Disneyland 2012

[KeithS]

I've finally got a little time up my sleeve to update you guys, so here goes:

Day 7 – Saturday, 9 June 2012
Woke up this morning in Santa Barbara – excited to be getting on the road and heading down to Anaheim. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant – Della had Eggs Benedict and I had scrambled with bacon. We then got in the car and started on down Highway 1 again. We caught up with hundreds of cyclists on the highway, undertaking a charity ride so the trip was a bit slower than anticipated – there were so many of them all heading to Hollywood. Once we got to Santa Monica, we pulled into a parking spot on the waterfront and bought lunch at the pier. We didn’t hang around long as we needed to get the car back to Hertz fairly quickly. We drove the final 10 miles or so to the Hertz LAX drop off area and said goodbye to our faithful car. The check in guy told us we completed 555 miles on our journey.

We took the rental company courtesy bus to LAX and from there we caught the Disneyland Express Bus to the resort – we love that trip, waiting to see the Disneyland signs on the freeway. The bus dropped us off outside the Carousel Inn and we checked into our room. It was now 4:30pm. We dumped the bags in our room then darted across the road (after a few failed attempts after I forgot my camera, and Della her sunglasses) but before long we were at the ticket queue buying our Premier Passports and picking up our wrist bands for Cars Land preview.

We then headed over to see our brick, before entering the new gates of DCA and then after showing our wrist bands, we went straight into Buena Vista Street!

OMG! Words cannot explain how brilliant it now looks! The Red Car Trolley was parked at the stop and looked amazing. The new shops and facades were period perfect. We strolled down the street soaking it all in, before then returning up the street through the Elias and Company Department Store. This store is the equivalent of the Emporium in Disneyland but is nicer set out and still has a new carpet and paint smell – beautiful! And there was plenty of awesome merchandise too – more about that later.

The other side of the street featured Clarabelle’s Ice Cream and the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Pig Café – both are also beautifully themed, but we didn’t have time to see and eat – we were heading the Cars Land!

So we walked down past Bugs Land and then past the new Ghirardelli’s Soda Fountain before entering Cars Land via the Pacific Wharf Entrance. To enter, you cross under an archway into the Radiator Springs Racers area – with the massive Cadillac Range mountains in the distance. We were only feet into the land and we were already amazed! We started to photograph everything we could as we slowly made our way through Radiator Springs. When we got to the end of its Main Street, we found the line for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree was only 5 minutes so we jumped right on. And what a laugh that is – for a simple ride, it is good fun.

After that, we headed to the Cozy Cone Motel and bought some churro pieces and chocolate dipping sauce. We also got a souvenir cone drinking sipper which is great. We then went over to Radiator Springs racers and got in line. It said a 75 minute wait, but we had to ride it. The line moved pretty quickly however and even though the ride broke down for fifteen minutes, it still only took us an hour. As for the ride itself – it was amazing! It was nearly dark when we rode it, so the colours looked amazing. It has a cool dark ride portion that I won’t spoil and there are multiple routes that you can take inside the show building – so you don’t always see the same thing twice.

After RSRs, we did a little shopping and discovered that a number of the men’s items were already sold out in Medium size – nooooo! Hopefully they would still be available in Elias and Company. We then got in line for Luigi’s that had just reopened after being closed for a couple of hours. We also found the ride quite fun despite the early rumours about it. When we got off, we headed over the Flo’s V8 café to get dinner (it was now about 9:45!) and then get ready for the private 11pm session of World of Color. After dinner around 10:25, we asked a cast member to confirm 11pm was the WOC time and they said yes, but we started to head over there around 10:30 – and found that it had already begun! They had changed the start time to 10:15 without informing all the cast members or the guests. This was disappointing as we had paid a premium for the tickets which included the WOC viewing. We then headed back up to Buena Vista Street and found Goofy, Chip and Dale all in their 1920’s gear – they looked great.

We headed back into Elias and Company and found all the men’s clothes that I was after in my size – so we decided to buy it all then as we were worried that it might disappear before too long! We left the park about 11:30pm after a long day. Apart from the World of Color issue , it was a terrific day and DCA really is a wonderful Disney park now.

[KeithS]

Picture of the Day for Saturday

[KeithS]

Day 8 – Sunday, 10 June 2012
It was our plan today to hit both parks, so after breakfast in the Carousel, we headed across the road and went straight into Disneyland. I had to pick up Fantasmic tickets for this evening, so I sat Della down while I went into Guest Services. Della got a bit overwhelmed by it all in Town Square, with all the characters hanging around Main Street and I had to get her on the train for our traditional full-circle tour and get everything relaxed again! After the circuit, we walked up Main Street to see if we could get into Star Tours, but the line was too long and we were on a time budget due to commitments back at DCA at lunchtime. So we headed to the hub and got our Premier Passport photos taken.

We then headed on down Main Street for a look at each of the shops, just to get an idea of what merchandise was available. We then grabbed a coffee in the new Jolly Holiday Bakery which was really nice. We then made our move back to the Esplanade to pick up our wrist bands for today’s DCA preview. We then went inside again and straight up Buena Vista Street. We grabbed lunch at the Three Little Pigs Café – chicken noodle soup which was very nice. We then got our photo with Mickey and Pluto outside of Elias and Company, before heading to Cars Land.

Once in Cars Land, we took more photos and headed to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. After Mater, we got in line for Radiator Springs Racers and this time went on the other dark-ride path so we saw the alternate version. We didn’t go on Luigi’s Flying Tires today as the line was long and slow. We looked again at the shops there before heading back to Buena Vista Street. In BVS, we got a frozen lemonade and ate it before hitting Elias and Company for more merchandise. We then left BVS and headed to the Off the Page shop before going on the Little Mermaid ride for the first time, which we really enjoyed.

We then walked around the entire Paradise Pier, checking out all the new detail before taking the trail up past Grizzly River Rapids and out the front gate. We went back to the Hotel to get changed for the evening. An hour later, we were back in Disneyland and having dinner at the Plaza Inn – I had the fried chicken, and Della had pasta. We then walked around Big Thunder Pass to where the Fantasmic reservations are checked in. I had to wait in line for 45 minutes, but got very good seats. We still had 40 minutes before Fantasmic started, so we got on to Haunted Mansion as it was a walk on. Then we took our seats for Fantasmic and the fireworks which were both brilliant. We then made our way out of the park and back to the hotel.

[KeithS]

Picture of the Day - Sunday

[KeithS]

Day 9 – Monday, 11 June 2012
Today was our Disneyland day and we headed straight to the park after breakfast with the idea of going to the Princess Merida photo spot first up. As soon as we were through the turnstiles, we noted that the park was way busier than what it had been on the weekend! Groups of graduating school kids everywhere boosted the numbers.

We headed up to Small World where Merida had her photo op area besides where the parade route begins. It was very nicely set up with animatronic bears and archery sets. The line was quite long and it took us about 45 minutes to get to the front. It was hot and sunny today so we were grateful of the shaded queue. We got to the front of the line and I chatted to Merida who had a very good Scottish accent. Della and I got photos with her then we went to try our hand at archery – I hit the target, woohoo!

After seeing Merida, we went to Star Tours to get a fast pass for the afternoon. By now, Tomorrowland was packed. We cross the hub and watched the Disneyland Band, along with the Fab Five and Alice in front of the Castle. We then went and grabbed a Dole Whip beside the Tiki Room and saw Maynard but didn’t get to speak with him.

After eating Dole Whip we headed over to the Jungle Cruise and had an awesome skipper named Arvin who cracked a whole new spiel of funny jokes – he was great. We then headed down into New Orleans Square and looked at all the shops and bought heaps of pins. It was then time for lunch at the Hungry Bear where we both had burgers – Della had fries and I had coleslaw with mine.

After lunch, we grabbed another Fast Pass – this time for Indiana Jones and then headed to Tomorrowland via Fantasyland and all the shops. We got onto Star Tours and really enjoyed the new attraction. After Star Tours, we went to Downtown Disney and checked out all the shops as well as the Disneyland Hotel to see all the changes over there. We hit Build-a-Bear on the way back, followed by World of Disney – more purchases made!

We were going to take the loot back to the hotel, but it was almost parade time, so we headed back to Disneyland and watched the parade. Afterwards, we headed out again to drop everything off in our room and get some warm clothes for tonight’s fireworks. We returned to the park and we noticed more international media arriving for the Cars Land opening. As we walked through the gates, a cast member gave us two fast passes for Indiana Jones – which was funny because we were heading there to ride it anyhow.

We did our trip on Indy but didn’t have enough time to do it twice and have dinner, so we found another couple to hand those fast passes too – so they were very happy too. We had dinner at the Plaza Inn again, with Della having her favourite Cobb Salad. We then found a place near the Castle to watch the fireworks from and the person we sat next to was from Sydney and her parents lived in Peakhurst which is where Della lives.

After the fireworks, we waited for the crowds to disperse before heading back to the hotel room for the night. Tomorrow, we have our Adventures by Disney tour to LA and the Disney Studios.

[KeithS]

Picture of the Day - Monday

[KeithS]

Day 10 – Tuesday, 12 June 2012
It was an early start for us today with us joining an Adventures by Disney tour of Hollywood and the Walt Disney Studios. We got up at 5:45am and had an early breakfast before crossing the Esplanade and joining the tour at the Grand Californian Hotel. In the lobby, we were met by Robyn our guide who was later joined by Dean, another ABD guide. There were about 20 people on the tour, so it was a nice sized group.

We got on to a coach and headed into Hollywood for our first stop which was the Dolby Center where we went upstairs to photograph the Hollywood sign and was given a lot of detail about the history of the sign. We then walked down to street level where we learned a bit about the staircase that leads to the hall that holds the Oscars. We had some free time then, so Della and I walked up to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to look at the footprints before walking down to the Disney Soda Fountain. We bought some gifts before meeting the guides again at the Dolby Theatre. Then we were in for a surprise, because they were going to let us into the Dolby Theatre! We had a full tour of the place, even entering the VIP bar before going into the theatre itself. It was awesome to see and a pretty rare occurrence to be allowed in, but we were not allowed to take photos unfortunately.

After the Dolby Theatre, we went as a group to Grauman’s and the Soda Fountain again before heading to the bus. Once on the bus, we headed for a drive around Hollywood and Beverley Hills where we had lunch at the Farmer’s Market and the Grove. ABD gave us lunch vouchers - $15 each. We saw the filming of a TV show there, grabbed a roast beef sandwich, and got a awesome milk shake each. We then got back on the bus for the drive to the Walt Disney Studios.

On arrival at the studios, we were given security passes before walking through the studio, going first to Pluto’s Corner and getting the obligatory photo in front of the famous street sign. We then walked down the road to the entrance to the Animation building when the door to the private theatre behind us opened and a guy invited us all in! This is the theatre where they preview all the Disney movies to executives and other senior staff prior to the movie being completed. It was a big privilege to be allowed into that theatre and to look at the memorabilia in there.

After the theatre room, we went into the Animation building and walked down the hall taking photos of the great artwork. We then went into the basement and the former Disney Morgue tunnels, which was where Alias was once filmed. This tunnel lead us into the Ink and Paint building where we could still see paints designed for movies such as The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.

We then walked down to the sound stages and were let into Sound Stage 2, which was currently being used to film Body of Evidence. We entered the sets of the police station and city morgue, and met with the Stage Manager, Debbie Nelson who was an amazing person to talk to and so knowledgeable on TV production. We could have sat and talked to her all day!

We then went from the sound stages up to the Frank Wells building which houses the Disney Archives, however we didn’t go into the archives because they were busy working on moving memorabilia to a new temporary exhibit at the Reagan museum, but we got to look at the Multiplane Camera.

From there, we headed up to the Legends Plaza for photographs and a reception of drinks and nibbles courtesy of Disney. We took lots of photos and sat down with Dean the guide, who it turns out, is friends with Wayne and has known him for years!

After the reception, we headed to the studio shop to buy some last minute items, before getting back on the bus for the return trip to Anaheim. When we arrived, we were given an exclusive pin for attending the trip. We thought the whole day was fantastic and think it is well worth the effort. The guides were terrific, and the tour of the studio was great.

[KeithS]

Picture of the Day - Tuesday

[KeithS]

That's it for now - about to head back to DCA for the day - hahaha!

Probably won't do anymore big posts until I return due to having not enough time and as we are having way too much fun

Will give you a big photo and journal update when I return next Tuesday.

Wish you were here (although the fewer crowd the better as it is busy - hehehe!)

-/ -/ -/

[KeithS]

Day 11 – Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Yay! A sleep-in today as we were going to spend the whole day in DCA but it didn’t open until 10am, so we had a little extra time on our hands. We headed into the park after breakfast after going through the temporary entrance behind Soarin’, we headed over to the Carthay Circle Theatre where we found they had already removed the Buena Vista Street construction walls, however a rope was up and you couldn’t go down there.

We continued on and got a fast pass for Tower of Terror before walking through a Bugs Land to the main thoroughfare through DCA. When we exited Bugs Land, we saw the huge red carpet for tonight’s official opening of Cars Land for celebrities and the media. It stretched from Carthay Circle, down to the entrance to Cars Land – that’s a lot of red carpet.

We headed down to California Screamin’ and got in line. We were given the front car of the coaster, but the ride went down just as we were about to board – nnnoooooooo!!!!! It was now nearly 11am, so we went to the Duffy photo location where we were second in line behind a Japanese TV crew – it was really funny watching the female TV reporter meet with Duffy! We got our photos with him, then headed off back past Sreamin’ (still down) and Toy Story Mania (which was also down!). We went to look at the boardwalk games as Della wanted me to win a giant Bullseye for her (that’s a typical task I’m given!) – but there were not enough players at that time to qualify for the major Bullseye prize, so we passed on and went up to The Little Mermaid – and yay, it was working and was a walk on!

After The Little Mermaid, we headed up to Soarin’ for a Fastpass and then went to use our Tower of Terror fast passes. We were pulled out of line as they needed a two to fill and elevator, so we had virtually no wait. After that, we had lunch at the Award Wieners café. We then headed back past the Carthay Circle which was now roped off for the Red Carpet, before heading to the Redwood Creek Challenge area where we met Dug from up (who was awesome!). We then went up the fire spotters tower, and Della somehow managed to fall over on the rope bridge and ended up sprawled on her back laughing while other guests tried to step over her – it was very funny.

When then we down to the Silly Symphony Swings for a ride and that was fun – and it was the only ride at DCA I had never been on, so now it has been ticked off. We then went back to the boardwalk games and Della tried to win Bullseye but missed out. I purchased two games, and Della and I both tried and lost again. I had one more chance – and guess what? I won! Della was jumping up and down and one of the spectators said “wow, she’s happy!”

After winning the giant Bullseye, we headed up to Soarin’ to use our fast passes and once again, we went straight on after the cast member was calling out for two people. After Soarin’ we purchased a frozen strawberry lemonade and ate it outside of Taste Pilots Grill while crowd watching. We then headed over to Crush, where once again he spoke directly to Della! After Crush, we sat and watched the new Animation Room sequence, which had changed quite a bit since the last time we were there. We then headed down to the Winery Area to pick up our picnic packages and fast pass for World of Color. We ate our dinner in the winery and watched all the preparations for the opening of Cars Land.

We then headed back to the hotel to drop off all our loot and get changed into warmer clothes for the night. We headed back to the park and got in line for World of Color. We got seats against a railing and had to wait an hour for the show, but it was all worth it as the show is brilliant and we both enjoyed it, even though we got wet! After World of Color, we watched the Disneyland fireworks before walking back to the hotel. All in all, it was a great day and we had lots of fun.

[KeithS]

Picture of the Day - Cars Land Red Carpet

[churros]

-/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/

Glad Merida had a sottish accent and not surprised the guide new Wayne

[mushu mama]

Great updates Keith... -/

and I too am delighted that Merida has a decent Scottish accent... that would have ruined it for me if I heard an American twang...

Very exciting times for the opening of the new land... Lucky ducks.

[Mel]

-/ -/ -/ -/ -/ -/

One thing this report is missing though - a stop at Ghirardelli!!!

[KeithS]

One thing this report is missing though - a stop at Ghirardelli!!!

That's because it has a massive queue all day long!

Today is opening day at Cars Land. Local news media are showing it live on morning tv and the crowds there are already big, so we are about to head over there now. It is a 9am opening.