My First Disneyland Trip (w/ pics!)

[MerHearted]

My 1st Disneyland Trip: A Whole New World

Two years ago, my uncle in Anaheim was getting married. The wedding was to take place in June, the entire family from all over the country would converge on southern California for the event. You could imagine that I was excited, not for the wedding, but the fact that my uncle lived a mile from Disneyland. The whole family would go to Disneyland after the wedding. Unfortunately, the wedding date was pushed back to September, into the school year. This meant the family would still go to California… that is, the whole family except me. Yes, they all went to Disneyland without me. I was pretty disappointed but eventually let it go. I then focused all of my money and attention to returning for a second trip to Walt Disney World, which finally took place during the summer of 2003. It was probably the most magical week of my life. I had spent two years saving and preparing for it and when the time came, the feeling was nothing short of extraordinary. I worked so hard for it and it was an experience that I will always treasure. Well, then I came back home and like most people, I looked forward to the day I would return. Unfortunately, any realistic chance of a 3rd trip would not be within reach for a couple years. It’s not the greatest feeling to have. I think what hurts more is not knowing when than it is being far away. I’m sure many know the feeling. It was getting to me… a lot. That is until I received quite an unexpected announcement a few months ago. My parents told me that my uncle’s wife was expecting a baby sometime this summer. My grandmother would want to see the baby. But she’s not comfortable going to California alone. My parents told me they needed me to take her there. I couldn’t believe it… I’m going to my uncle’s? The one who lives a mile from Disneyland? Am I dreaming? Please tell me I’m not… I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!

How could this be? I don’t have any money for it, it’s gone. It was all used up on Walt Disney World. It turns out that not a dime of my money will go into this trip, it would be entirely covered by the family, to make up for the Disneyland trip I missed before. I still couldn’t believe it. This announcement came out of nowhere. Disneyland was the farthest thing from my mind and all of a sudden, I get the call to pack my bags for southern California. How would I react to this trip? What would it be like? Being so sudden, would it be magical? Would Disneyland pale in comparison to the experience of Walt Disney World? This is the story of my adventure in the original home to fantasy.

On the morning of August 3, 2004, I set off with my grandmother on a 5.5-hour flight to Los Angeles. This would be the first time since being an infant that I would be away from the east coast. The flight was amazing. I just stared out of the window for the entire ride. I couldn’t believe I was seeing the entire country within a matter of hours. I watched as the cities of the east turned into the plains of the Midwest. As time went on, I laid my eyes of the Rocky Mountains for the first time ever. It was an awesome sight. The view soon switched to deserts and canyons. I was amazed at how any piece of this country could be so barren. But soon, the giant city of Los Angeles came into view. Yikes! Philadelphia looks tiny compared to L.A. My uncle picked us up and took us to his home. Well, I accomplished my mission. I got my grandmother safely to California. And the next day, I would get my reward.

 

[MerHearted]

Would Magic Exist?
Day 1: August 4, 2004

Now why would I title this day that? Come on, it’s my first day at Disneyland. Of course, there will be magic… won’t there? We’ll see. Wanna know something interesting? The anniversary of my final day at Walt Disney World would be my first day at Disneyland. How cool is that? My uncle drove me to Disneyland today and dropped me off at the gate. I expected to get his old car and drive myself but my family didn’t feel comfortable with me driving the first day. As I walked into the resort, I heard the music loop playing and I couldn’t help but to smile. I knew I was at Disney. It was about 7:45 am, Disneyland would not open until 8. In front of the gate, I found Adam in line. Dang, he’s tall! We talked and joked around a bit and then we heard the countdown. The gates opened and we flooded in. I swiped my 5-day park hopper pass and stepped in front of the Main Street train station. This is it, I was actually in Disneyland! We walked down Main Street, U.S.A. and I was presented with an interesting sight… no castle. You heard me, yeah, no castle! Sleeping Beauty Castle was completely covered by a giant blue tarp. There is this big blue box thing behind the statue of Walt! It was being refurbished for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary celebration next year, which I could understand. I didn’t like it… but I understood.

No Castle

Adam and I then did a walking tour around the park. I hear people complain about Disneyland being small. It didn’t seem that small to me. I really didn’t even notice it. Just walking around, Disneyland was beautiful, several sections actually looked much nicer than their counterparts in the Magic Kingdom, especially Toontown and Fantasyland. We then got a call from Kirsten, she’d finally arrived! We met up with her and went into the Emporium, where I got an autograph book. It looks just like one I got in Walt Disney World, except it says “Disneyland” on it. I saw Alice and the Mad Hatter run into the store, stirring up a little trouble. What fun! We continued on with the tour around the park, where I noticed some lands have dead ends, not everything loops around the park. It was ok, just be careful not to walk into a tree. There were a lot of characters roaming around the park. I saw Mickey and several princesses. Kirsten ran up to hug Goofy and Pluto but I stayed away. I didn’t want to meet these characters yet. I was saving my first character meet for someone special… now who could that be? Hmmm. Kirsten and Adam told me my friend would not be out until 10 am, so we had some time to kill. Now what should be the first attraction I ever do at Disneyland? What deserves that distinction? IT’S A SMALL WORLD! Disneyland’s version of “it’s a small world” is incredible. If you want a comparison between Walt Disney World and Disneyland, look no further than this ride. Disneyland’s version is so superior to the Magic Kingdom’s. In the Magic Kingdom, “it’s a small world” is a little ride inside pretty much a wall in Fantasyland. In Disneyland, it has its own themed area and the ride is much longer. You have not experienced “it’s a small world” until you have seen it in Disneyland. I noticed, however, this version is missing a certain “good-bye” sign at the end.

"it's a small world"

We then decided to take a ride on the tea cups. Ok, it wasn’t really “decided”, it was more I forced them on. But hey, decide, force, same thing in the end. The tea cups at Disneyland look much nicer than at the Magic Kingdom. The ride is out in the open while Walt Disney World has it under a tent. However, the experience of the actual ride itself may go to the Magic Kingdom. The tea cups here were incredibly stiff. It takes a lot of effort to get the cup to spin but once you get it, it’s good. We got a green tea cup. Yay, green is my favorite color! Kirsten sat back and enjoyed the ride as me and Adam sapped all of our strength into spinning the thing. We both eventually ran out of strength and let it go. Still, it was pretty fun. After the tea cups, we headed into Tomorrowland to ride Star Tours. It was the same ride as in the Studios, though Walt Disney World’s version had better theming. No life-sized AT-AT here. We got out of Star Tours and it was time! She was out! The morning’s been fun so far but here comes my first great experience. She was waiting for me, sitting on her throne in her father’s garden. The line for her wasn’t that long so in no time, I was reunited with my princess!

Vince: Hi Ariel! (wearing an Ariel shirt)
Ariel: Hi! Have we met before?
Vince: Not here we haven’t.
Ariel: I love your shirt! What does it say?
Vince: (shows her my shirt) Ready to make a splash!
Ariel: Ready to make a splash!!! Have you splashed in the water yet?
Vince: Not yet but I hope to.
Ariel: Oh we should splash together! (takes my autograph book) And what’s your name?
Vince: Vince.
Ariel: Oh Vince, is that spelt V-I-N-C-E?
Vince: Yes, that or Vincent, whichever you like.
Ariel: E-N-T?
Vince: Yep!
Ariel: (signs it to “Prince Vincent”) Vincent, where are you from?
Vince: Philadelphia.
Ariel: Wow, the water’s cold up there! I swam there once.
Vince: Yeah, it’s nicer here.
Ariel: Oh I know, you and me should go swimming later. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Vince: Oh I’d love to go swimming with you! Can I have a picture?
Ariel: Sure!
(Kirsten takes our picture.)
Ariel: One more!
(Disney’s photographer takes our picture)
Vince: Thanks Ariel!
Ariel: Oh thank you for visiting me. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Vince: You too, Ariel! Good-bye, thanks!

Vince and Ariel

I left King Triton’s Garden just the happiest guy. I’m gonna go swimming with Ariel later! Hehehe, I met Ariel. Guess what? I met Ariel! Teehee!

Well, now that I’ve met Ariel, I can see everyone else. Kirsten, Adam, and I continued around Fantasyland some more. I love Fantasyland. It’s my favorite place in Walt Disney World and it’s becoming my favorite place here. We rode through the Storybook Land Canal next. This attraction, along with many others, is unique to Disneyland. It was a wonderful ride, I really loved it. It took me into the miniature worlds of Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad, and the Three Little Pigs. Afterwards, I saw the “Once Upon A Time” Princess shop and had to go in. And to my surprise, Belle was inside telling everyone a story. We missed the beginning of it so we left, planning to see it another time. As we walked, we bumped into Mulan. I never met Mulan before! She told me she loved my Ariel shirt. Gosh, everyone loves my shirt. She called me “Captain Vincent” and drew me a pretty lotus flower! After we left Mulan, we decided to have some lunch. We ended up getting some pizza at the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland. When lunch was finished, it was back to Fantasyland. There, we did a series of dark rides. Disneyland probably has over twice has many dark rides as does the Magic Kingdom. Those who adore dark rides would love it here. We went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. There were more dark rides but I wanted to save them for another time. Fantasyland in Disneyland looks so much nicer than Walt Disney World’s. In the Magic Kingdom, most of the attractions are pretty much lined up along a wall. In Disneyland, each attraction is themed in its own way. Each ride really looks like something special. The three of us then went to see Disneyland’s newest attraction, Snow White: An Enchanting New Musical. I love shows. In Walt Disney World, Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration were probably my most favorite attractions. So I was really looking forward to see Snow White’s show. And I was not disappointed. It was wonderful, the best stage show I had seen yet! The stage is beautiful, the costumes are great, and the songs are as enchanting as the originals. They tweaked the story a bit to fit the stage show, which I thought was a great idea. I loved MGM’s Beauty and the Beast but it did feel a bit choppy because it tried to stay so close to the movie. And that’s hard to do within only a half hour. Here, they also gave Snow White more of a personality. She’s got more attitude! But she’s still the sweetest of all the princesses. Along with Ariel and Belle, Snow White would probably wrap up my top 3 princesses. At the end of the show, flower petals fell from the sky. I tried to grab them but they were really hard to catch. I only manage to get two.

 

[MerHearted]

After Snow White, it was off to Adventureland where we hopped on the Jungle Cruise. I admit, I laughed at some of the skipper’s jokes, especially when he said we were taking an 11.5 hour ride. It’s pretty much the same ride as the Magic Kingdom’s. We then got fastpasses to the Indiana Jones Adventure, another ride unique to Disneyland. We next headed to New Orleans Square to try a series of classic rides. Now coming to Disneyland, I prepared a goal for me. I’m not a thrill ride person, I like pixie dust and fairy tales. I’ve always been so afraid of drops. I’ve never gone on anything at Disney with a big drop. And there’s been one ride that I’ve always been pressured to go on but have avoided each time. So for the trip… I decided there should be a possibility… a chance that I may summon up the courage to ride it. But first, I would need to take baby steps, I wanted to try a series of rides before the ultimate one. Each would have a drop bigger than the previous in order to prepare me for my possible plunge. The first step was Pirates of the Caribbean. You’re probably thinking Pirates only has a little drop, not at Disneyland. Pirates has a much bigger drop here, about 20-30 feet. I readied myself, the drop came and I was fine. I was able to handle the first step. Disneyland fans really boast about how superior their version of Pirates is to Walt Disney World’s. It was longer so I suppose that could be taken as better. But I’ve never really been much of a fan of Pirates so I really couldn’t tell you. Next was the Haunted Mansion. If you read my Walt Disney World report, I know that I was freaked out by this ride. It gives me the creeps! Kirsten rode along with me so I wouldn’t be scared. On the ride, I sang songs to keep my mind off the ghosts. Yes, I am such a wuss. I sang Part of Your World, Beauty and the Beast, Someday My Prince Will Come, and A Little Bit of Me from Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration. Trust me, it helped! While waiting for the Haunted Mansion, I actually grew pretty thirsty. I hadn’t had much water all day and I was now dying of thirst. It was pretty funny, like the Spongebob Squarepants episode where he first meets Sandy. “I don’t need it! I don’t need it! I don’t need it! I NEED IT!!!” After the ride, I got a water bottle and guzzled down about half of it immediately… ah!

I was having such a wonderful time at Disneyland, but something was missing. I’m not sure if it was magical or not. The day so far was really fun, I couldn’t stop smiling. In fact by the end of the day, my cheeks were sore from all the smiling I did. But there was a special feeling missing, deep inside my heart. It was that magic we all associate with Disney, that warm, tender feeling that pulls on your heartstrings. Why was it missing? I was having fun but I would always look towards the center of the park and see… nothing. There was a vacant hole in my heart where a castle should be. It sounds silly, I mean, it’s just a building. But from my experiences at Walt Disney World, Cinderella Castle was much more than just a building. It was the ultimate symbol of my dreams. It was “home.” Most of the magical moments I experienced at Disney were associated with Cinderella Castle, from seeing it for the first time to having it all to myself one morning to seeing a rainbow soar over it to singing Part of Your World to it. The castle was something I always associated with magic. I love Cinderella Castle. It’s the main reason I go to Walt Disney World. When I dream of Walt Disney World, I dream of Cinderella Castle. It’s a part of me. If I could only do one thing at Disney, it would be just to sit in front of Cinderella Castle and I would be happy. I recall spending several nights just being by its side for hours, doing nothing but absorbing its beauty and warmth. But there was no castle for this trip. I wouldn’t get to experience Sleeping Beauty Castle. You know, perhaps it was for the better. My heart belongs to Cinderella Castle. This Disneyland trip was a gift but to see the one thing I hold most dear again, I would have to earn it and rightfully so. I just hoped that magic would be able to grab hold of me without a castle.

The three of us then went over to Main Street, U.S.A for the Parade of the Stars. While waiting, I got my professional photo with Ariel, yay! The scene in Main Street was rather funny. The shaded side was completely packed with guests while the sunny side had very few. We can handle the sun so we all sat on the sunny side of the street. Unfortunately, my behind couldn’t handle the burning hot pavement. But alas, what can I do? Wait, my poncho! Yes, a poncho. It was the poncho I got during my very first Disney trip. It doesn’t rain in California but I packed it anyway. You never know when you might need it and here I did. My bottom was nice and comfortable sitting on my poncho now. The parade was nice. It was pretty much dominated by princesses and I loved that. Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White rode in on a giant swan, Ariel was carried in by a group of seahorses, and Belle arrived in a carriage of roses. Ariel was very energetic in this parade, much more than any other parade I’ve seen. She was really fun, flipping around in her bubble, waving her fin at everyone. Other characters had fun floats as well, Mickey came in on a giant whale. Much like the Magical Moments Parade, everyone followed the same dance. It was a fun parade but it lacked the moving theme that the Magical Moments and Share A Dream Come True had. There was no central song.

Belle blows a kiss

After the parade, Kirsten, Adam, and I headed for the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn looked intimidating but I was told there were no drops so it shouldn’t be so bad. Though riding it, I discovered why it’s nicknamed “Whiplash Mountain.” I’m gonna need a chiropractor. As we left the Matterhorn, something drew my attention. It was a churro cart. So this was the infamous Disneyland churro. I never had one before but it was time to finally experience the churro. Oh man, that’s good! As I was eating my churro, a plane flew overheard and drew a heart in the sky. Awww… it’s love, me and my churro, haha. While we were sitting back enjoying our churro, something absolutely hilarious happened. Let me preface this by saying that the characters at Disneyland are awesome. This is nothing against the characters at Walt Disney World, I love them. But the ones in Disneyland have so much more fun. They don’t just stand around, sign books, and take pictures. They roam around all over the park almost acting like guests. They goof off and play games. They really interact with guests. Well, as we were standing around by the churro cart, guess who came by? Belle! Belle walked over to the churro cart. Holy cow! Belle’s getting a churro!!! It’s fit for a princess! At least that’s what I assume she was doing, but we had grabbed the last available churros. They were making new ones so after a few minutes of waiting, Belle decided to move on. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was so funny!

Love in the Sky

We then headed for Tomorrowland to ride the Autopia, which is a nicer version of the Magic Kingdom’s Indy Speedway. I told Adam he was gonna get bumped big time and there was nothing he could do about it. Cue the evil Mr. Burns grin. Muahahahaha! I got a green car, yay! Adam was in front of me, excellent. Adam went off but there was a delay. Something was wrong with a car on the track. They had to remove it and by the time I got to go, Adam had a huge head start. He got lucky! I floored it and drove as fast as I could, trying to catch up to him but he was nowhere in sight. When I got to the end, I saw there was a jam and Adam was stuck. Hahahahaha! Slam! I crashed into Adam’s car. That’s what he gets for thinking he could escape me. I bumped him a few more time to his dismay. But then I got into view of the cast members working there. Seeing how I didn’t want to get yelled at, I stopped. Adam thought he was in the clear, but as soon as the cast members turned their backs, I slammed on the gas. BAM!!! I got Adam totally off guard, hahahaha! I’m an evil little fish!

Afterwards, we headed over to Innoventions. Yeah, they have that here in Disneyland. It actually had an opening movie featuring Tom Morrow. This Innoventions, however, doesn’t have as much to see at Epcot’s. We then took the monorail over to Downtown Disney to look around a bit. We browsed a bit through the ESPN Zone, which is really a sports fans dream. We then went into the World of Disney where I saw a bunch of princess costumes. What? Why are you giving me that look? It’s not like I’m gonna dress up like a princess right there in the store… ok, so I did! I put on a Snow White bow and acted all princessy. Hey, the bow fit, I couldn’t help it.

It was time for our fastpass for Indy so we went back to Disneyland. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye was awesome! It could very well be the best thrill ride in Disneyland. It’s a lot like Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom, except it’s much better. It actually puts Dinosaur to shame. It was one scary ride. I actually ducked for cover when I thought a flurry of arrows were coming at my head. Everyone should ride Indy, it’s amazing! Well, after the thrills of Indiana Jones, night had fallen. I wanted to ride the most magical ride I remember from Walt Disney World, the carrousel at night. It’s a very simple ride, but with all the lights and the music, it’s so special. So we got on King Arthur’s Carrousel. I don’t know why it’s called King Arthur’s Carrousel, it should be Sleeping Beauty’s Carrousel. There are pictures of Sleeping Beauty all over it. Anyway, during the ride, I had a rather “odd” experience. The kid riding on the horse next to me had his father next to him videotaping him. His father, however, was a little too close to me and throughout the whole ride, my leg kept rubbing up and down his back as my horse moved up and down. Ok, this is just weird! I feel dirty now.

We got off the carrousel and headed to the hub in front of the big blue tarp (that’s what I call the thing that’s eaten Sleeping Beauty Castle.) We were waiting for Imagine… A Fantasy in the Sky. This was actually a new fireworks show, to temporarily replace Believe… There’s Magic in the Sky for the new big fireworks show that would arrive for the 50th celebration. Imagine, as its name would imply, actually borrows music from the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasy in the Sky. It combined it with the Fantasy Suite of Dreams (When You Imagine), Part of Your World, Beauty and the Beast, Just Around the River Bend, Circle of Life, and A Whole New World. But it was not Fantasy in the Sky by any means. The show was incredible. All the fireworks were in sync with the music and tailored to each song. The best part was the children’s chorus of When You Imagine. Having that song played with fireworks was amazing. At the end, Tinkerbell flew from the top of the Matterhorn across the sky. Unlike in the Magic Kingdom, you really had a great view of her. This fireworks show was awesome. It was more than that, it was magical! Yes, it was! It was MAGICAL!!! During the fireworks, I finally felt it, the tug on my heart, the shivers down my spine, it was magic! So it’s true, there is magic. It does exist and it’s here with me. I loved this show. It was the best fireworks show I’d seen. Although, it would have been even better if there had been a castle to see… ok, I’m gonna leave that alone now. But it was sheer magic and I was so happy. For now I knew, magic would indeed have its place in this trip.

After the fireworks, I had another churro. Man, these things are good. I chatted with Kirsten and Adam a bit. We thought about going to see Fantasmic! but it was getting late. Normally, I would stay but my uncle was picking me up. I didn’t want to keep him up so late. When I get his car to myself, I can stay later. I decided it was time to go. Kirsten and Adam headed back to the parking lot and I went back to the drop-off point. My uncle got me and we headed back to his house. It was the end of my first day at Disneyland and indeed it was magical day.

 

[MerHearted]

Mischief in the Mouse House
Day 2: August 5, 2004

I got to drive my uncle’s old car today, woohoo! It doesn’t have a working odometer. I had no clue how fast or slow I was driving. But Disneyland was only 5 minutes away so how much trouble could I cause? Don’t give me that look! I got to the parking garage and was about to leave when I noticed I had parked too far outside the lane. No problem, I’ll just go back and reverse it a few feet. I put the key back in and turn… click! Huh? Tried it again… click! Oh no, not now! This is NOT the time for this! The engine died! No. No! NO! Not now, not here! I called my uncle. He told me that happens a lot. He couldn’t tell me that earlier?! He told to jostle the stick a bit and the engine should come back on and it did. Whew! What a relief. Ok, after that scare, it was back to Disneyland. The park had already opened and I met Adam inside. He was sipping hot cocoa to wake himself. He didn’t have much sleep last night, but who needs sleep when you have Disney? It was early morning and there weren’t many guests so we decided to roam around and look for characters. I must say, if you’re a big fan of characters, there is no place and I mean NO PLACE better to meet characters then Disneyland in early morning. They’re all over the place, especially in Fantasyland and Toontown. We first saw Mary Poppins sitting on Main Street. I asked her how her day was and she said it was , of course, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! She gave me her autograph and I got a picture. We headed in Fantasyland and saw something amazing. There was Belle and Snow White, standing together and no one was around! Wow, two princesses together is pretty rare! I went over to them and we talked about what a wonderful day it was. I got their autographs and picture. After we left Snow White and Belle, we saw Princess Aurora, who was dressed in pink, walk by. No way! We immediately walked over to Sleeping Beauty and she was so nice! She asked me where I was from. When I told her I was from Philadelphia, she said people there normally go to Walt Disney World. I told her I went there last year and had to come here this time. She was so happy and welcomed me to her home. She told me how nice it was, even though her castle is being fixed up. I said it was ok, I was having a great time. After getting her signature and picture, we moved on. Wow, I couldn’t believe I met 3 princesses just like that. Could it get any better? You bet! Cause guess who showed up next? Cinderella! The definitive princess was sweet and elegant as always. What a first hour in Disneyland! But the fun didn’t stop there.

Snow White, Vince, and Belle

We wanted to head into Toontown next but it wasn’t going to open for another few minutes so we walked around a bit. As we were going by Frontierland, we saw cast members running tests on Big Thunder Mountain, which had been closed recently due to a few accidents. Toontown was now open and we immediately met Pluto! Afterwards, we saw Goofy and his son, Max, together. Wow, how often do you see that at a Disney park? They were hilarious, goofing off with the guests. I was with Max when Goofy started to wander off. Max pulled him back to take a photo with me, it was funny. What happened next was the funniest part of my trip. It was time to see Mickey. Here, Mickey actually greets people at his house and not in a tent. We met Mickey and then headed into his house to look around. I saw Mickey’s recliner and being the mischievous little mermaid that I am, I jumped in his chair. Wow, I was actually kicking back in the big guy’s favorite chair. I told Adam to take a picture and I posed in the most arrogant way I could. Little did I know who was standing right behind me. I turned around and was caught by surprise. It was Mickey! He was going out for his break and caught me sitting in his chair. Uh oh! I don’t think he was too happy. I went “Sorry Mickey!” He patted me on the back and went off. Whew! Didn’t want to anger the mouse there. Adam and I couldn’t stop laughing afterwards. That was just too funny, you could never expect something like that.

I'm in trouble!

We left Mickey’s house and saw Chip n Dale. I have to say, although the characters are more fun at Disneyland, the guests are not! Californians apparently don’t understand the concept of a line. Everyone just huddled around the chipmunks. We were next line for like 5 minutes. When it was our turn, people just jumped in front of us. But what was I gonna do? Yell at the little kids? Parents, control your children! After a while, I had it with waiting, and jumped in there myself. And with good timing too cause after me, Chip n Dale left. We next headed over to Minnie’s house to see Mickey’s girl. Hopefully, he doesn’t catch me with Minnie either, hehe. We then proceeded to leave Toontown when Goofy catches eye of Adam and starts to follow him. Adam tried his best to ignore Goofy but the Goofster was having none of that. Goofy kept picking on Adam until Adam turned around. It was pretty funny!

Afterwards, we went back to Main Street. Adam needed some antacid. The hot chocolate he had earlier wasn’t matching up well with his tummy. I took a picture of him popping some Pepto-Bismol, something to use against him later, muahaha! We then went on the Disneyland Railroad. It’s different from the Magic Kingdom as it has guests facing into the park instead of looking forward. The railroad gave me not only a great look at Disneyland, but it also went through Walt Disney’s original displays of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World from the New York World’s Fair. Those were really cool to see. As we got of the train, we got a call from Kirsten. She’s finally arrived and with good timing too as we had just arrived on Main Street. The group was now three once again. We got to the big blue tarp and had some more churros. These things are quite addictive. We then headed over to Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan’s Flight. I did not recall this ride having drops in Walt Disney World, but it had few here that caught me by surprise. They were only little drops, but that didn’t stop me from screaming. Adam and Kirsten can attest to that.

It was now time to catch one of the princess storytellings in the princess shop. Who would it be, we saw Belle do it yesterday. It was Snow White! He assistant was named Pablo. There weren’t many people at all around so it was great interaction with a princess. With Pablo’s help, Snow White told her story. Pablo played the role of all other characters. I loved this! It was incredibly adorable and fun. I laughed out load so many times. It was pretty much a comedy act with a princess. Snow White was so good, she had the role and the voice down pat! Pablo was a riot himself. Snow White was pretending to make a pie and asked what should be in it. When someone suggested apples, Snow White freaked out! She said with a terrified look on her face “APPLES?!” Pablo calmed her down saying they were green apples and Snow White said green apples were ok. Pablo then played out the roles of the seven dwarfs, where he mistakenly spoke as Dopey. Everyone gasped! Snow White went “Dopey, you can talk!” It was so funny. Pablo then tried to play the evil old hag but he wasn’t actually doing very good job. He went “So would you like a Washington apple?” I nearly spit when he said that. Snow White said he wasn’t being very scary. He then tried to be scary and acted like the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz. Umm, wrong movie Pablo, hehe. He eventually got the role down and Snow White was put to sleep. But not to worry, handsome prince Pablo would save her. As he went to kiss her, she moved her face away, and gave him her hand. I died laughing! I can’t believe the Magic Kingdom doesn’t have something like this, it is SO MUCH FUN! I couldn’t wait to see other princesses tell their stories.

 

[MerHearted]

After Snow White’s wonderful story, we decided to venture into the other park, Disney’s California Adventure. This park was meant to be a showcase of the history and culture of California. It gets a bad rap from people but I wanted to see for myself. The first attraction we did was Soarin’ Over California. This ride was nothing short of amazing! It’s a motion simulator that takes you to the skies to see the entire state of California, from the beaches to the forests to the mountains to the bases and to the cities. It’s the best motion simulator I’ve ever been on and one of the best rides in all of Disneyland resort. I was able to see, feel, hear, and smell what the Golden State had to offer. We then went off to get fastpasses for Grizzly River Run, the white-water ride. It has a huge drop and would be the next step in my plan to eventually conquer my ultimate goal. The three of us then went to see Golden Dreams, a movie detailing the history and spirit of the state. The show was poignant and enlightening. It also had an amazing effect that brings statues in front of you to life. I still don’t know how they did that.

The next stop on our California adventure would be another stage show and it turns out, this one would be the greatest of them all, Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular. Its title is fitting of the show, because it is spectacular. This is as close to a Broadway show as you can get without officially becoming a Broadway show. It was simply amazing. The role of the Genie was absolutely hilarious. Genie comes up with different stuff to say each time so no two shows are ever alike. He made jokes about American Idol, Martha Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and did a sidesplitting impersonation of the Governor of California. There’s also a new song in this show, To Be Free. I know that originally for the movie, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wanted that song for Genie but since Genie had so many songs already, it was scrapped. Now for this show, the song was given to Jasmine. It was a lovely and poetic ballad. The Friend Like Me sequence was fantastic and A Whole New World was magical. Aladdin and Jasmine actually fly on carpet through the audience! Although I adore the stage shows at Walt Disney World, Snow White and Aladdin were so much better.

A Musical Spectacular

The time came for our fastpass for Grizzly River Run. It’s like Kali River Rapids, except for that big drop at the end. And that’s why it was the next step on my succession of drops. I readied myself and hoped that I would be able to handle it. Unfortunately, the water couldn’t wait until the final drop as I got drenched on a little dip. The drop came and we were sent spinning down. It wasn’t that bad. It gave me hope that I would be able to handle my ultimate goal. As we got off, I rang out my shirt. I noticed several stains on my shirt. They were churro stains! No! Churros, how could you! You betrayed me! Noooo! Now not only am I wet but also stained with churros. Well, I wanted to find a good place to dry off. Paradise Pier seemed like a good spot. I decided I wanted to ride the Sun Wheel there. It’s just a ferris wheel, how bad it is possibly be? Little did I know that it was the most evil ride in all of the Disneyland Resort. It actually swings really high while you’re in the air. It scared the crap out of me! It had me looking straight down at the water below us. I wanted off the thing. Holy cow, how could an innocent looking ferris wheel be so scary?

Grizzly River Run

After we got off the evil Sun Wheel, we were growing a bit hungry. There was only one place in California Adventure that I wanted to eat… Ariel’s Grotto! It was a character dinner by the water featuring Minnie, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Goofy, and Ariel! Ariel sat in the lobby welcoming guests. I wanted to see her right away but my stomach said otherwise so we ate first. I had a really thick burger with fries and a salad. The meal cost 20 bucks! It was a lot of food though and even though I was starving, I couldn’t finish it. You know, Disney wouldn’t have to charge so much if they made smaller portions. During the meal, all the characters visited us. Well, except Ariel that is. During the meal, I saw Ariel being carried away! No! Ariel, come back! I guess she needed a little break. But I was not leaving until she came back. She eventually did and I went over to see her. I told her I saw her yesterday at Disneyland. She was so happy and thanked me for coming to see her again. She then grabbed my arm and leaned on me to take a picture. I thanked her and waved her good-bye. I got to meet Ariel again! Yay!

After seeing Ariel, we went over to her father’s carrousel and rode all sorts of sea creatures. I wanted a sea horse and got one! Kirsten had a whale and Adam had a seal. I got to ride a sea horse, I got to ride a seahorse! We then went over to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, which is pretty much a miniature Disney-MGM Studios. There we went into Disney Animation. I could spend an entire day in that place. It was so fun and magical. The lobby played of a loop of great Disney songs and film clips. There we saw a show where a Disney animator showed us how a character goes from concept to the big screen. Well, he attempted to try but Mushu kept getting in his way. Silly dragon! There was also a display of artwork and sketches from the movies. It was really cool to see how characters like Buzz Lightyear, Sebastian, Tinkerbell, and others were first created. We then went into the Beast’s Library, which had a real enchanted rose. That was cool! There, Lumiere tried to tell me which Disney character I was most like. He said I was most like Tarzan. Tarzan? Do you not see the fins? Well ok, Tarzan is cool. Kirsten was Mulan. Next in the Disney Animation building was Ursula’s Lair. I was not comfortable there… cursed sea witch! She stole my and Kirsten’s voices and transplanted them into a scene from Beauty and the Beast. We basically voice acted a few lines. That was really cool. Kirsten did Belle’s voice and I did Beast’s. It was the scene where Belle tends to Beast’s wounds. I don’t think we were that bad. I could do that voice stuff all day, it’s fun! We got out of Disney Animation and chilled in the area for a while. We then went to see Muppet*Vision 3D. It’s the same show as in the Studios.

The Beast's Library

It was almost time for Disney’s Electrical Parade. We found a spot to sit and wait. As we were waiting, I kept staring at the glow cart in front of me. There had been something I’ve been wanting to buy ever since my first Disney trip. That’s it! I’m getting it! I went over to the cast member and got myself a glowing rose. It’s so pretty! I was happy, I sat there waving it around with a grin on my face. The parade then started. It was the original light parade but it was different from SpectroMagic. SpectroMagic was this incredibly moving nighttime spectacle. It aimed to touch your heart and kiss you goodnight. The Electrical Parade had more of a festive atmosphere, it was like a big party down the street. It was filled with classic characters like Dumbo, Blue Fairy, Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan, and Pete’s Dragon. It was a really long parade. The best moment for me came when Cinderella’s stepsisters went past. One of them saw my rose and said “Oh look! He has a flower!” I raised my arm and tried to give the rose to her. As she reached out for it, I pulled the rose back, and threw my arms in the arm and said “Sorry!” Boy was she mad! It was so funny! The Electrical Parade was really fun but I think I like SpectroMagic more, mainly because SpectroMagic always makes me want to cry.

Pete's Dragon

After the parade, we headed back to Disneyland to see Fantasmic! I had the car now so I could stay as long as I want and Disneyland would not close until midnight. Kirsten really knew her way through the crowds and landed us a spot directly in front to see Fantasmic! by the Rivers of America. There’s no stadium seating here for Fantasmic! It’s held right on Tom Sawyer Island. As we were waiting for the show, we got to see the Imagine fireworks in the sky. It was nice but not the best view being in Frontierland. Fantasmic! started but I made the mistake of concentrating on taking pictures and not sitting back to enjoy the show. I’ve tried on my two trips to Walt Disney World to take pictures of the show but to no avail. I failed miserably each time. I kinda became obsessed with taking good pictures of Fantasmic! Here, I was finally able to land some good shots but at the expense of not following the show. I know from my previous trips that Fantasmic! is the greatest show Disney has to offer. Nothing really compares to it. It’s in a league of its own. I couldn’t really compare this version to the Studios’ though. I would need to see it again on another day. This time, to just enjoy it. No pictures. After Fantasmic!, it was passed 11 pm. We were all pretty tired so we called it a day. All three of us headed back to the parking garage. We said good-bye and it would be the last time I see Kirsten.

 

[MerHearted]

“Sometimes Our Dreams Are All We Have”
Day 3: August 6, 2004

I’m alone today. Kirsten went back to work and Adam is unconscious somewhere. I don’t mind being alone at all. It gives me the chance to collect my thoughts. I got to Disneyland a little after park opening and walked around a bit to absorb the atmosphere. I love walking around Fantasyland in the morning. I decided to have a churro for breakfast. Yes, even after its betrayal, I still wanted one. The first attraction of the day was “it’s a small world.” You can’t get enough of this ride… well, unless you utterly detest “it’s a small world” that is. It has this whole area to itself and it’s always playing that song, luring you to come in and take a ride. I next went over to Critter Country where I rode the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Cute! As I was skipping through Frontierland… walking, I mean walking through Frontierland, I saw Woody and Jessie. I missed Woody during my Walt Disney World trip so here was my chance. I got a cast member to take my picture. Woody called me his pal, awww! After leaving the Toy Story gang, I went over to Toontown and rode Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. This was an interesting ride, it was a combination of a dark ride and the tea cups. Your car takes you through scenes from Roger Rabbit like other dark rides but you’re also able to spin your car. It was zany and a lot of fun. Roger Rabbit was definitely one of the more fun dark rides.

I checked my watch and it was time for the first princess storytelling. Who would it be? I got to the princess shop and waited, it was Belle! Her assistant was Charles. Charles was definitely different from Pablo. He was really energetic! His take on Chip was hilarious. Belle bumped into him and he fell and exclaimed, “Ah! I got another chip! Now they’re gonna call me ‘Chips!’ Ahhhh!!!” When it was time for the Beast to make his appearance, Charles jumped out from behind Belle and yelled “Boo!” Let’s just say Belle wasn’t very impressed. Charles went “What? I said ‘Boo!’” Belle just gave him the funniest look like ”Yeah, ok… try it again.” A laugh-out-loud moment came when Belle went into the West Wing and triggered the Beast’s ire. Charles confronted Belle and pushed merchandise off the shelves and exclaimed “Look what you did!” It was so funny! But Belle ran away. She didn’t get very far though, she was attacked by plush Mickey toys! Luckily, Beast came to her rescue and defeated those wicked monsters! I love happy endings.

Belle and Charles

After Belle’s story, I decided to see the first showing of Snow White’s Musical. I got there early so I was able to get a great seat, sitting directly in front of her wishing well. I have always believed that the second time for nearly anything is always the best. You know it already so now you can appreciate the details more. And that was definitely the case for Snow White. My second viewing of the show was simply so special. The show reached out and grabbed hold of my heart. Seeing the show so up close was amazing. It was like I was in it myself. During the scene just before Someday My Prince Will Come, Happy talked of dreams. Grumpy mentioned that he doesn’t dream. Snow White responded, “Well that’s too bad. Sometimes our dreams are all we have.” I’m not sure exactly why but that line spoke to me. “Sometimes our dreams are all we have.” It continued to echo in my mind until, well, I’m typing this now and it’s still there. So many people live their lives just content with where they are. They don’t see greater things beyond their world. I can’t be like that. I want so much more. I’m always asked why I don’t act more like other people my age. Why do I have to act like everyone else? I like who I am. I had my doubts before this trip, but after a few days, I know for sure. I am who I am. I don’t want to change, nor should I try to. I pity those who can’t see that. I feel sorry for those that have no dreams to hold on to. Anyways, what happened next was probably the most moving moment of my trip. Snow White sang Someday My Prince Will Come right in front of me. It was so beautifully sung that my eyes teared up and I began to cry. I couldn’t believe it. Why was I crying? It was just so beautiful. I felt each word she sang. It felt like she meant every word of it. I had always liked that song before but now Someday My Prince Will Come is one of my favorite songs ever. The flower petals fell again after the show but since I was so close this time, I didn’t need to do anything. They all came to me. I look down on my lap to find about 20 pink and white petals and I kept them all as a souvenir.

Someday My Prince Will Come

After the simply magical Snow White show, I went to have some lunch. It was just a hot dog, a small meal and I was off. I went over to Tomorrowland and saw Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Yeah, they have that show here too. I didn’t enjoy it that much in Epcot but for some reason, I liked it a lot more in Disneyland. It was the same exact movie but I liked it more here. How odd… well, maybe it’s cause I wasn’t in Epcot. Afterwards, I headed back to Main Street and experienced Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. This was a great show! It was incredibly emotional. It’s actually a combination of Hall of Presidents and Sounds Dangerous. Yeah, that does sound like a rather odd combination. It was like Sounds Dangerous in the way it used 3D sound. In the show, you take up the role of a union soldier in the civil war going to meet President Lincoln. It concluded with the Gettysburg Address. Great Moments may be the single most underrated attraction at Disneyland. It simply has to be experienced.

When I was finished being inspired by the 16th president, I was kinda thirsty so I got some frozen lemonade with a shot of orange. I wander around Main Street for a bit sipping my lemonade. That’s good lemonade! While walking, I saw an interesting sight. The Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle- Dum, and Mary Poppins were all walking around together. I decided to tag along. They all went up to a bunch of steps near City Hall. What were they doing? They’re playing a game! Charades! This was so funny! They made people guess what movies or rides they were acting out and had some guests do it themselves. And every once and while, Mad Hatter would cry “Intermission!” and they all would get up, honk their horns, blow on their noisemakers, and dance around. Well, all except Mary Poppins. She was doing her best to remain civilized. But I’m pretty sure she was trying really hard not to giggle. This is why Disneyland characters are so much fun! They do stuff like this!

After charades, I decided to head out to Downtown Disney and do a little gift shopping… and a little shopping for me as well. I got two pins for myself, one to remember each park with. I got a Snow White: An Enchanting New Musical pin for Disneyland and a pin with Ariel sitting on a seahorse for California Adventure cause that’s what I did there! I then took the monorail back to Disneyland. I went over to Adventureland and climbed Tarzan’s Treehouse. It was ok. I loved seeing Mrs. Potts and Chip in there though. I next headed over to New Orleans Square and browsed through the Disney Gallery, which was displaying props, costumes, and artwork from the Haunted Mansion movie. It was back to Fantasyland next to ride Snow White’s Scary Adventures again. I never noticed before how truly creepy the forest scene was. I then went over to Innoventions again to see if I could find anything new. I wanted to ride a Segway but the line for it was long. I grew hungry so I decided to get some dinner. I wanted to try the Blue Bayou cause I heard it was really good but when I got there, I saw it was really crowded. Without a priority seating, it was going to be a long wait. I didn’t go in but I remembered something. The infamous Club 33 was supposed to be in this area. I looked around for it but could not find it. I saw door 37 and then door 35, but could not find door 33. Pooh! I went over to the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland for dinner. I had some pasta that was surprisingly very good. But there was a lot of it so I couldn’t finish it.

Finished with dinner, I went to Main Street to do some more shopping. I got a nice Disneyland shirt and a couple postcards. I decided to catch the second showing of the Parade of the Stars at 8 pm. So I sat and waited on Main Street. And while I did, I wrote and mailed my postcards. Those things probably won’t reach their destinations until long after I return home. The parade arrived but came the opposite way this time, which caught me by surprise. I knew what I was going to do after the parade. I had been eyeing this spot ever since my Walt Disney World trip. I wanted to see the fireworks from the train station. When the thought first came to my mind of seeing them there last year, I thought it was the perfect place to see the fireworks. And now I was gonna test out my theory. As soon as the parade ended, I darted out to the train station and claimed the center bench for my own. It had a view right now the center of Main Street and had a railing in front, perfect for placing my camera. The fireworks would not start for another hour but I did not move from that spot. It was mine! Eventually more people arrived to see the best spot had already been taken. Ha! The fireworks started and I was right. The view was awesome from that point and I was able to get some great fireworks pictures. After the fireworks, I went back to Fantasyland to ride the Carrousel again. And this time, no leg rubs! Woo! For my last attraction of the night, I decided to go on the Story Book Canal again. I had seen it on my first day but it was nighttime now and I wanted to see if all the miniature worlds were lit up at night. They indeed were and the ride was even more magical at night. Hey, there’s Cinderella’s castle! A small one but that will do! It’s all lit up and pretty. The best world was probably Atlantica behind the waterfall. It was actually seen much better at night. When the ride was done, I decided to call it a night and headed back to my uncle’s house.

Imagine... A Fantasy in the Sky


Intermission

The next day I didn’t go to Disneyland. Why? Well, I was in California was 6 full days and only had a 5-day pass to Disneyland. One day would not be spent in Disneyland and I decided this would be the day. Originally, I had planned to take a tour around the Los Angeles area but after 3 full days at the parks, I was dead tired. That and there was really no one to take me anywhere. So I spent the day resting. It was a good idea too. I would get to rejuvenate myself for my final two days at Disneyland. Not too much happened that day. I did go to church though. What’s the deal with everyone holding hands in church? People don’t touch each other in Philly. Heck, some people don’t even shake hands at church. They do that whole raise your hand and nod thing. Hmmm… maybe that’s why we’re all so bitter. That and the Eagles are the perennial bridesmaids of the NFL. The Phillies were actually in L.A. this week. So I got to see a Phillies game on TV. I turned it off after we were brutally massacred in the 7th inning. I was about to go to bed when I heard some explosions. I looked outside and I couldn’t believe it. I saw the Disneyland fireworks from my uncle’s house! We were that close! Wow, it reminded me of what I had in store for the rest of my stay. The day served its purpose. I had my rest and was ready for more magic.

 

[MerHearted]

The Plunge
Day 4: August 8, 2004

Adam was returning to Disneyland today. As I was getting ready to leave for the parks, I saw my rose. I wondered if I should bring it along. I thought about it and figured I could find some way to annoy Adam with it so I did. Little did I know the major role it would play later in the day. This would be a big day. This was the day that I might possibly go through with my ultimate goal. I had already taken all the steps towards it. The next biggest drop was it… Splash Mountain. But would I be able to summon up the courage to finally ride it?

As I got off the tram from the parking garage and headed towards the main gate, I began to hum Part of Your World. Then all of a sudden, a raven drops from the sky and lands right in front of me. Hey, my singing is not that bad! Whoa, that thing just dropped out of nowhere and it was lying face-first on the ground twitching. Ewww! Ok, this was weird. Is this some sick omen? A cast member cleared the bird away and I moved on, still a little startled. I got into Disneyland and met up with Adam again. Just the two of us… you know the song. I grabbed some breakfast on Main Street. No more churros for me. I think I’ve had my fill of churros. I had a cookie and some orange juice. With breakfast done, I wanted to do all the rides I missed before. So we went into Fantasyland and rode Alice in Wonderland, another dark ride. I think Alice in Wonderful may actually be the best dark ride of them all. It was the best themed and all the scenes were really well done. I loved it! We then went on probably the most classic of all Disney rides, Dumbo! You have to do Dumbo! You cannot go to Disney and not go on Dumbo. It’s the rule. All those who break it are subject to flogging.

With Dumbo and Alice done, Fantasyland was complete. I felt like riding Indiana Jones again, it was a lot of fun last time. So we headed over to Adventureland. When we got there, I saw Splash Mountain in Critter Country. There it was. I stood and watched and boat after boat of screaming guests plunge off of it. You know, there’s no need to ride Splash Mountain now. Why the hurry? Maybe I can do it next time, next year, next decade? Adam said we should get fastpasses for it. I didn’t have to go, just get the fastpass. If I didn’t want to ride it later, fine. So we go our fastpasses to Splash Mountain. Wow, here it was. I was holding the ticket to my ultimate goal for this trip in my hand. Would I use it? We then went into Indiana Jones. I got to be in the driver’s seat this time, which actually made the ride much scarier! I think the scariest parts are when the car stops and pauses in complete darkness. I remember screaming in my head, “Come on car, move! Move! Get us out of here!” After the ride, Adam said he needed to go to his hotel to check in so we proceeded to leave Adventureland. But as we did, we saw Aladdin and Jasmine walking by. We immediately followed them. We tried to form a line around them but these darn Californians can’t grasp the concept of a line. Luckily Aladdin tells everyone to form a line. You tell them, Al! I finally got my time with the couple and it was rather amusing.

Vince: Hi guys! Can I have your autographs?
Aladdin: Sure! (They sign my book) Where are you from?
Vince: Philadelphia.
Jasmine: Wow! Thanks for coming to see us.
Vince: I saw your show in California Adventure.
Aladdin: Really? What did you think of it?
Vince: Oh, it was fantastic!
Aladdin: What was your favorite part?
Vince: Probably the Friend Like Me sequence.
Aladdin: Oh yeah, that’s a really good one.
Vince: Can I have a picture?
Aladdin: Of course!
Jasmine: Wait! I’m not in that song!
Vince: Well… uh….
Aladdin: Hmm… hey, you’re not, are you?
Jasmine: Yeah, it figures!
Vince: I liked your song too, Jasmine!
Aladdin: To Be Free.
Vince: Yeah! To Be Free! You’re wonderful in it!
Jasmine: Oh ok then.
Vince: Can I have my picture?
Jasmine: Sure!
(Adam takes our picture.)

Aladdin, Vince, & Jasmine

We then left Disneyland and went over to Adam’s hotel. He got his room and we headed back to Disneyland. We wanted to hurry. The first princess storytelling was in a few minutes. I wanted to see Cinderella do one. We got back to Disneyland late for it but were happy to found out it was Belle who did it. The next story was in another half-hour. Maybe Cinderella would do that one. We then decided to go on the only available ride left, other than Splash Mountain, which I hadn’t done, Astro Orbitor. The wait for it was about 30 minutes so it would be just in time for the next storytelling. Our experience with Astro Orbitor was “interesting” to say the least. As it was our turn to ride, the cast member asked us if we wanted to ride separately or together. We didn’t think there would be a problem riding together so we said together. Of course, at the time, we didn’t realize how small the pod was. Adam got in and there was no room left for me. Adam insisted I could get in. I manage to squeeze myself in on his lap. Yes, I was on his lap. Ok, now this is weird. The cast member saw us and laughed. Hey, wait a minute. How are we gonna get out of this thing. Hmmm… looks like we didn’t really think this through. We felt like sardines in there. Adam’s legs were crushing my stomach. Gah, now I know how it feels to wear a corset! Adam’s legs on the other hand were getting jammed into a hook in the pod. He kept screaming, “The hook is digging into my leg!” We spun around for a minute in this very uncomfortable position. And as the ride stopped, we were faced with the task of somehow getting out. I was stuck, there was no out for me. But Adam managed to squeeze out, with a lot of screaming. We finally got out and couldn’t stop laughing about the situation.

It was time for the next storytelling. We rushed over to the princess shop, me with pain in my stomach and Adam with pain in his legs. We got there to see Snow White, not Cinderella. I asked the cast member working there if Cinderella does this show. He said only Belle and Snow White do it. Darn it! Someone lied to me and told me Cinderella did this show. Oh well. Adam and I then grabbed some frozen lemonade, cherry flavored this time, and headed over to California Adventure. We went to see the first showing of Aladdin. Again, it was great. Genie had new jokes this time and even his old ones were still funny. I loved the guy playing Jafar. He just has this amusing personality. Something odd happened in the show however. During the A Whole New World number, there was no carpet ride through the audience. Was the carpet broken? I don’t know. Wait, is this another omen? First, the plunging raven, now a missing carpet. Is someone trying to tell me not to go on Splash Mountain? If a raven and a magic carpet cannot fly, what business does a fish? Hmmm.

 

[MerHearted]

After Aladdin, we got fastpasses to Soarin’ and went to see It’s Tough To Be A Bug. This was my favorite of all the 3D shows I’d seen in Walt Disney World so I definitely wanted to see it here again. It was the same show as in Animal Kingdom, which was fine by me. I loved it. We then were ready to walk over to Soarin’ for our fastpass time when Adam realized he read the time wrong. We still had another hour. What were we gonna do until then? We joked that we should go see Aladdin again. But after a bit, we realized that wasn’t such a bad idea. It was a great way to kill an hour. So we headed back to the Hyperion Theater for our second showing of Aladdin for the day. This time, there was a flying carpet. But unfortunately, there were a lot of mistakes made by this Aladdin. I mean, he screwed up a lot! I felt sorry for him. First, he lost his hat during One Jump Ahead. This forced all the doubles to ditch their hats as well. Next, he was suppose to run behind a moving building and then magical appear in its doorway. But he missed the building and was seen running after it. Eeek! If that wasn’t bad enough, he then blew a huge line. In the scene where he promises to set Genie free, he was supposed to tell Genie he would set him free “after I get the princess to fall in love with me.” Instead of that, he said “after I get the princess to fall in love with you.” Me and Adam gasped! Oh boy, that was not good! That was not a good showing for this Aladdin, everything seemed to snowball for him. I felt sorry for the people seeing this show for the first time. After the show, it was time for Soarin’. I simply loved this ride. It was so amazing. Epcot fans are in for a treat when this arrives in Florida.

I looked at my watched. It was time. The fastpass for Splash Mountain was now in effect. Would I go? Since my first Disney trip, I’ve avoided this ride. I had gone 14 Disney days without it. What’s another day? Right? Come on, if I keep avoiding it, I’ll never know. I’ll never know if I can handle it or not. But I was so scared of drops. That’s what the succession of drops was for, to prepare myself for this. Am I just gonna live in fear forever of this ride? Deep breath… let’s go! We went back to Disneyland as Adam tried to psych me up for it. I was Rocky and he was Mick. We went through Main Street, past Adventureland, and into Critter Country… and there was Splash Mountain. You know, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I pulled up all my courage together again and we headed into Splash Mountain. We were getting closer and closer to the logs. I told Adam that Ariel would want me to do this. This was for Ariel! Our log came and we boarded. There was no turning back now. Throughout the ride, Adam coached me and told me what to expect. I kept telling myself that I was not afraid. The first drop arrived, it was a little one. No problem! Then the middle-size drop came, I was ok. Only the big one remained. I told Adam, “I can do this. I’m the King of the World!” Adam responded, “You’re the King of the World!” We arrived at the final lift. The two buzzards overheard were heckling me. On the lift, I kept saying, “I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid!” We approached the peak, here we go. Inch by inch, it slowly tipped over. I screamed at the top of my lungs, “KING OF THE WORLD!!!”
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SPLASH!!!
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.
.
I sat at the bottom of the drop in shock… I did it… I did it! I DID IT!!! I can’t believe I actually did it! I rode Splash Mountain! After all this time, finally! I was so proud of myself. I leaned back and threw my arms in the air. We floated past the happy ending and I was so happy I sang along. My, oh my! What a wonderful day! As we left, I told Adam “I did it! And I could do it again!” He asked if I wanted to get back on. I quickly replied, “no.” But I was proud of my accomplishment and bought my picture on Splash Mountain to remember it.

KING OF THE WORLD!

Right outside Splash Mountain, we saw Tigger, Eeyore, and Pooh! What a welcome committee! After we met each, we decided to get some dinner. We went over to Bengal Barbecue and I had some steak. After going on Splash Mountain, I think I deserved steak! I was actually able to finish my meal this time. Wow, with Splash Mountain done, Disneyland was pretty much complete for me. Big Thunder Mountain was undergoing repairs and Space Mountain was being refurbished. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do stuff again and again! After dinner, we headed over to Tomorrowland and did the Autopia one more time. This time, Adam wasn’t getting away from me. I bumped him mercilessly. Unfortunately, the person in front of him suffered one of my bumps as well. I crashed into Adam, but since he was so close to the car in front of him, the energy transferred over to that person, and she felt my wrath. Whoops! After the Autopia, we took another ride of the Matterhorn bobsleds. That is one painful ride for my bottom. Owies. As we went past King Triton’s Garden, I noticed Ariel was gone and no one was around. I kept staring at Ariel’s seat. I then ran in there and struck some mermaid poses. Teehee! I also saw Snow White skip along by. That was cute! I then wanted to do some more shopping so we hit the Main Street stores. There, I got two cds, the soundtrack of the Aladdin show and Fantasmic! Speaking of Fantasmic!, I was going to see it again tonight. No picture taking this time. I also bought this piece of artwork that I had been wanting for quite a while now. It was a picture of Ariel dressed as a bride under the sea. It was really beautiful. As I was buying it, the cast member told me about the Armani statue of Ariel. I said “I can’t afford Armani.” She said she knew but wanted to show me. I asked Adam if he could lend me 300 dollars. He said ”no”... hmph! It was pretty though.

Adam then had a craving to ride the Haunted Mansion, but seeing as how that ride freaks me out. I said we should go on Pirates instead, which was fine by Adam. So it was off to New Orleans Square. There, Adam showed me where Club 33 was. It was hidden behind a construction wall. We then got on Pirates and as we were going down the big drop, Adam lost his contact lens and was blinded. There was nothing we could do, it was too dark in Pirates to see anything. Gosh, we needed some kind of light. Wait, I did have a light… my rose! I got my rose out of my backpack and shot its light into Adam’s eye. He was able to find his contact lens! Adam was saved by the light of a rose! How poetic! Funny that I brought the rose to annoy him and it ended up helping him. After we got off Pirates, we headed over to the First Aid building so Adam could get his contact back in. When he was done, we set out to claim our spot for Fantasmic! The night showing of the Parade of the Stars was going on as we were walking by, I waved at Ariel.

Ariel waves!

We got to the Rivers of America and waited for Fantasmic! The crowds soon filled the area and the greatest of shows began. I was able to truly enjoy it this time. Fantasmic! is such an incredible show. No matter how many times I see it, I can’t help but to be blown away. It is just so awesome. And yes, for the most part, Disneyland’s Fantasmic! is better than Walt Disney World’s version. One major difference is the absence of Pocahontas. Instead of her, Disneyland had Peter Pan and Wendy battling Captain Hook and his pirates on a pirate ship. Now that was cool! It had fewer movies on the water screens however. Some people don’t like all those movies but I do. It’s missing the bubble sequence that shows a whole bunch of Disney characters. Instead of trying to show all characters, Disneyland’s Fantasmic! concentrated more time on select characters. That actually made the story more coherent. There aren’t as many villains. The Studios’ version has almost every villain you could think of but here, it focused more attention to the evil Queen, Ursula, Maleficent, and Chernabog. My favorite part was still the same, the medley of my three favorite songs and princesses, Beauty and the Beast – Part of Your World – Someday My Prince Will Come. That part always gives me chills. It’s so beautiful! The finale is also better at Disneyland as a much bigger boat carries in a huge number of characters. Also, in Walt Disney World, Ariel sits all the way in the back of the boat. Here, Ariel was right in the front of the boat! I love Fantasmic!, both versions. Throughout the whole show, I held my glowing rose on my chest. I wanted the magic to be close to my heart.

Ariel in front!

After Fantasmic!, we rushed towards Main Street to see Imagine… A Fantasy in the Sky. We got there just a minute before the fireworks. We found a spot right in front of the big blue tarp. Although the train station was a great place for pictures, it did feel more magical being closer to the fireworks. They were just so wonderful. Again, during the fireworks, I held my lighted rose close to my heart. After the fireworks, we went into Fantasyland to do some more rides. I wanted to go on all the rides that were held outside. I wanted to enjoy the magical nighttime atmosphere. So we ended up riding the carrousel, the tea cups, and Dumbo. For the final attraction of the night, we did the Matterhorn one last time. The view from the Matterhorn at night is awesome. Of course, I would have been able to enjoy it more if the ride wasn’t throwing my body around. When the ride was finished, we exited the park and headed to the parking garage. I said good-bye to Adam as it would be the last time I see him and drove away. I had one day left.

 

[MerHearted]

Wishes and Fantasy
Day 5: August 9, 2004

So this is it, my final day at Disneyland. I decided to wear my mermaid shirt again today. I arrived at the park at opening and as I came into the gate, I saw Alice playing around in front of the train station. She said something to the Queen of Hearts that made her really mad as the Queen walked away and sat under a tree pouting. I went over to meet Alice, she was so sweet! I then went into Main Street and had a breakfast treat and orange juice. After breakfast, I walked over to Fantasyland. I simply love Fantasyland early in the morning. Well, actually, I love it all day, but the morning is the best. I then walked back to Main Street where I saw Peter Pan and Wendy run off somewhere. I wanted to meet them. I decided to ride the Disneyland Railroad, maybe Peter and Wendy would return by the time I get back. The best car on the train is the last one, there are few people there. Not many people think of going on the last car so I got most of it to myself. I got back to Main Street and went into the cinema to watch some classic Disney films, including Steamboat Willie.

After seeing a few short films, I went back to Fantasyland where I found Peter and Wendy again. They were with Captain Hook and the Mad Hatter this time. The Mad Hatter said we should all play a game, but what game? “Mad Hatter Says!” (Simon Says) It was pretty funny. One of them was “Mad Hatter says pick your nose!” He then said “Mad Hatter says jump on one leg while picking your nose!” All of us all did, including Peter and Wendy. Then Hatter just walked away and left us like that. Haha! Captain Hook ran after him and dragged him back so he could make us stop. The Mad Hatter said “Stop!” and everyone stopped. But he didn’t say “Mad Hatter says” so we all lost. Mad Hatter then declared Captain Hook the winner, but he called him “Captain Codfish”, which made Hook throw a fit. The Mad Hatter then left us. Peter then decided to play another game and ran off. We all chased him around. We got to Ariel’s area in King Triton’s Garden. Peter got everyone in a circle and played “Lost boy, Lost boy, Pirate” (Duck, Duck, Goose) Captain Hook kept getting outsmarted by Peter each time, it was hilarious. After the game, I got Peter’s, Wendy’s, and Hook’s autographs. I also got a picture with Wendy. Peter saw my mermaid shirt said “He has the mermaid on his shirt. She’s a nice mermaid, not like the ones we have in mermaid lagoon.” Wendy wholeheartedly agreed. I then left them and roamed around the park a bit. I didn’t want to ride any attraction just yet. I wanted to just goof off in the park. As I was walking, I headed into the tunnel leading from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. There, I bumped into Peter and Wendy again! What were they doing in there? They were hiding behind the corner and jumping out at unsuspecting people, trying to scare the lights out of them. It was so funny! I stayed and watched them pull their little prank. They would jump out and scream “BOO!” and the reactions of their victims were hilarious. Peter asked me “So did you see the mermaid yet?” He didn’t call Ariel by her name, he kept referring to her as “the mermaid.” I told him “I saw her a few days before. She’s a really nice mermaid!” I left Peter and Wendy to continue their torture of guests. As I turned the next corner, I met another familiar face, Captain Hook. I shook his hand and got my picture with him. He’s a lot nicer in person than he is in the movie.

Peter and Wendy up to no good

After the mischief with Peter and Wendy, I went into the princess shop to see a storytelling. I already saw Belle and Snow White, but I loved them so much I wanted to see them again. This time, it was Belle. She had a new assistant, Scott. The show was actually different this time. That’s cool that it’s never the same show. It’s almost like improv with a princess. Belle was so funny as she kept picking on Scott. When Scott was Lumiere, he tried to be funny by pretending to kick a field goal and using his candlestick arms to say, “It’s good!” Belle gave him the funniest look. The best part was when Scott was the Beast. Belle was so cruel to him! He had to do anything Belle said. She made him spin around and then said “And then the Beast did pushups.” Scott went, “Pushups?” Belle replied, “Yes, pushups!” Scott sighed and hit the floor doing pushups. I laughed so hard. He got up and Belle made him spin around some more and then said, “And then the Beast danced.” Scott gave Belle a look and Belle said, “Yeah, he danced.” So Scott was forced to dance Saturday Night Fever style. It was so funny seeing a princess be so evil!

I next walked over to the “it’s a small world” area where I met Alice again. She was with the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the White Rabbit. They decided we should all play another game! It was a Disney character game where one person acts out a character and we had to guess who it was. The Mad Hatter kept saying each one was Alice in Wonderland. Alice kept telling him, “No! It’s not me!” The things some guests came up with were side-splitting. For one of them, Alice said, “It sounds like what I am.” The Mad Hatter then asked, “Ok, what rhymes with ‘ugly’?” Alice was so upset but it was pretty funny. After the game, they made this one guy come up and sing everyone a song. He didn’t want to but they forced it out of him. He sang “it’s a small world.” Haha! I then ran off with Alice and the Mad Hatter through Fantasyland. Alice saw Snow White and squealed, “It’s Snow White!” She ran up to her and hugged her like a little girl. Awww! Hatter went up to Snow White and shook her hand. He shook it up and down really hard! Snow White exclaimed, “You’re ripping my shoulder!” I really love these characters, they are so much fun!

Whatchu talk about, Hatter?

It was time for another story so I went back to the princess shop. It was Snow White, who was still recovering from her encounter with the Mad Hatter. Scott was back as her assistant this time. This may have been the funniest of all the stories I saw. When Snow White was washing the dwarves’ dishes, she made Scott put them all away. But they were too heavy and he ended up dropping them, breaking all of them. Snow White then wanted to take a nap and Scott rested his head on her lap and started to snore. Snow White poked him awake and said, “Scott, princesses don’t snore.” Scott said, “They don’t?” Snow White replied, “You’re supposed to be me and I don’t snore. I don’t know what princesses you know but princesses don’t snore.” Scott said ok and tried again to sleep like a princess. He rested on Snow White and went, “Me me me me… it’s all about meeeee!” That was so funny! Scott then played the role of the dwarves. His Grumpy was the best. He said, “Hmph! Women! They’re nothing but trouble! Look, the dishes are all broken!” Snow White’s reply was classic! “I didn’t break the dishes, it was my friend Scott. He’s a man. Unless you consider him a woman.” Zing! Scott replied, “Uhh... no, he’s a man, a very handsome man, I might add!” When it was time to bake a pie, Snow White asked what they should put in the pie. Scott said, “Pizza! What? I like pizza.” That drew a lot of laughs. Scott then played the role of the evil old hag and asked Snow White, “What’s that smell? It smells like pizza!” Snow White said she was baking a pie. Scott asked if he could have some. Snow White told him it wasn’t ready yet. Scott said, “That’s ok, I’ll wait.” And he just sat in Snow White’s chair waiting. After a long pause, Snow White told Scott, “Umm… I have to be back at small world after the show.” Funny! When Snow White went into the sleeping death, Scott didn’t know what to do. He asked “Does anyone know how the story ends?” Everyone replied “Yes!” And he said, “Ok good! Well, that’s the show. See ya!” But he eventually went over to try to kiss Snow White but Snow White kept avoiding him. He went from side to side trying to sneak a smooch in but Snow White wasn’t gonna have any of that. He eventually gave in and kissed her hand. She woke up and said she was saved by her dashing prince. She then looked at Scott and told everyone to use their imaginations. Hilarious!

Princesses don't snore!

Wow, this morning was so fun and all I did was hang around Fantasyland and play with the characters! I got hungry so I grabbed a hot dog for lunch. I then got a call from Carla. She and Mitch were in Tomorrowland. So I headed over there to meet them. I talked to them for a bit. But they said the crowds were too much for them so they left. Well, I’m on my own again. I decided to go see my favorite show, Snow White: An Enchanting New Musical! I got another great seat this time, in front of the Queen’s dungeon. The more I see this show, the more I love it. It’s such a beautiful show. After the musical, I went to go on my favorite dark ride, Alice in Wonderland. The line was surprisingly long for it, it actually extended beyond the queue. The wait was over a half hour long. But this ride was worth it. After falling through the rabbit hole, I went over to ride “it’s a small world” one last time. That was followed by a walk around the park. I got another frozen lemonade, this time flavored with vanilla. There I bumped into Alice again. She was even more mischievous this time. She had a water sprayer and was sneaking up to unsuspecting guests and squirting them. She scared this old woman! I thought British kids were supposed to be sweet and civilized. Peter, Wendy, and Alice sure are a troublesome bunch.

 

[MerHearted]

After the fun with Alice, I wanted to see the final showing of Snow White, for the fourth and last time. I got there really early, the previous show was still going on. I was at the head of the line. While waiting, I listened to Snow White sing Someday My Prince Will Come and sang it along with her. That song has so much more meaning to me now. After about 45 minutes, we were let in. Since I came so early, I was able to land the best seat in the whole place, front row, dead center! I love this show so much. I really cannot get enough of it. Heigh Ho, Whistle While You Work, I’m Wishing, One Song, the Silly Song… these are some of Disney’s greatest songs. And for the last time, I listened to Snow White’s beautiful rendition of Someday My Prince Will Come.

Happily Ever After

When the show was done, I went to get some dinner at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante in Frontierland, where I had some enchiladas and tacos. I then went over to Main Street to do some final gift shopping. After buying my final things at Disneyland, there was one thing I had to do. I walked over to Snow White’s wishing well by the big blue tarp. I wanted to make a wish. I tried to be alone with the wishing well but several guests kept walking by checking it out. Uh, hello! Can I get some private time with the well? Thank you! When I was finally alone with it, I stood there, collected my thoughts, and spoke into the wishing well. “Wow, these last few days have been so amazing. You’ve given me an experience that I really couldn’t have imagined. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here. But now, I know that this place will always have its place in my heart. Disneyland will always be a part of me. You showed me who I am and who I want to be. Thank you.” I then grabbed all the change in my pockets in one big handful, tossed it into the well, and made a wish. I hope that it comes true.

One Wish

After making my wish, I made my way to Main Street and waited for the final showing of the parade. I watched it with a greater appreciation of everything that went by. Night then fell and I decided to take one last tour of Fantasyland. I took out my rose and lit it, holding it as I went by each area of Fantasyland. I said good-bye to “it’s a small world”, good-bye to Snow White, good-bye to Peter Pan, good-bye to Alice, good-bye to Pinocchio, good-bye to Mr. Toad, good-bye to Storybook Land, good-bye to Dumbo, good-bye to King Arthur, good-bye to the Tea Party, and good-bye to the Matterhorn. I then made my way to the front of the big blue tarp to see the Imagine fireworks one last time. I held the rose close to my heart and sang along throughout the whole fireworks show. Tinkerbell flew across the sky and my stay at Disneyland was ended with a giant crescendo. After the fireworks, I slowly walked down Main Street, reached the flagpole, turned around, and said, “Thank you for such an amazing and magical week. I will come back, I promise.” With that, I went back to the car and left. I kept my rose lit until I left the gates of the resort. I got back to my uncle’s house, packed, and the next morning, I went back home to Philadelphia.


Final Thoughts

People who go to Walt Disney World speak of Disneyland as though it’s the lesser resort. Many refuse to go anywhere but Walt Disney World. And for those people, I say that you are missing out on something incredibly special. Disneyland was the original, it’s where the magic began. And say what you may about California Adventure. But I kinda actually liked the place. I think I had more fun there than Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Hey, anything with Aladdin, a restaurant devoted to Ariel, Disney Animation, Soarin’, and the Electrical Parade gets a big thumbs up in my book. Disneyland itself may actually be greater than the Magic Kingdom. But I think the Magic Kingdom still is my home, mainly because of my deep affection for Cinderella Castle. Nonetheless, Disneyland is incredible. Disneyland’s current slogan for 2004 is “A Whole New World.” When I first saw that, I thought, “Gosh, that’s kinda generic.” But now I realize that it was absolutely fitting for Disneyland. In southern California, I was able to experience magic from “a new fantastic point of view.” There are so many more things to do there than any other Disney park. Also, most of the attractions and areas it shares with other parks are better. I wondered during this trip how so many things in Disneyland could be better than at Walt Disney World. I mean, Walt Disney World came later. Doesn’t that mean it should be better at all things? But when you think about it, the answer is obvious. If one place was superior to the other in everything, what reason would there be to visit the other place? Smart Disney. Some things are better at Walt Disney World. Others are better at Disneyland. The plan succeeded for me. Disneyland now joins Walt Disney World in my heart. I want to return to Disneyland, just as I do with Walt Disney World. I don’t know when that will be. It could be soon if I move to California after school. But most likely, it will be a while. Until then, I have a bright future to look forward to and my eyes will focus on central Florida. Cinderella Castle, I await the day that I may see you again…

… Someday When My Dreams Come True.

 

[stranger]

This fireworks show was awesome. It was more than that, it was magical! Yes, it was! It was MAGICAL!!! During the fireworks, I finally felt it, the tug on my heart, the shivers down my spine, it was magic! So it’s true, there is magic. It does exist and it’s here with me.

:sohappy: So glad you felt the magic of Disneyland (minus the castle, but that'll be for a future trip :animwink: ).
And here's a :kiss: for finding the magic in Disneyland


About the churros, I always assumed that WDW parks sold sold them or are they different? :brick:

 

[MerHearted]

:sohappy: So glad you felt the magic of Disneyland (minus the castle, but that'll be for a future trip :animwink: ).
And here's a :kiss: for finding the magic in Disneyland


About the churros, I always assumed that WDW parks sold sold them or are they different? :brick:

Thanks! Magic lives and breathes in Disneyland.

I never had any churros before, WDW or DL.

 

[tigsmom]

And you were afraid you wouldn't feel the Magic! I'm so glad you had a great time. Great report & beautiful pics. Welcome home. :kiss:

 

[DMC-12]

Vince,

Truly a stellar trip report my friend! :sohappy: You cover every detail with SUCH detail.. You really should be a writer!

Sounds like you had a blast!

Thanks for sharing... again.. you get my nomination for best trip report of the year.... along with your WDW trip report from last year!


:wave: :sohappy:

 

[hkajenny]

Nice Trip ！！
but i can't see your picture...

 

[MerHearted]

Vince,

Truly a stellar trip report my friend! :sohappy: You cover every detail with SUCH detail.. You really should be a writer!

Sounds like you had a blast!

Thanks for sharing... again.. you get my nomination for best trip report of the year.... along with your WDW trip report from last year!


:wave: :sohappy:

Thanks Jer! I really wanted to bring back each and every little detail. After each day, just before I went to bed, I took out a piece of paper and wrote down everything I could about the day so I could remember it. I wrote this not just for Magic but for myself. Not only do I want to share my experiences with you guys, I want to have something I can look back on and feel as though I was still there. Each trip is special to me. I don't want their memory to just be a flash. I want to remember everything, from what I did, to what I saw, to how I felt. It's as much a souvenir as photos and merchandise. I'm glad you liked it.

 

[OliveMcFly]

I loved this trip report. I love reading your thoughts on Disney. Everything you write has so much heart. I can truly feel your great appreciation for WDW and DL. I'm glad you had a great time and I hope there are many more trips to come.
PS: Thanks for the postcard. :kiss:

 

[stranger]

We tried to form a line around them but these darn Californians can’t grasp the concept of a line.

There it is again.

I enjoyed the rest of your trip report and congrats on conquering your fear :sohappy: . Plus, your face on splash mountain was priceless :wave: .

 

[xfkirsten]

A line? What's a line? :lol: Push and shove, man!! :lol:

I LOVED reading your report. So wonderfully written, and so detailed!

You watched Aladdin without me? *sobs* Ah, well, it wasn't Alex or HNA that I missed, at least. The carpet doesn't work occasionally, for various reasons. It was gone from the show for a lone time last fall. I actually have video of the show when it wasn't working. And now you see why I hate watching the show without Alex or George as Aladdin: it all tends to fall apart.

And YAY for finally getting you on Splash! Congrats!! I love the look on your face - priceless!!

BTW, it was really funny hearing you scream on Peter Pan. *points and laughs*

-Kirsten

 

[MerHearted]

Thanks all!

I wasn't screaming on Peter Pan, I was testing out my vocal cords. :lookaroun

*hides from stranger*