Trip report 18th june 2014 - 22nd june 2014

[Kirsty_UK]

Day 1
well i got my 10:21am flight from Denver to LAX and arrived early which was great. Found the Supershuttle stop and they took me to Abby's Anaheimer Inn. after arguing with the dude behind the desk for half an hour (who was insistent I had no reservation) and a frantic call to Expedia I was able to check into my room. Dumped my stuff and off I went, so excited and nervous for what was coming.

I walked across the Simba car park and through Downtown Disney which looked amazing. I got to the park in around 15 mins and after having my bag checked and collecting my tickets I veered right into California Adventure. I headed for the Chamber or commerce to get my 1st visit button but they were out so a very nice cast member walked with me to the next shop and I got one there. next thing I did was go to the camera shop and buy Photopass plus which turned out to be a very good buy.
I started to walk up Buena Vista street when I noticed Goofy was meeting and greeting so I got in line. whilst waiting for my turn Pluto joined him and I was lucky to get my photo taken with both. it really felt like a dream and i kept pinching myself because I couldnt believe where I was!

I made it to Cars land and headed straight for Radiator Springs. the single rider line was very short and i think i waited maybe 10 mins. i loved my first ride and thought it was so fun. my car won which was great!
i then headed for Paradise Pier and I saw Donald Duck was meeting so i jumped in line with him. Donald didnt seem to be in a very good mood that day but he let me get a picture with him. I also then met Duffy as noone seemed to want to meet him. Do people in America not like him? i thought he was great and enjoyed interacting with him. i then rode California Screamin but i couldnt find my photo to put on my photopass card.
At 4pm i went to my reservation at Ariel's Grotto. i had my photo taken with Ariel and was then shown to my table. i had a very nice server and i hate myself for not remembering his name! i had butternut squash soup, the tri tip of beef and the trio of desserts. it was all lovely but i was so full by the time dessert came round I couldnt finish it! The princesses who came round were Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora and Belle. None of them seemed big on interaction, not just with me but with the kids too which was a shame. it was a case of "hi! lets get a picture together, bye!"Belle and i had a quick word about books but that was it. luckily for me there was a lady on the next table who wad kind enough to take my photos for me. after the meal I wNdred around Patadisr pier, taking it all in until about half 9 when I wrnt back to my room to get a good night sleep ready for the next day in the original Disneyland Park for EMH!

 

[gboiler1]

I also then met Duffy as noone seemed to want to meet him. Do people in America not like him?

I'm not sure of his popularity here. In my opinion he's and invented character. All of a sudden he just seemed to show up without a story. I've heard he's Mickey's bear? I may be off on that one but I've heard he's much more popular with people from other countries. I just don't get him personally.

Looking forward to more of your report though!

 

[mgpan]

Day 1
well i got my 10:21am flight from Denver to LAX and arrived early which was great. Found the Supershuttle stop and they took me to Abby's Anaheimer Inn. after arguing with the dude behind the desk for half an hour (who was insistent I had no reservation) and a frantic call to Expedia I was able to check into my room. Dumped my stuff and off I went, so excited and nervous for what was coming.

I walked across the Simba car park and through Downtown Disney which looked amazing. I got to the park in around 15 mins and after having my bag checked and collecting my tickets I veered right into California Adventure. I headed for the Chamber or commerce to get my 1st visit button but they were out so a very nice cast member walked with me to the next shop and I got one there. next thing I did was go to the camera shop and buy Photopass plus which turned out to be a very good buy.
I started to walk up Buena Vista street when I noticed Goofy was meeting and greeting so I got in line. whilst waiting for my turn Pluto joined him and I was lucky to get my photo taken with both. it really felt like a dream and i kept pinching myself because I couldnt believe where I was!

I made it to Cars land and headed straight for Radiator Springs. the single rider line was very short and i think i waited maybe 10 mins. i loved my first ride and thought it was so fun. my car won which was great!
i then headed for Paradise Pier and I saw Donald Duck was meeting so i jumped in line with him. Donald didnt seem to be in a very good mood that day but he let me get a picture with him. I also then met Duffy as noone seemed to want to meet him. Do people in America not like him? i thought he was great and enjoyed interacting with him. i then rode California Screamin but i couldnt find my photo to put on my photopass card.
At 4pm i went to my reservation at Ariel's Grotto. i had my photo taken with Ariel and was then shown to my table. i had a very nice server and i hate myself for not remembering his name! i had butternut squash soup, the tri tip of beef and the trio of desserts. it was all lovely but i was so full by the time dessert came round I couldnt finish it! The princesses who came round were Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora and Belle. None of them seemed big on interaction, not just with me but with the kids too which was a shame. it was a case of "hi! lets get a picture together, bye!"Belle and i had a quick word about books but that was it. luckily for me there was a lady on the next table who wad kind enough to take my photos for me. after the meal I wNdred around Patadisr pier, taking it all in until about half 9 when I wrnt back to my room to get a good night sleep ready for the next day in the original Disneyland Park for EMH!

Ready for the next chapter, keep it up!!

 

[Kirsty_UK]

Day 2
well i woke up at 4:30am and tried for an hour to go back to sleep. i gave up on that though by 5:30 and got up, showered and sorted my bag out ready for the day. i was doing a Smee disneybound that day but i had to leave my red hat behind as it was way too hot for that. i had EMH that morning si I arrived at the bag check by 6:30 and was at the gates to Disneyland by 7am. i had already made up my mind I was meeting Anna and Elsa so as soon as the gates opened i bolted down Main Street.
i ended up being 3rd/4th in the line and waited about 15 mins. Anna and Elsa were great and were honoured to have a guest all the way from England to see them.

i then got on a few rides like Mr Toad's adventure and Snow White. they dont have Mr Toad in Paris so it was great to ride this and I loved it. I also thought there were more scenes in the Snow White ride compared to Paris. I wandered around Fantasy land and i went on Its a small world. now i cant put my finger on it but I hate the Paris version. so I went on this and found myself enjoying it a lot. i think the ride is structured slightly different and it seemed a lot brighter. when i went on the Paris version last year Ariel had no bra on and it was nice to see her with one on in this ride!

i then got in single rider line for the Matterhorn which is another ride Paris doesnt have. i waited about 20 mins for that. I enjoyed it at first but found it a little rough and bumpy which I didnt enjoy. I knd of hung around the hub a little bit and had my photos taken by the photographer in front of the castle. she even did some very cool Magic shots.

At 9:00 I made my way over to the Plaza Inn where I had a character breakfast booked. i dont understand why they take a solo picture of you on your own an put it in a frame next to a photo of Minnie. surely a photo with Minnie like they do at Ariel's Grotto would be better? anyway I was shown to a table on the verandah and i then went to get my breakfast. i had a mixture of fruit, sausages, mickey shaped waffles, muffins and pain au chocolats. i loaded up my tray and went back to my table ready to meet characters.

I did not have to wait long. I first met Dale who gave me a lovely hug and wandred off to get a photographer to take our picture. I also met Minnie and the Fairy Godmother, Chip and Eeyore and Captain Hook both arrived at my table at the same time and Eeyore was pushing Captain Hook in the face, trying to make him go away. Tigger and Winnie the Pooh were also out but never seemed to make it to my side of the restaurant. i wasnt too worried though as I knew I could meet them in Critter Country later.
feeling full i went over to Pixie Hollow and I met Iridessa. i told her she needed to have some extra pixie dust so she could come to England and bring the sun out a bit morewhich she promised she would. i also talked flowers with Tinkerbell. i then decided to go and explore Aventureland.

Pirates was only a 5 minute wait so I jumped on. I like the additions from the film and i really want to love this ride but I just cant. i feel like they should have a big drop at the end after climbing so high. its a ride i always feel is a little anticlimactic. I then walked past Haunted Mansion but I wasnt feeling up to going on this yet. i walked all the way along and got on Splash Mountain. I LOVE this ride, its so fun and even though i have never seen the film it was easy to follow the story. i was sat at the back so I didnt get too wet either!
i got my ride photo put on my card and then went to meet Tigger and Pooh as well as Eeyore. Tigger and I had a bouncing competition which he won of course. and Pooh was craving hunny! i then decided to ride the winnie the pooh ride and I thought it was very cute.

I walked back along to New Orleans and who do I see but Tiana! So i got in line for her and she was lovely. I couldnt believe the long line that had formed for Pirates when only half an hour ago it had been a walk on. Some nice person gave me their fast pass for Big Thunder so I then put that to good use. i think this ride is very fast and i likedthe alterations they had made to it but i do think i prefer the Paris version.

I wandered around a bit then, just enjoying the Disney atmosphere. i went over to the Royal hall and I met Aurora, Cinderella and Jasmine and I also met Merida just outside. she is the most interesting and fun of all the characters to interact with and she was fantastic.

I walked up and down Main Street looking in all the shops and salivating over some of the baked goods.
i wanted to do Single rider for Indiana Jones but the guy at the ride said he wasnt opening the single ridrr line yet. i rode Splash mountain twice more and then had a spin at the Buzz ride in Tomorrowland. i wasnt very good! I had a fastpass for BTM so went on that again. i am surprised how they dont do ride photos for Pirates and BTM like they do in Paris.

I wanted to watch the Soundsational parade at 4pm so i got myself a good space on Main Street and sat down. i enjoyed the Frozen float, its very similar to the Paris o e but at least the princesses in Anaheim get a full float to themselves. In paris they have half a float that they share with Rapunzel and Flynn on a swing.
The parade was great to watch and i particularly loved the little mermaid float. just before the parade i had bought a poisoned apple slush from Maurice's cart by the royal theatre and it was delicious.

After the parade i rode the Haunted Mansion and i waited maybe 30 minutes. it was very good and i like the look of the building in comparison to Phantom Manor. it was also great having the entire ride in English which meant I could understand what was going on. I then went back to the royal hall nd met Rapunzel and Flynn outside. unfortunately this was my least favourite character interaction as they spent more time talking to the photographer than to me. I was a little upset by that but I didnt want it to spoil my day.
i went on Matterhorn again but this time from the Tomorrowland side and it was still rough but a bit more fun. I then snacked on a brownie and got more photos on my card from the photographers in front of the castle and the Mickey and Walt statue. I cant quite remember what I did for a few hours but i do know i watched the fireworks display and Fantasmic which were truly magical.i may have even cried a little bit seeing Tink flying around the castle. I had wanted to stay in the park until midnight but i was so tired that at half 10 i called it a night and went back to my hotel.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

I love reading your report. You sound like you had a great time.

 

[gboiler1]

Love hearing about the little differences from park to park. Ariel is braless in Paris??

 

[JillC LI]

Very interesting reading your report after having just been there myself. It sounds like you did a ton of stuff and had a marvelous time, as did I, but we did very few of the same things! LOL. You obviously very much enjoy the character interactions whereas our family wants to hit as many rides as possible. The only character photo I got was my DD and I with Minnie because she had just come outside and there was no line. It's great that Disney has something for everyone.

 

[Kirsty_UK]

Very interesting reading your report after having just been there myself. It sounds like you did a ton of stuff and had a marvelous time, as did I, but we did very few of the same things! LOL. You obviously very much enjoy the character interactions whereas our family wants to hit as many rides as possible. The only character photo I got was my DD and I with Minnie because she had just come outside and there was no line. It's great that Disney has something for everyone.

i do enjoy the rides but when i travel alone i do get more out of character interactions. when i go to WDW next november i will be with friends and the plan is to tackle all the rides. i did get all the rides done in Disneyland though!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm not sure of his popularity here. In my opinion he's and invented character. All of a sudden he just seemed to show up without a story. I've heard he's Mickey's bear? I may be off on that one but I've heard he's much more popular with people from other countries. I just don't get him personally.

Looking forward to more of your report though!

Bingo. It's the Snuggle Bear suddenly a phoney Disney character and being shoehorned into the parks and sold on all the merchandise. It's an obvious ploy to sell teddy bears. It's MICKEY'S bear! That'll be 30 bucks! He's like the Poochie/Roy or Cousin Oliver of Disney. He needs to go home. His planet needs him.

 

[Kirsty_UK]

Day 3
I woke up early again and had my 2nd disneybound of the trip. today i was doing ariel. i got to California Adventure for 8am and walked along Buena Vista street. crowds were gathering outside Carthay Circle ready to hit Cars Land so I made a left and went down Hollywood Boulevard. I got in a very short line for Tower of Terror and had the best time. i even did a pose for my photo pass. i got a fast pass and headed over to Paradise Pier. i rode Ariel's under the sea ride a few times which was so much fun. I got s fast pass for World of Color which put me in the Blue section. I then headed over to Soarin' and got in single rider line. i waited for ages for this ride. i had a couple behind me and we eventually got to the final wait line just before boarding. Now comes my only moan of the trip: when we got in the room to get our seats i thought the attendant was telling me the line i was supposed to be on was full. so I went onto the next line but another attendant was telling me to go back. lo and behold there had been two extra seats and the couple who had been behind me had taken them. I explained to the cast member I had been before those 2 and they had to leave their seats. the guy started ripping into me about how I was making him and his gf wait longer for the next ride. Excuse me but dont get in the single rider line if you expect to be seated together! its called a single rider line for a reason. he should have gone into the standby line like everyone else. that really shook me up though and I didnt really enjoy Soarin' as much because of it.
After Soarin i saw Minnie in her aeroplane outfit just coming out so i started a line for her. a little girl who maybe 3 ran to minnie and walked with her to her meet spot. Minnie then tried signal the girl to go and wait with her mother behind me but I thought the girl was so cute I let her and her mum go ahead of me. Minnie thanked me as did her mum an the cast members and Minnie did spend a lot of time with me when it was my turn.
I then walked bck round to Paradise Pier and rode California Screamin'. I went to get my photo put on my card but the machine was broken. so i rode the wheel in a swinging carriage which was scary but fun and then met Woody. we had a little dance which the cast member with Woody said he hadnt done for a while and had a photo. i then headed back to Tower of Terror to use my fast pass and then got more photos on my card. i met the incredibles and Sully from Monsters University. he grabbed me in a monter hold thay looks good on the photos.
i rode Radiator Springs from the single rider line after 45 mins waiting and then went to the Trattoria for lunch. i had Spaghetti bolognase and it was very nice. i didnt have dessert as i was desperate to get my hands on a mickey sink bucket. i got a mint sundae from Clarabelles and it was amazing! the nicest ice cream sundae i have ever had!
i decided it was time to go to Disneyland so off i went. I didnt get my hand stamped as i left DCA and the cast member at the gates gave me a lot of grief because I didnt. its not my fault i went out an exit gate with no cast member stamping. i wasnt the only person so i felt a little picked on by this cast member. add that to the incident at Soarin' earlier and it was kind of dampening my day.

I walked up Main Street and I decided to do Pixie Hollow again. i met Rosetta and Tinkerbell who was my favourite Tink of the trip. she was lovely to me. i then ran into Peter Pan and had a photo. i wandered around again an rode BTM and Splash Mountain.
I went to the Princess hall and met Mulan and Cinderella and Ariel. Ariel recognised my disneybound straight away and I was so excited to meet her as she is my favourite princess. I met Merida again too outside. i went on Peter Pans flight and then went on Storybookland which I had never done in Paris. we had the best captain too he was so funny. i went to Tomorrowland and met Captain America and Thor which was pretty cool but i didnt think much to the rest of the building.

Again my memory is failing me but i went back to DCA and rode Tower of Terror and then California Screamin' and was able to get my photos put on this time. i went on the Ariel ride again and then went tovmy section for World of Color. this beats Dreams in Paris for me hands down. it was amazing!! I even got a bit wet!
after World of Color I walked back to Disneyland and because my feet were killing me i rode the train from Main street to New Orleans. By that time it was 10:30 and in the final hour and a half I got Pirates, Splash, Haunted Mansion, BTM and Indiana Jones done! Indiana Jones was my first time and i got to ride in the drivers seat! it was so cool and so different to the Indiana Jones ride they have in Paris! i think I prefer the Cali version. i walked out the park at 12:05 absolutely shattered and desperate for bed!

 

[Kirsty_UK]

Love hearing about the little differences from park to park. Ariel is braless in Paris??

yeh Ariel was bra less in Paris! must be a European thing haha

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

yeh Ariel was bra less in Paris! must be a European thing haha

Technically I don't think it's supposed to be "Ariel" at DLP. DL's small world was redone to add Disney character dolls - we had a red haired mermaid with no bra there before, then she "became" Ariel when they added characters to the rest of the ride. Only DL and HKDL have had the character dolls added so far, so I'm pretty sure that the mermaid in DLP's version isn't supposed to be Ariel.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I'm not sure of his popularity here. In my opinion he's and invented character. All of a sudden he just seemed to show up without a story. I've heard he's Mickey's bear? I may be off on that one but I've heard he's much more popular with people from other countries. I just don't get him personally.

Looking forward to more of your report though!

Aren't all characters invented characters? He does have a story if you see him in Epcot. Minnie made the bear for Mickey when Mickey was going on a trip around the world. There are books depicting this story while you're waiting to meet him at Epcot. I like him and I think he fits in well with the other Disney characters. Disney creates new characters every time they make a movie, so why not a teddy bear for Mickey?

 

[CheshireCat12]

Bingo. It's the Snuggle Bear suddenly a phoney Disney character and being shoehorned into the parks and sold on all the merchandise. It's an obvious ploy to sell teddy bears. It's MICKEY'S bear! That'll be 30 bucks! He's like the Poochie/Roy or Cousin Oliver of Disney. He needs to go home. His planet needs him.

I don't know why, but we love Duffy! He's very cute. Not sure about the story but we like teddies.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Aren't all characters invented characters? He does have a story if you see him in Epcot. Minnie made the bear for Mickey when Mickey was going on a trip around the world. There are books depicting this story while you're waiting to meet him at Epcot. I like him and I think he fits in well with the other Disney characters. Disney creates new characters every time they make a movie, so why not a teddy bear for Mickey?

I think what OP meant is that the character was invented solely for merchandise sales, rather than invented for a film, cartoon or attraction. Duffy only exists to sell bears, which leaves a bad taste in many Americans' mouths. He has no personality, no voice and the "story" concocted to sell him is threadbare at best. It's lazy and patronizing, and that's why Duffy isn't popular here.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I think what OP meant is that the character was invented solely for merchandise sales, rather than invented for a film, cartoon or attraction. Duffy only exists to sell bears, which leaves a bad taste in many Americans' mouths. He has no personality, no voice and the "story" concocted to sell him is threadbare at best. It's lazy and patronizing, and that's why Duffy isn't popular here.

Gotcha. Yes, that makes sense. I don't see why they haven't incorporated him into kids shows on the Disney Channel. They probably could make a good show with him, kinda following the story of how he travels around the world with Mickey. I'm sure kids would like that! Heck, I might even watch it too!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Great report so far! Indy, It's A Small World and the Little Mermaid were all closed when I was there in April Along with the Nemo Subs and Alice in Wonderland plus Pirates closed 2 days into our trip. So we have a good reason to go back since we missed all those!

 

[MrDee]

Concerning Duffy, if I remember correctly, there is a television channel in your room (when staying on property in Florida, at least) that shows a story time with Duffy at night. It's really short, and they replay it quite a bit. Other than his presence at Epcot, that's the only other thing I've ever really seen of the character.

 

[Figments Friend]

I'm not sure of his popularity here. In my opinion he's and invented character. All of a sudden he just seemed to show up without a story. I've heard he's Mickey's bear? I may be off on that one but I've heard he's much more popular with people from other countries. I just don't get him personally.

Looking forward to more of your report though!

I have always seen Duffy as Disney's answer to Build-a-Bear Workshop.
I remember the first time i saw the huge merch spread at EPCOT some years ago when he was introduced...all the different sized bears of him, and all the little clothing outfits on little toy hangers.
It just screamed 'Build-a-Bear Workshop knockoff' to me. They even used the same colors associated with BABW ( blue, yellow, red ) at the time for the display areas.

Duffy tends to be much more popular overseas in the Asian Parks then the US ones.
The popularity of Duffy merch was so successful that restrictions had to be put in place as to how many items a Guest could purchase.
It became a mania-like pop culture phenomenon over there.
Disney 'imported' Duffy into the States a few years later hoping to cash in but Duffy never really took off in collectibility like it did overseas.

Duffy's 'story' is this :
He is basically a teddy bear that Minnie Mouse made for Mickey to keep him company when he went away on a long ocean voyage.
Why Mickey would not take Minnie with him...who knows...but the bear was a little companion made to keep him company during the journey to many lands.

 

[gboiler1]

Yes you are all correct on my Duffy analysis. I don't mind him and some people love the character. The reason I don't is because as Music stated, it seems he is strictly a merchandising ploy than a character in a major production. We love the characters for what they mean to us in our experiences and Duffy doesn't feel that way to me.