Pongo's Trip to DISNEYLAND

Pongo

Pongo

New Member
Original Poster
Hey look! I'm back!

I think I left off at Downtown Disney. So I will pick up there as well. I guess there's not really much to say about it. I was kind of underwhelmed. It didn't seem like they had as much as the DTD in WDW. We went in a few stores, but for the most part, we just breezed right through it. I did, however, enjoy the monorail service between DTD and Disneyland Park. I would say that it was convenient, but we had to wait in a very long line to get back to the park. We definitely could have walked, but I was determined to ride the monorail both ways! And with only one train in operation at the time, it was kind of annoying. But it wasn't so bad.

I wish we had gotten the chance to ride one of the new monorails, but no such luck. I didn't really like the DLR monorails. The seating arrangements inside seemed weird, and they were really tiny. Overall, I prefer WDW's monorail.

It's been so long, I don't really have much else to say about the parks, at least that I can remember. The last two days were spent going back to rides that really liked or missed from the days before.

I have to say, I really enjoyed my trip to Disneyland, and it went by WAY too fast. I would love to be one of the locals that just spends all their time in the parks (*cough Nicole cough*), but alas, I had that opportunity while living in Florida with WDW. I guess I can't complain.

In the next few posts, I'll put up some pictures with captions and such explaining them.

I CAN'T WAIT to return to California and Disneyland some day. What a GREAT place.
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
You ever start a novel, then lay it down and forget about it, only to find it months later and have to start all over? :lol:
 
Pongo

Pongo

New Member
Original Poster
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This is Grizzly Peak with the Wine Country Trattoria restaurant at the base. Paul and I ate there one night for dinner, and it was pretty good. I won't say it was the most AMAZING dinner I've ever had, but it was tasty. I had a chicken and spinach alfredo lasagna, which actually pretty good. Service wasn't bad, and they even gave us an outside table after I said inside when I made the reservation. It was a gorgeous day, so sitting outside was just prefect. A very relaxing meal, I must say. One of the highlights of the trip, in retrospect, but that may just be my memory romanticizing the occasion...

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Tarzan's Treehouse. Not much else to say...

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That's me in front of the Partners statue and Sleeping Beauty Castle (you probably didn't need that explanation). I don't remember if I addressed it earlier, but I really liked Sleeping Beauty Castle. In many ways, I liked it better than Cinderella Castle. If I like anything, it's simplicity, and Cinderella Castle is just TOO grand for my tastes. I know it's a fairy tale castle and all, but it seems like SBC is much more "fairy tale" to me BECAUSE it's so small. European castles weren't really all that glamorous, and SBC is just modest enough for me to absolutely love it.

I think Cinderella Castle is boring. I know, I know. Blasphemy.

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Another thing I really loved about Disneyland was all the COLOR everywhere. It's something I really remember when I think back about it. With so much vibrancy, everything becomes so much more fun, and in the bright Southern California sun, everything just popped everywhere you look. Like this picture of the teacups. Look at all the different colors and the way your vision is just assaulted (in a good way) by them.

Speaking of senses, another thing I really liked were the bands that played at the Tomorrowland Terrace. We got to hear two while we were there, both on accident. The first, Suburban Legends, were playing while we were just wandering around, people watching and finding somewhere to go that wasn't so crowded. We ended up just sitting and watching them. I'm a BIG music junkie, and love concerts even more, and sitting there listening to them play was extremely relaxing and satisfying. They were so enthusiastic and good-spirited too, which is something I've never really noticed about performers at WDW. They just radiated fun and the people dancing down by the stage visibly absorbed it. The second band we heard was an Elvis tribute one night while we were in line for the Nemo subs. They definitely made the long line pass by a little quicker.

In the same vein, if I were an avid swing dancer, I would have definitely taken part in that Disneyland tradition as well. The community feel about Disneyland is just something so unique that I wish WDW had as well.

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Splash Mountain... obviously.

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I wonder where that one is from!

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That's our hotel... FROM THE MONORAIL!

I can't say enough about the Carousel Inn and Suites, but most of my satisfaction with it comes from the fact that we stayed there for free. But really, the staff was SO friendly, it was clean, and it served its purpose very well. Most importantly of all, it was in a GREAT location. You really couldn't have gotten any better without being on DLR property. Which we almost were, as demonstrated by this picture.

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Oh man, I can ALSO not say enough about this little boat. I'm really depressed that we don't have one in Florida because it really made a BIG difference in my Rivers of America experience (can we just reflect on the last half of that sentence for a minute... okay). But really. It's so much better than the river boat. By like a million. The open-air deck where there's nothing between you and the sky was a great experience. It was the perfect height over the water and the below-deck aspect was pretty cool too. Not to mention the role the boat played in Fantasmic!

Loved the Sailing Ship Columbia. One of my favorite rides there. I could have ridden it all day.

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Artsy? Probs not.

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That's the last one. Two of my favorite single aspects of Disneyland: The Matterhorn, and Sleeping Beauty Castle. I miss them so much.

So... that's it! I hope that this final update was everything that everyone hoped it would be! If you're reading this and you haven't been to Disneyland... GO. They're doing the 7 for 4 deal, so you have no excuse.
 
Pongo

Pongo

New Member
Original Poster
EPCOT Explorer said:
GREAT report! I would love to visit DLR one day...:D
Click to expand...

From one Florida boy to another... DO IT! Seriously. You have no idea what you're missing.

When I decided to go, it was on a TOTAL whim, only six months before I actually went. If you want to do it, don't hesitate!
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
Pongo said:
I would love to be one of the locals that just spends all their time in the parks (*cough Nicole cough*)
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Oh! Oh! Guess where I'm going tomorrow as soon as I land??

:D


:lookaroun

Pongo said:
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IMG_0322.jpg

.
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I spy with my little eye, Nicole stalking Luke. Quick! Find her in these two pics!

:lookaroun


The pic with you in the green shirt in front of the castle was from the day I saw you by the Matterhorn. I remember the green shirt.
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
Pongo said:
I feel like there should be some Shakespeare that I could spout regarding that as well, but I'm too lazy to go looking for it.

I forgive you.
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And I forgive you for saying you hate me.

Waaait...why are you forgiving me? I haven't done anything.
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
Pongo said:
From one Florida boy to another... DO IT! Seriously. You have no idea what you're missing.

When I decided to go, it was on a TOTAL whim, only six months before I actually went. If you want to do it, don't hesitate!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I want to go SOOO badly. I'll get there someday, I know it...


Hopefully this year, even! I'm a member/ competitor in DECA in my High School and this year's National Competition is in Anaheim.:lookaroun Gotta get past states, 1st. ( Orlando) It could be a Disney year!


(It also should be noted that the topic of my advertising campaign presentation is on DLR itself...:lol:. Yeah, I have planned this well):D:o
 
Pongo

Pongo

New Member
Original Poster
EPCOT Explorer said:
Yeah, I want to go SOOO badly. I'll get there someday, I know it...


Hopefully this year, even! I'm a member/ competitor in DECA in my High School and this year's National Competition is in Anaheim.:lookaroun Gotta get past states, 1st. ( Orlando) It could be a Disney year!


(It also should be noted that the topic of my advertising campaign presentation is on DLR itself...:lol:. Yeah, I have planned this well):D:o
Click to expand...

Ooh, well good luck! I hope you make it out there!

One of my friends at OSU made it out there for DECA a few years ago, actually. How funny :lol:
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
Pongo said:
Ooh, well good luck! I hope you make it out there!

One of my friends at OSU made it out there for DECA a few years ago, actually. How funny :lol:
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Small World.;):lookaroun


Thanks!...I certainly hope I get to see where all the magic began. I'd love to post a TR like this in a few months.:D
 

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