The Land of The Walls: My DL Trip Report!

[DisneyDreamer08]

After Toontown, I walked back to Fantasyland and to the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. I love that there is actually an attraction (well, a small one) inside the castle. It was a tight squeeze in there with the few other families who were in there the same time as me. But still very nicely done!

I then just walked around the castle a bit taking some pictures.

And then I went over to the Snow White Grotto area. Snow White is my favorite princess movie so I loved this little area! So beautiful!

By then, believe it or not, I was starting to get a little tired! So I walked over to Main St. and bought an ice cream at Gibson Girl (nice dinner right) and found a spot on the curb for the parade. There was still about a half hour until parade time but I needed a break! I’ll post my parade pictures in a little bit!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

So the parade was set to start at 6:30. But first, at about 6:20, they had a little pre parade honoring the volunteers who were in the park that day.

Sweetums, Miss Piggy and Kermie!

DLs version of this season’s parade is called Celebrate! A Street Party! It’s really cute and its actually my favorite of the current parades. They play lots of hit uptempo songs like I Love Rock and Roll and You Can’t Stop The Beat. All the characters dance along and its really entertaining. And of course they pull kids from the crowd to dance too. It was great, I loved it!

The sun never really did come out that day

I think Jessie was doing the sprinkler here

Mary's dancing was a little more sophisticated

Daisy and Donald shaking their grove things

Minnie playing the air guitar

Woody gettin' jiggy wit it

After the parade I did a little shopping and then took a train ride around the park for the sake of more relaxation. I was waiting until 9pm for the Electrical Parade over at DCA because it wouldn't be showing Monday or Tuesday. I'll finish up day one a little later on!!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

OK, I’m going to try and finish up day one!

After the parade, I browsed through the shops on Main St. I bought the typical stuff- tshirt, flip flops, a pen, a magnet. I also bought a Jim Shore figurine to add to my collection and some really cool Haunted Mansion coasters. When I was in WDW last year I bought that Four Parks One World CD and I love it. I still listen to it in my car. So I picked up the 2 disc Disneyland edition and that’s awesome too!

After shopping, I rode the train around the park.

Inside Splash

I then went over to DCA to catch the Electrical Parade. It was only about 8:15 (the parade started at 9) but it was already packed! People were camped out with blankets and were like, sprawled out eating dinner and stuff. Since it was just me though, I found a little spot close to park entrance. It was soooo cold by this point! Luckily, I had just bought a Mickey and Minnie blanket (one of those spend $25 and you can buy it for $12 type of deals) so I huddled underneath it and hung out for 45 minutes.

So of course, a few floats into the parade, my camera battery dies. I guess I had been using it for over 12 hours. It wasn’t until about halfway through that I thought I should try to take some pictures using my cell phone. So I kind of missed Dopey driving the mining carts.

I only took 1 shot of Tinkerbell- I was trying to save my battery as much as possible

The last shot I got on my camera

The first on my cell phone- I missed Dopey

More pictures coming in the next post...

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

More crappy cell phone pics

The parade was great- very similar to Spectro. I can’t really pick one over the other. The floats are a little different which was nice. One thing I didn’t like was the America themed floats at the end. This is Disneyland, not the fourth of July! Bring out the Disney floats!

When the parade ended, I made my way back out to the pick up/drop off lot to meet my dad. All in all, I had an incredible day. The solo day wasn’t all that bad. I didn’t mind shopping, eating and watching the parades alone. Sometimes on the rides though I wished I was with someone else. Someone I could turn to and say, ‘wow that was awesome!’ And not a stranger who would think I was crazy. Honestly, it was worth spending the day alone though and if I had to, I would do it again!

 

[nemofinder22]

About ToonTown- You didnt miss much in Chip and Dales or Donalds boat. Chip and Dales used to have an acorn pit(ball pit), and I think a slide. And Donalds boat used to have a slide, and climbing net and a spiral stair case and have been removed over the years. As for Goofy's it used to be a bounce house with furniture that little kids could jump on, but a little after "Pooh's Thoughtful Spot" opened in MK it would soon makes it way to DL too in the form of taking over Goofy's House and yard. Which kinda worked out since the Sub lagoon was kept in tact.

But keep up the great trip report!

 

[bartbrine]

report

again very nice. I think you do a good job and look forward to more.

 

[dweezil78]

Great trip report!!! I was just there all weekend and I already want to go back after reading this. :lol:

Sorry to hear you did not like the Matterhorn. Is it the wildest, most technologically innovative ride ever? Nah. But when you take into consideration it opened in 1959, it's pretty amazing! Plus it allows for some really great views of the park. I can see how it would be a letdown though if you've been on rides like Expedition Everest.

 

[fitzy2004]

Great trip report. I went to Disneyland for the first time last year and loved every minute of it. I've been going to Disney World since 87 so it was nice to see a change of place. One thing you have to do when going and its hard not to is to try to stop comparing them. Some things are better in one and some the other. I recently just went back to Disney World and the whole time I kept saying well in Disneyland etc etc... probably drove the people I was with nuts lol...
I really wish we had Indiana Jones instead of Dinosaur. It just is more thrilling and entertaining to me.

Glad you enjoyed your trip though. I am going back to Disneyland in July I believe for a day trip while visiting the area. For me personally Disneyland just seems more "magical" and prettier than Magic Kingdom. No idea why but just feels that way for me. I think its the park history.

Oh also. Sad you didn't enjoy Matterhorn however it seems you rode the Fantasyland side which I think everyone can agree is the less thrilling side. Always stay to the left when in line.

 

[TP2000]

Its ok, my parents and I went on the next day and used the regular entrance!

Oh, thank goodness. That's the one thing I dislike about Single Rider; it cuts out huge sections of pre-show and queue-based plot development for these expansive and expensive E Ticket attractions.

I get that it's a quick and easy way to get on the ride, but for first-timers like yourself it really doesn't help the attraction experience overall. Splash Mountain send 'em in through the exit also, where you miss the cute little signs that spell out what Splash Mountain and the critters that inhabit it are all about. It also blows the cover on the whole picture thing by doing that.

So many people worked so hard on creating and designing those queues to play up the story of these attractions, and then some junior manager in the theme park operations department dreamed up Single Rider and ruined the whole thing Imagineering was trying to creat for people.

But I'm loving your TR! It's so interesting to hear from people that have no point of reference, and absolutely no reverence for Disneyland classics like the Matterhorn. It's a good reminder to us all that not everyone grew up in SoCal and knows the history behind all this stuff. For many folks, Disneyland is just another theme park, and the Matterhorn from 1959 is kind of lame in 2010.

 

[Nicole220]

Your TR! Yay! :sohappy:

The weather for this trip was not what I expected at all. Sunday was cloudy, gray and in the 60’s. Monday was basically the same except it rained pretty much the whole morning. Tuesday was also in the 60’s but it was partly sunny that day so a little better. Isn't CA supposed to be warm and sunny?

Ah. I hear this all the time. "California has perfect weather year round!" Uh... :lol: Unfortunately, no.

Also, one thing I hate about WDWs Splash is how you get soaked when another log goes down the big drop. I only went on DLs twice, but both times, I was not affected by the other boats. Is it possible to get splashed by the other logs on DLs? If not, then the DL version wins hands down!

Yep, it happens in the DL version. I think they only turn it on in the summer. But I've definitely gotten splashed by a log going down the big drop.

Br'er Fox was not with a handler and I noticed throughout the next 3 days that that was actually very common. I actually saw more characters without handlers than with them. Sometimes, a non-face character would be with a face character so they could lead each other. It got scary at times. Once I was in Tomorrowland and Buzz was trying to leave while being escorted by Alice. They were still being so bombarded by people that they could barely move. I was just waiting for one to trip and fall.

This is veeeery common in DL, and I love it. The characters have so many adventures in Disneyland. For some reason, it works. If they did it in WDW, I'd expect pure chaos.

DLs version of this season’s parade is called Celebrate! A Street Party! It’s really cute and its actually my favorite of the current parades. They play lots of hit uptempo songs like I Love Rock and Roll and You Can’t Stop The Beat. All the characters dance along and its really entertaining. And of course they pull kids from the crowd to dance too. It was great, I loved it!

Yay! Another fan! Not a lot of people like this, but I have a blast each time I watch. My friends and I dance along and always get pulled in to dance. Love it! Glad you did too!


I'm loving this! It's always interesting to hear a 1st timers opinions on everything. Keep it coming!

 

[cdunbar]

This is veeeery common in DL, and I love it. The characters have so many adventures in Disneyland. For some reason, it works. If they did it in WDW, I'd expect pure chaos.

Nic, you think that's because WDW is so much bigger and has a much bigger capacity, or perhaps because WDW is more of a worldwide tourist destination? I'm just curious, because that's something I've always heard about DL. :wave:

And I am very much looking forward to the rest of your trip report, as I am going to Disneyland myself in July for DL55.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Hi everyone! :wave: Again, thanks for reading so far!!

So it seems I've ruffled some feathers with my Matterhorn comments..haha. I guess was just expecting more. But Dweezil and Fitzy- you guys are right, I didn't really consider the year it was build. I was just thinking that for 2010, its wasn't all that impressive. And actually, I remember thinking afterwards that one of the best parts was the nice view of the park you got. Not really what I look for in a coaster Also, the left line was significantly longer every time I went by. And I only rode on the right. So I guess that had an impact as well.

Nemofinder- thanks for filling me on the rest of Toontown. I thought I heard someone say something about the bouncing part being removed from Goofy's house. It did look strangely empty.

Bartbrine- thanks again for your nice comments!

TP2000- You are absolutely right about the queues and single rider lines. I also love when a queue is really designed to be part of the attraction (like the Tower of Terror). It just adds to the whole experience. And in some cases, like with the ToT, I think having a 15 or 20 minute wait is actually a good thing! That was one of the reasons I wasn't so crazy about Paradise Pier- no themeing in the queues at all. It just didn't feel like "Disney".

Nicole- thanks for clearing some things up for me! Getting splashed on SpM by the other logs is the worst! So I liked that it didn't happen to me in the 2 times I went on And yeah, seeing the characters with no CMs was weird!!! I thought for sure someone was going to get knocked over. And yes, I LOVED the Celebrate A Street Party Parade!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Monday April 12th

My parents would be joining me on this day. Our plan was to spend the whole day at DL. As I mentioned earlier, my mom does like big rides at all. So we were going to concentrate on the rides we could all do together.

DL opened at 9 so of course, I wanted to be there by 8:30. My mom doesn’t understand that its better to wait in line for 30 minutes before the park opens, than to get there at opening, and then waste 30 minutes of park time waiting for your first ride. So needless to say, we left a little later than I would have liked to.

We couldn’t find an address for the Mickey and Friends parking structure so my dad just put the generic Disneyland address in the GPS. When were getting off the highway (I have no idea which one) there was a big sign that said Disneyland Parking Left. So we took a left and passed DL on the right. Right past DL on the left hand side there was a lot with a big sign that said Parking Lot Closed. Great, now where do we go?

After driving around somewhat aimlessly, we found the parking structure. They were still directly people to park in the outdoor lot (Pinocchio I think?). Luckily, a tram was right there waiting. One thing we noticed over the next 2 days was that the trams were extremely efficient. We never had to wait- there was always one right there waiting.

By the time we made to the entrance it was about 8:45 and they were just letting people through the turnstiles down to Main St. The day before I was the very first person behind the rope. Today, we were about halfway down the street.

One of my favorite quotes!

A very nice CM took this one for us

Don't let the blue sky fool you- it started raining a few minutes later

A 9am we made our way towards Fantasyland. I thought it would be best to do all those rides early since none of them have fastpass. As we were walking towards the castle, I realized that this day was going to be nothing like my solo day. As I was going along at my ‘quickly get to the first ride pace,’ I turned around about halfway there and saw my parents were about 20 people back. Those slow pokes!

Our first ride of the day was…

I really couldn’t see any differences between this Peter Pan and the WDW version. While the inside is amazing and I love that you are flying up high instead of sitting in the usual car, I always find the ride to be on the short side.

Next on the agenda was Mr. Toad.

I’m used to WDW where this ride no longer exists so for me, it seemed like an odd fit in FL. I’m sure the DL veterans all love that it is still a part of their park. I liked that it was something different though.

Next was Alice in Wonderland.

The nice CM operating the ride saw me sitting there with my camera out and volunteered to take our picture.

He then talked to us for a few minutes about where we were from. I’m sure the other people waiting in line appreciated that.

Alice was really cute and I enjoyed it. I thought the inside was well done, the sets were beautiful and I liked the little outdoor part as well. My dad and I like to tease my mom because she is such a chicken so when we got to the outdoor part, I said to my dad ‘here comes the big drop!’ And both put our arms up and pretended to scream. My mom wasn’t amused.

The next 2 pictures are from my dads camera. I'm thinking he forgot to turn the flash off.

I'm having some problems with Photobucket right now so I will continue on a little bit later!

 

[Chrononymous]

What a lovely trip report so far!

I actually adore DL...more than the MK, and you are making me feel like I'm there again! Yay!

That first pic of yours, with the castle and the flowering pink trees is absolutley stunning!

Looking forward to the rest of your trip! DL's Fantasyland is one of my favorite spots!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Thank you Chrononymous for your kind words!!

After Alice was Small World. The outside of Small World is STUNNING! Its hard to believe the WDW version is so plain compared to this one. Not only is the façade gorgeous, but I loved all the animal topiaries.

The duck likes the topiaries too

And I also love how they added all the Disney characters on the interior. I thought it was good way to incorporate updates to a classic ride. Sort of the best of both worlds. At WDW, Small World is always a take it or leave it type attraction for me, but at DL, Small World ended up being my favorite part of FL.

Alice and the White Rabbit

Cinderella, Jaq and Gus Gus

Ariel and Flounder

Woody, Bullseye and Jessie

When we were leaving, we took a quick walk through that nearby gift shop. I saw the cutest shirt that had some of the classics dolls as well as some new characters in a circle around the shirt. I almost bought it, but then decided not to. I kinda wish I did!

After Small World, we went over to the Storybook Canal Boats.

It started raining while we were line and continued for about 40 minutes. It was fairly heavy at times. I was aware it was supposed to rain; hence the baseball hat!

They were only running 2 boats at the time so this was our first real wait of the day. I think we waited about 15 minutes. It was worth it though, the ride was so cute! All the miniature landscaping was nice too. That whole area with the boats, train and miniatures is such a cute part of FL. I wish WDW had it too!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We only had 2 rides left in FL- Snow White and Pinocchio (we skipped the Tea Cups per my moms request).
Snow White seemed very similar to the WDW version except I think it was missing a scene towards the end.

Pinocchio was nice, a good addition to FL but maybe not as elaborate as some of the other rides.

Overall, I really liked FL. I did miss PhilharMagic, but having the addition of those other dark rides made up for it. As of now, there is much more to do in DLs FL. Obviously that may change soon. I like that when WDW’s expansion is complete, the two Fantasylands will be totally different. I like that this section is totally different in each park!

We then left Fantasyland and cut through the castle to go over to Adventureland. I would say it was about 10:30ish at that point so we did almost all of FL in an hour and half (minus Dumbo and the Tea Cups) Not bad!
We passed this guy along the way.

What a handsome guy!

That morning, I explained Indiana Jones to my mom and told her I thought she would be able to do it. I described as a bumpy jeep ride with sudden stops and sharp turns. Or as my dad put it, an every day car ride with my brother.
My mom agreed to the ride!
When we got over to Indy, the wait was only 15 minutes so we got in line. We were still in that first outdoor section when we stopped moving and were told the ride would be shutting down briefly. Yikes- two break downs in 2 days! I don’t think that has ever happened to me before.
I wanted to get out of line and just grab a fastpass for later but my dad wanted to wait it out.
The line started moving a few minutes later and I would say total, we waited about 25 minutes. I think we went through an abbreviated version of the queue though. I had read online about the room where the Eeyore parking sign is hidden but I don’t remember ever passing through a room that looked like that.
Once we started moving, our wait was basically as long as it took to walk quickly through the queue so I didn’t stop to take any photos.
I decided to wait for the front row because the day before, I was in the back row and I felt like I missed a lot because I had so many heads in my way.
So anyways, the ride was of course, amazing as usual. My dad loved it, but my mom hated it. She had her eyes closed and her head buried in my dads shoulder the whole time. I’m pretty sure most of that was for dramatic effect though. Afterwards she told me that when I said ‘bumpy jeep ride’ she was thinking more along the lines of the Safari ride at AK. Oh well, she lived!

We then went over to the Jungle Cruise.

We had a great skipper- a young woman who was very much into her role. My only complaint is that the sound system on our boat was not so great and I had trouble hearing her a lot of the time.

You know that part at the end when the fish jump out of the water? There were some ducks swimming around near by and that part scared the crap out them! They jumped up, feathers all ruffled. It was funny (and a little sad of course).

 

[Nicole220]

Unfortunately, Indy seems to have to break down every day. Usually in the morning. I wish they would give it some TLC.

I love the picture of the horse! What a beauty!


And Christa, I have no idea why WDW doesn't adopt the no handler thing. Maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[TP2000]

The nice CM operating the ride saw me sitting there with my camera out and volunteered to take our picture.

Hey, I know that CM! Older gentleman, very talkative, and served in the Marine Corps, his name is Rich.

I got to know him during the 50th Anniversary, when the CM nametags all said the year they hired in. His said "Class of 1959", which was very impressive to me. We got to talking one summer day in '05, and he really did start at Disneyland back in 1959. We both served in the Marines, so there was also that bond of brotherhood right off the bat. He used to pick up "extra hours" working for Walt on his ranch out in Palm Springs in the early 60's, and he tells a great story of being served dinner one evening by Mrs. Disney out on the ranch. He speaks very fondly of Walt and "Walt's park", and he really is a touchstone to the past.

You are lucky to have met him, whether you knew it or not!

 

[TP2000]

Once again, this is a great TR! It's so refreshing to see Disneyland through the eyes of a newcomer.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Hey, I know that CM! Older gentleman, very talkative, and served in the Marine Corps, his name is Rich.

I got to know him during the 50th Anniversary, when the CM nametags all said the year they hired in. His said "Class of 1959", which was very impressive to me. We got to talking one summer day in '05, and he really did start at Disneyland back in 1959. We both served in the Marines, so there was also that bond of brotherhood right off the bat. He used to pick up "extra hours" working for Walt on his ranch out in Palm Springs in the early 60's, and he tells a great story of being served dinner one evening by Mrs. Disney out on the ranch. He speaks very fondly of Walt and "Walt's park", and he really is a touchstone to the past.

You are lucky to have met him, whether you knew it or not!

Wow! That's amazing! Can you imagine actually knowing Walt and his family? Sounds like he's had an amazing life so far!
He was a really sweet man. When we said we were from Massachusetts, he said he had visited there a long time ago and asked if a restaurant in Worcester was still there (it is!) My mom grew up in Worcester so they chatted for a few minutes.