downtown Disney and do some shopping. At the World of Disney store, I got myself the 2-disc official album of the 50th Celebration. My friend from college had asked me to get her a mug from Disneyland. She said she wanted it with Mickey, Belle, Jasmine, and some other characters. I thought she meant a mug with any one of those characters, but she meant a mug with all of them. Great, where am I going to find a mug like that? I then walked by a mug with a whole bunch of characters on it, including all the ones she wanted. Wow, that was quick! I paid for my stuff and headed back to the car to call it a day. The car ride back was something else entirely. I was driving out of the parking structure when I saw for some reason, the exit to Ball Road was sealed off. Hey, how am I going to get to my uncle’s house? And where am I going now? I looked up at the sign and it said “San Diego.” SAN DIEGO?! I don’t want to go to San Diego! With that, I checked in front and in back of me and made an insane U-turn and drove back to Disneyland. I managed to somehow get back on Ball Road and got home from there. Wow, that was just nuts.


Intermission

Much like last year, I had 6 full days to spend in California but only a 5-day park hopper pass. I really should start getting one for a 6th day. I really didn’t do much today. I slept in late and went to a restaurant with my family for lunch. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I couldn’t really go anywhere. I started to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to kill the time. I got through about 150 pages of it. That night, I stood in front of my uncle’s house to see the fireworks from Disneyland. They were actually about 10 minutes late. But it was still very cool to see them from there. I then went to bed early and got the rest I needed for the second half of my trip.

 

[MerHearted]

Rump Day
Day 4: December 22, 2005

My batteries have been recharged and I’m ready to return to Disneyland. I’m starting to really not like getting in this car of death. Come on, only two more days. You just need to last me two more days. Surprisingly, I got a very smooth ride to Disneyland. The car rarely shook. I got to the parking structure and was given Daisy parking. Woohoo! That’s level 2. No giant escalator ride for me! I got into Disneyland and went right into the Blue Ribbon Bakery. I figured I should try to beat the lines for my treats. I got a chocolate chip cookie and some orange juice for breakfast. I then went over to Fantasyland to see if I could ride Peter Pan’s Flight. The line was still huge. It’s early in the morning, come on! I got in line anyway but after it didn’t move for a few minutes, I decided to leave. It was probably going to be an hour-long wait. I like the ride but I don’t like it that much! I went over to “it’s a small world” holiday to ride it again. I can’t get enough of this ride. This and Space Mountain have become my favorite rides at Disney. I then headed over to the Emporium in Main Street and got myself golden Mickey ears. I definitely have to get me some of those. I got my name on it and everything. While I was in Town Square, I heard an announcement for a rededication ceremony at 10 am. They do a rededication ceremony? I guess I was never around this area at the time to see it before. I thought it would be cool to see so I waited for it. The ceremony was neat. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy came out with the Disneyland Band and the “Mayor of Main Street”. They replayed Walt Disney’s dedication of Disneyland 50 years ago.

Disneyland Dedication ceremony

After the ceremony, I headed out of Disneyland and went towards California Adventure. I wanted to spend more time in that park today. As I got into the 2nd park, a cast member asked me to do a survey. She asked me why I had come to California Adventure. I told her three things: Aladdin, Soarin’, and Disney Animation. There are other things in this park that I like but those three are the ones I can’t get enough of. I quickly went over to Condor Flats to get a fastpass for Soarin’ Over California. But to my surprise, the stand-by line was only 15 minutes. Wait, Peter Pan has an enormous line but Soarin’ doesn’t? Fifteen minutes is nothing, so I went into the stand-by line instead. The queue for Soarin’ has the coolest music around. It makes you almost want to wait in line, just to listen to the music. On the ride, I sat next to a lady who was a big fan of the ride. She couldn’t stop gushing over it. I thought it was cute. I would have to put Soarin’ at number three on my ride list after small world and Space Mountain.

My next destination was back to one of my favorite places in the world, the Disney Animation lobby! After taking in the lobby for a bit, I went into the Animation Academy where we were taught how to draw Donald. My Donald wasn’t too bad for a first try. I then got outside and saw Drawn to Animation being performed again. A different girl was doing it this time. I thought Heather was better. A little later in the day, I went by a cast member-only entrance where I saw these three performers run out with their lunches. I thought that was funny. They were still in costume and everything. One of them looked a lot like Jimmy Fallon.

Aladdin would be playing today so I got over to the Hyperion Theater about an hour before the show and pretty much sat there until they opened the doors. I spent a lot of time on my behind today, hence the title of the day. I honestly think I spent more time on my derriere than my feet today. The wait was worth it as I got a seat in the second row of the theater. This is the first time I’ve watched it from this close. It was great! Jasmine had a great voice and Aladdin had just the funniest expressions on his face. Genie also had some great new jokes. In one of them, he went “I’m free! I feel just like Martha Stewart!” Oh, Genie, bad! It was now lunchtime, so I got a barbecue hot link at Award Wieners. I could have gone to eat elsewhere, but this place was right there.

Curtain call for Aladdin

It was now about 2:00. I wanted to get back to Disneyland to see the Parade of Dreams. I wanted to see Ariel’s parade stop this time. I planted my tush where I believed her float would stop on Main Street. However, I misjudged it and instead got Ursula’s stop instead. Ack! Why on earth does she have her own float anyway? The parade was still great. That’s song is just too addictive. I need to somehow find the soundtrack to this parade. I need it! I don’t think I can live without it. It’s like a drug. I need my P.O.D. fix! Afterwards, I went into the Emporium where I got some gifts for people and some trinkets for myself. I got two 50th pins and two princess ornaments. They were the miniature dresses of Cinderella and Snow White. I thought they were so cool and I immediately knew where I wanted to hang them at home. I then walked to the castle where I thought I should wait for the Christmas parade. While guests were waiting, Wendy actually came around and visited everyone. I thought that was really sweet. She ever sat with us to watch the parade. It was as though she was a guest herself.

When the Christmas parade was over, it was dinnertime so I went over to Club Buzz in Tomorrowland to get a roast beef sandwich. It was really good but it was so big I couldn’t finish it. It was now 3 hours before the fireworks show. I had missed out on the clear view of Remember before when they canceled it. I should go wait again. (Yeah, I never learn.) I got to the front of the castle and there was no crowd yet so I hung around the bench for a few minutes. Then a cast member brought out a rope to create a separation between the crowd and the castle for the fireworks. When I saw that, I quickly darted over to the rope and claimed my spot in the front row, dead center in front of the castle. The wait actually wasn’t too bad. I ended meeting another young couple from Arizona with a two-year-old daughter. We talked about the weather and they told me that it was much colder in Arizona. They said it was only 60 degrees there. Yeah… 60 degrees, that’s freezing. The weather all week in California had been really nice. Everyday was in the 70s. It was only a little cold in the evening. I still can’t get over the fact that I’m walking around in December in a t-shirt and sunglasses. Does California ever get bad weather? Oh I was about to find out it does. Remember… Dreams Come True started but something was wrong. All the high fireworks couldn’t be seen. It was weird. The low fireworks from the castle and all the fire and laser effects were there but none of the high fireworks. You heard them and saw them go up. You heard a boom but there was nothing there. What’s going on? I found out later that there was fog over Disneyland that blocked all the high fireworks from being seen. Well, pooh! It wasn’t a total waste, I got to see half of the show. Half of Remember is better than none.

Remember... Dreams Come True

Now I had a decision. Should I go see Fantasmic! and wait and spend more time on my rump or should I go do some rides. Although I love Fantasmic!, I didn’t feel like waiting around anymore. So I went into Fantasyland, but I found everything to have big lines. “it’s a small world” holiday was absolutely mobbed. The line looked like it stretched a mile! Ok, looks like the decision has been made for me. Let’s get over to Fantasmic! Since I got there late, I couldn’t get a spot up in front. But I managed to find a nice spot next to a tree. Fantasmic! was a definite treat. It is such a fantastic show. It still is king of all Disney shows to me. It was a nice end to my fourth day. I would have one left. The car ride back was smooth and they didn’t seal off Ball Road this time.

"small world" at night

 

[MerHearted]

One Song
Day 5: December 23, 2005

Well, this is it, my final day in fantasy. But the good news is I shouldn’t be alone. Roxxy is supposed to come this afternoon. I was put in Daisy again in the parking structure and I got to Disneyland just at park opening. I got in through the gates and saw Alice and the Mad Hatter dancing with each other. Aww! Well, no time for that. I made a mad dash over to Fantasyland. I was going to ride Peter Pan today! I got there and the line was relatively short! Yes! I finally got to ride it. I was shocked when I realized how short the ride actually was. I don’t remember it being so short. Wow, all those people waited an hour in line for pretty much a minute-long ride? After Pan, I went to ride through Storybook Land again. I actually saw a lot of little details I never noticed before, like I never realized it had the dwarves’ mine before. I next rode the King Arthur Carrousel. I don’t think I’ve ever done this in the early morning. It was nice. I then went to do the last dark ride in Fantasyland, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I don’t get this ride. I guess it’s because I never saw the movie.

I wanted to ride Space Mountain one more time so the next thing I did was get a fastpass for it. I then went over to Toontown to check out the things there. I went into Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, which had the zaniest, most unnecessary longest queue I’ve ever seen. I think they did that on purpose to just be funny. I went through all these different twists and turns through the line and in the end found myself where I started. Very funny! I didn’t get to ride this however, as the ride broke down. Darn! When I was about to leave Toontown, I saw Donald. I didn’t get to meet Donald last time. He was wearing his holiday clothes. He had on earmuffs. He doesn’t have any ears, why does he have earmuffs? Well, I got my picture and autograph and I was done with Toontown.

Earmuffs on a duck?

Back at the castle, I saw Princess Aurora walk towards Ariel’s Grotto. Being curious, I followed her. Ariel and Aurora ended up getting into an animated and girly conversation. It was adorable! In the end, Ariel promised to give Aurora swimming lessons. Aww! Aurora was much nicer to Ariel than Pan was. My fastpass time for Space Mountain had come so I was off to it. It was fully functioning this time. With the music back, Space Mountain was once again that thrilling ride I loved. After Space Mountain, I walked back out to Town Square to see the 50th exhibit again. There were things I didn’t get to see last night. I decided to also watch the movie again. It’s a really fun movie.

It was almost time for a princess storytelling. I needed to get there early to beat that giant crowd. It was Aurora who was going to do it this time. That’s great! I’ve yet to see hers. Her assistant was Scott. I remember Scott from last year. He had Snow White insult his manhood. Princess Aurora was extremely sweet and playful. When Scott called her out, she stuck out a plush Aurora doll out of the curtain instead of herself. It was so cute! Scott was a riot when he acted out the fairies, who were all drunk off the punch backstage. Scott was actually shorter than Aurora and when they stood next to each other, he went “Hey, you’re tall!” When Scott was preparing Aurora’s birthday surprise, he made her close her ears. To test, he called her name and she went “Yes?” He said “Hey, how come you can hear me?” She replied, “I can read lips.” That forced him to make her close her eyes as well. This was so funny. When Maleficent arrived and gave Aurora the gift of her death, instead of being horribly traumatized, Aurora gave Scott this look that said, “Boy, your gift really sucks.” She said “Well, that’s not a very nice gift at all!” This was such a cute and funny show.

I can't hear you!

It was noon now so I got over to the Village Haus Restaurant in Fantasyland and had myself a bacon cheeseburger. That thing was huge! Why does Disney insist on giving guests such large portions? After lunch, I went to Frontierland to see another performance of the Laughing Stock, Co. In this one, they were trying to figure out who just robbed the bank. They had guests act out all the roles in the bank, including the town drunkard. After every line, he had to say, “I’ll drink to that.” He even starting saying it when they didn’t want him to, it was great! In the end, it turns out the major of Frontierland had robbed the bank himself. What a surprise! Well, not really.

I wanted to see California Adventure one more time, mainly for Disney Animation. I left Disneyland, got into the new park, and headed straight for Disney Animation. I just can’t get enough of this lobby. One of the most surprising things is the Atlantic sequence. While I didn’t care much for the film, the score is really beautiful. And of course, the Part of Your World sequence is just so heartbreaking. While I was taking everything in, I saw Cinderella, Hercules, and Sorcerer Mickey come in. They must have come in from the Drawn to Animation show outside. They were doing a meet together. I didn’t know they did that. Wow, that was cool! I would love to have a picture with all three of them together. But there was a long line that formed for them. I thought I should watch a later showing of Drawn to Animation and meet them then. I decided to do Turtle Talk one more time. While in line for that, I got a call from Roxxy. She told me she was sorry and that she couldn’t make it. At first, she was just pulling my leg again like last time. But she was serious this time. She had other things to tend to. Aww, I was looking forward to seeing her again. Turtle Talk was a treat again. I think I understand a little how it works but even then, I’m still not sure.

Mulan's chilling sequence

With Roxxy’s call, I started to feel a little sad. But not because of her. I was disappointed she couldn’t come but it was something else. I now realized that these were the final hours I would spend at Disneyland. I decided that I should do all the things I love. The time for the Parade of Dreams was coming so I should head back to Disneyland. But not before I do one thing. I went over to Condor Flats and got myself a fastpass for Soarin’. It was perfect, the time for it was right after the parade. Back at Disneyland, I was positive where the Ariel stop was now. And I was right this time, I got finally my Ariel stop. At her stop, the shell she was sitting on was raised higher. She spoke of her dreams and danced to the parade song with her golden ribbon thing. I want a golden ribbon thing! After the parade went by, I followed it until its next stop, where I got to see the princess stop one last time. I’m really going to miss this parade. It really goes up there with Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration as something I’m just absolutely hooked on.

Ariel in the Parade of Dreams

 

[MerHearted]

After the parade, I went back to California Adventure and rode Soarin’ once again. I couldn’t help to think how much my family would have loved this ride. It’s too bad they don’t share my love of Disney. I then walked around the park a bit to see everything it had. I haven’t really done that on this trip. Once I was done with my little tour, I went right back to Disney Animation where I saw the last performance of Drawn to Animation. Heather was back and she was good! After the show, I followed Cinderella, Hercules, and Mickey into the lobby, hoping to meet all three of them. But they ended up separating. Hey, you didn’t do that last time! Well, that was disappointing. I want all three of them together. Oh well, I then went into the Animation Academy again where we got to draw Goofy. I didn’t do too well with Goofy. He’s definitely seen better days. I thought about going to see Aladdin again, but with the wait for it and the length of the show itself, it was just too long. So it was back to Disneyland for me. The Block Party Bash was going on at the time. It was blocking my exit. I hand to circle all around it. That thing is huge, loud, and long!

At Disneyland, I wanted to ride “it’s a small world” one last time, but the line was just too long for me. I did, however, get to see the lighting show at the ride that seems to happen every evening at the 45th minute of the hour. It was pretty cool. Tonight, I was going to try for that clear view of the fireworks one more time. I’ve not been successful yet, but maybe tonight will be a different story. I wasn’t hungry but I thought I should get something to eat because I’ll probably grow hungry waiting for the fireworks. Now what can I get now to eat later. I walked all around the park looking for the answer. I know! A pretzel! That will do. I knew my Ivy League education would come in handy someday. I got a Mickey pretzel and was about to head for the castle when I had another urge. I feel like having a Dole Whip. I stopped by the Tiki Room to get one. I was actually thirsty too, so I got a Dole Float. I didn’t want to sit directly in front of the castle this time. I’ve spent a total of 6 hours sitting there this week. I think I’ve had enough of that spot. I found a place for me to sit by the statue of Walt and Mickey in the hub. There I enjoyed my float and had a bit of my pretzel. The Christmas parade passed as I waited. That Christmas song is starting to become a bit annoying now. While waiting, I met a mother and daughter from Orange County. They told me about all the crazy weather that’s been happening, including last night’s fog. The weather was especially weird tonight. Something was wrong as we saw planes flying very low overhead. Then the announcement came that Remember may be canceled. Not again! But looking at those planes, I knew it would be. I can’t imagine them doing the show with those planes overhead. That would cause quite a problem. The fireworks then officially got canceled. I guess I won’t get that clear view of the fireworks. White Christmas played and snow dropped from the sky. At least, we still had that. A lot of things sure didn’t go as planned on this trip, especially today. But there’s no point in pouting over it.

I wanted to go around Disneyland one last time. I finished off my pretzel and went to “it’s a small world.” There, I said good-bye to all the dolls and told them to stay out of trouble. But who was I kidding, they can cause all the trouble they want. I next took a ride on the carrousel again. I wanted one last look at Fantasyland and the carrousel gave me that. It’s so pretty all lit up at night. There was one more ride I wanted to visit. This was one of the better unplanned things this trip. I wanted to see Space Mountain again. I then thanked it for not letting me be afraid anymore. I then stopped by Triton’s Garden on the way to the castle where I visited the statue of Ariel. This was not a good-bye. Ariel would always be a part of me. Instead, I simply wished her good night. I then went over to Sleeping Beauty Castle to perform my last act. It’s become a tradition now where the last thing I do is empty all the change I accumulated during the trip and make a wish. I got to Snow White’s wishing well. It was a remarkably private moment at the time. There was no one there when I made my wish. It was nice to have a little moment of peace to myself. The well actually sang. The statue of Snow White nearby sang “I’m Wishing” to the well and the well responded in the same way as the movie. I’m not entirely sure why but I thought I should respond to Snow White myself. I replied to her song by singing “One Song” to her. It thought it was fitting.

One song, I have but one song
One song, only for you

One heart, tenderly beating
Ever entreating, constant and true

One love, that has possessed me
One love, thrilling me through

One song, my heart keeps singing
Of one love, only for you.

And with that, I threw all the change I had into her well and made a passionate wish. It was probably the most heartfelt and specific wish I’ve ever made. Until now, they have always been a little general. This trip had actually shown me a lot. Things don’t just happen the way you want them to. Things you don’t plan for always happen. You just have to find a way to get through them. The road to your dreams is a shaky one. In no way can it be smooth sailing. I was really down on myself and my dreams before this trip. I actually started to doubt them. But I now know that I can’t do that. For without your dreams, what else is there? Last year, Snow White told me “Sometimes our dreams are all we have.” In your dreams, you find hope and the strength to move forward. Without your dreams, there’s nothing left. If you have nothing to strive for, what would ever be the point of doing anything? I pray that I may never lose sight of them, no matter how hard things get. And you know what, as this trip proves, some unexpected things can be a positive experience. For the ones that aren’t, you have to keep trying. If I had more days at Disneyland, I’m pretty sure I would have kept waiting for those fireworks.

My wish

After making my wish, I slowly made my way out of Disneyland. I stopped and looked back every now and then. I looked at Sleeping Beauty Castle one last time. It may not be on the level of Cinderella Castle to me, but it’s still beautiful. I’m not sure when I could return to Disneyland. With Walt Disney World waiting in the horizon, it could be a while. But I stood there and sang “No matter how your heart I grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” I then wrote in the air with my finger the numbers 2-0-0-7. I said farewell to Disneyland and walked out of the park.

On the way out, they actually sealed off Ball Road again, forcing me to make the same crazy u-turn that I did before. Oy! The next morning, I headed back home to Philadelphia. I must say I’ve yet to find an airport that was easier to get through than Philadelphia International. LAX was a complete mess. On the flight back, I was able to get through ¾ of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I think they’re making a fan out of me. When we got to Philly, I stepped out of the airport and was kissed by the bitter cold. Gah! Oh man, now that’s cold!!! My uncle picked us up and took us back to his house. (I have a lot of uncles.) He opened his garage and I was greeted by a very pleasant sight. MELODY!!! I kept her at my uncle’s because I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her at home. Wow, after spending a week with the car of death, my car was an absolute sight for sore eyes. I’ve missed her. I took her back and drove my family home. There were no lights in the front of my house, no Christmas tree, no gifts, but you know what, this was the greatest Christmas I’ve ever had.


Final Thoughts

I had such an amazing time with this trip. To experience Disneyland not just at Christmas but also during its 50th anniversary, I almost feel honored. I loved spending time with my friends, even if only for a while. Although there were many new things, especially with the Christmas season and the 50th celebration, this trip truly felt like a continuation of the last. It was like I never left. It was as though August 10, 2004 to December 17, 2005 never existed. With this trip, I have now spent more time at Disneyland than any other park. I’ve become used to it now. Disneyland has this intimate and personal charm that I don’t believe Walt Disney World offers. Walt Disney World is actually starting to seem foreign to me now. Maybe it’s been too long. It seems so grand in scale and somewhat intimidating. I never felt that way until now, when I’ve experience this personal charm of Disneyland. With these last two trips, I have been able to experience so much in such a different way. There are so many things in Disneyland that are superior to Walt Disney World. I still love Walt Disney World. It’s where it all started for me. But Disneyland has done much to win my heart in these last two trips. The question is now whether or not Walt Disney World can win it back. If all goes well in the next few weeks, I will find the answer to that very soon. Walt Disney World does have one thing in its favor. Cinderella Castle still holds the very essence of my dreams.

 

[DDuckFan130]

I deserve a prize for reading all this Vince! :lookaroun

I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and I cried from the laughing :lol:

You have a gift for storytelling and I felt like I was with you on the trip. Unfortunately, I wasn't but soon I'll write my own story :lookaroun

Great trip report!

 

[stranger]

POTC always had two drops! I guess the drops are no longer scary to you.
And Remember tugs on my heartstrings. I grew up with Disneyland and remember all the attractions. It’s a walk through nostalgic park…for me at least.

And I’m not evil, I’m playful!

But aren’t you glad you conquered Screamin’?
And I remember you falling asleep while waiting for Remember and when we were at Rancho, you didn’t even touch your food for a good while. :lol:

okay, now I'm I'm going to continue reading day 2...

 

[stranger]

I deserve a prize for reading all this Vince! :lookaroun

I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and I cried from the laughing :lol:

You have a gift for storytelling and I felt like I was with you on the trip. Unfortunately, I wasn't but soon I'll write my own story :lookaroun

Great trip report!

You deserve a trip to disneyland...:sohappy:

 

[DDuckFan130]

You deserve a trip to disneyland...:sohappy:

:lol:

 

[taramarie]

Great Report~

I didn't know they had so much Princess stuff at Disneyland! My daughter and I are huge Ariel fans as well. The restaurant sounds so cool...I am sorry you didn't get to eat there.

Great report....I was very entertained! The pictures were awesome.

Tara

 

[xfkirsten]

When Merlin mentioned the “royal rod”, Kirsten broke into laughter. That girl needs to get her mind out of the gutter. We then went over to ride Dumbo. We couldn’t get the gold Dumbo. All of the original Disneyland rides have a gold part to them. We got a purple Dumbo instead. Well, we got our Dumbo fix. You must always ride Dumbo on every trip.

But my mind is so at home in the gutter! :lookaroun :lol:

Tomorrowland was our next destination as we got in line for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Again, with her mind in the gutter, Kirsten decided to play around with the name of the ride. Uhh, you figure it out.

I still need to Photoshop that... :lookaroun

After the ride, we were joined by Ray, who Roxxy had invited. Together, all four of us went on Pirates of the Caribbean. They changed the ride. It used to have a big drop at the beginning but now it had two little drops instead. Or at least I think it did.

Ha! They so didn't change it. You're just getting used to drops!

I got through California Screamin’. I did it. I actually did. I conquered Screamin’! I conquered the single thing I feared the most at Disney! I was completely dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe what I just did. And it wasn’t really that bad.

YOU DID IT!!! :sohappy:

Kirsten and Roxxy had to go back to their “lives.” They should realize that I’m the most important thing in their lives. Ok, maybe not but I’m close!

Tell that to my professors next time! :lol:

The parade came and oh wow, what a parade! I think this is the best parade I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying a lot!

Amen to that! Beautiful parade!

The next float was probably the coolest, it was The Lion King, featuring moving Simba and Nala on Pride Rock. There was even a walking Rhino puppet and people on stilts.

That's my absolute favorite float. It's so intricate, and the puppets are so life-like. And the aerialists in the show stop are AMAZING!

The Christmas parade finally came and it was really a nice parade. It was one of the better I had seen. Although, I had just witnessed the best parade I have ever seen, so this parade got a little overshadowed by it. There were toy soldiers, elves, reindeer, snowflakes, snowmen, and all the holiday characters you would expect. There was even a live ballerina twirling in a music box along with a live teddy bear. Kirsten says that bear is creepy but I think it’s cute. There were plenty of Disney characters too. Mickey and Minnie actually ice skate on their float. Ariel sits on a pile of large blocks. Buzz and Woody were also on a pile of blocks. I think Goofy and Max were making baked goods. Genie drove Aladdin and Jasmine in a car that went all over the place. The princess float was cool. It had Cinderella doing some kind of procession with a candle. The parade also had a catchy song. I still liked the song for Parade of Dreams more though.

I love that parade! And the bear is SO creepy. It's the beady eyes, and the way it moves. NIGHTMARES! I love the Mickey and Minnie float, though. The fact that they're actually skating is so nifty! And the music is really, really catchy. Every time I see it, I walk around singing it for hours afterward.

About 45 minutes before the fireworks, there was an announcement that the show may be canceled due to high winds. What? I don’t feel a wind. Those flags aren’t blowing on the castle. Where is this wind? Every 15 minutes, they made the same announcement saying that they hoped to do the show as scheduled. But when the time finally came, they made the official cancellation announcement. They then immediately went into the “White Christmas” sequence with the snow. Gosh, I just spent 3 hours waiting for nothing. The funny thing was I wasn’t really that upset. Just a little disappointed, I guess.

Ah! That sucks! That upper-level wind can really screw things over. I always get paranoid while I wait for Remember.

I then went to pay for my bow when the cashier asked me “Will she be wearing this or do you want it in a bag?” I replied, “Uhhh… in a bag.” What? It’s not like I’m going to wear it around, unless I really felt like it. It’s more of a souvenir.

Oh, come on, admit it, you wanted to wear it around the parks. :lookaroun

When the parade was finished, I decided that I should pay a visit to Disney’s California Adventure. I still felt uneasy voluntarily leaving Disneyland, even if just for a while. I loved Disneyland so much, it was hard to pull myself out of it. That soon changed however, as I walked into Disney Animation, which has the greatest lobby ever! As I came in, I was surrounded by images and songs of Disney films. They covered you from every angle. And then, Part of Your World played. It was incredible. I got chills down spine from it. All around me was the Part of Your World scene. Disney Animation is just the coolest place to just hang out. I was no longer sad to be away from Disneyland. I was quite happy here. One of the new attractions in Disney Animation was Turtle Talk with Crush. I really had no idea what this was about. But I did find out and it was so cool! You actually get to talk to an animated Crush on screen and you can say or ask anything you want from him. And he actually responds with all the right expressions and animations. I have no idea how they do it. No way this is pure artificial intelligence. No algorithm is that good. There has to be someone behind the scenes doing all of it. Turtle Talk was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen at Disney.

That room blows my mind. I've spent many hours just sitting in there, doodling an being inspired by the amazing Disney art and music surrounding me. I love Turtle Talk! Last time I went in there, a kid asked if he'd found Atlantis yet, and Crush said he had, but the government wouldn't let him talk about it. I was one very happy, laughing Stargate fan!

I walked out of the store and saw a show was about to be performed in front of Disney Animation. It was the Drawn to Animation show. Nothing against all of the other atmosphere shows I’ve seen, but this was fantastic!

I love that show! The main theme is so catchy! I'm still trying to find a good mp3 of that one!

I then looked to the left of me and saw a large Monsters, Inc. façade. Hey, I think they’re doing the soft opening for the new Monsters, Inc. ride today! It’s called Monsters, Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! Wow, I actually get to try something on its first day. The ride was amazing. This was, by far, the best dark ride I’ve ever been on. It makes all the other dark rides look like nothing. For a dark ride, it was really long and each scene was done so well with such detail. Practically every scene from the movie was in it. And the ending even featured an interactive Roz. Wow, I’m definitely glad to have been able to experience that.

Agh!! I so need to get on that!!

After the parade, I quickly darted back to Disneyland to see the fireworks. It was 5 minutes before Remember started and there was a massive block of guests standing in Main Street. I managed to squeeze myself somewhere near the end of Main Street. Remember… Dreams Come True went off without an issue and it was kind of nice seeing it from deep in Main Street. I appreciated the show even more this time. The snowfall afterwards was really special. Unlike in front of the castle where there is so much space, the area in Main Street is pretty cramped. But that made for a beautiful snowfall as the whole area was covered in snow. It was simply magical.

Y'know, I've never seen it from the end of Main Street. I've always watched from the castle, except for one time at Small World to see the video projections.

I looked up at the sign and it said “San Diego.” SAN DIEGO?! I don’t want to go to San Diego!

And why not?!

Then the announcement came that Remember may be canceled. Not again! But looking at those planes, I knew it would be. I can’t imagine them doing the show with those planes overhead. That would cause quite a problem. The fireworks then officially got canceled. I guess I won’t get that clear view of the fireworks.

Argh!! Again?! I'd go nuts!

In any case, I'm SO glad you had such an amazing trip! It just goes to show that the Disney magic is still alive!

 

[xfkirsten]

And I remember you falling asleep while waiting for Remember and when we were at Rancho, you didn’t even touch your food for a good while. :lol:

You shoulda seen him awhile we were waiting for Fantasmic. I had to keep poking him to wake him up!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

What can I say - Great report, enjoyed the read. Thanks for taking the time to share

 

[BRER STITCH]

VINCE....YOU ROCK!!!

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

Awesome trip report! Thanks so much for sharing!
It brought back great memories of my DL trip in Spetember!

:wave:

 

[Emzy]

*chokes up*

Thanks Vince! You just brought back wonderful Disney memories from my first Disneyland trip in November!