BetsyAnn
07-07-2003, 05:37 PM
Disneyland - The Solo trip June 30 - July 2, 2003
So really this trip started the day before and went on for days after but that was in Las Vegas and that is a whole different trip report!
Day 1 Monday, June 30
Up at 5:05 am - no alarm need -of course, I am going to Disneyland! Just in case you don' t know Disneyland is my favorite park - hands down- no debate or discussion! It started years ago when Mickey met a very young BetsyAnn at the gate just like this two year old said he would and as they say the rest is history!
Now back to this trip!
Flight was for 8:30 am so was dropped off at the Vegas airport at 6:05 am. I am flying Southwest for the grand total of $70 round trip. It has been years since I flew SW so I was a little unsure of what to expect. The check in lines were a mob scene. But they have this handy dandy computer check in for passengers without checked baggage! Very fast, very easy and off I went to security. Now I have done security tons of times I don't mind the wait or the procedure and always have a big smile on my face. I take special care not to wear any metal; but I still managed to ring the alarm (women you know what set it off) and off to the secondary check; very nice security guard; quickly in and out.
Flight was packed and uneventful! Straight out to Super shuttle then on to the Motel. It took about an hour to get to my hotel; cost - $14.75 one-way. Fun Driver loved that I was going to Disney without children! Meet a nice family on the shuttle; her children had never been and it had been about 16 years since the Mom had gone. So of course, I gave her all my tips, must sees and secrets. She gave me a Mickey luggage tag; I gave her a Mickey pin (always have a few spares to give out)
This trip I stayed at the Park Vue Inn; we had stayed there before as a family several times. It is just about as directly across the street from the cross walk as you can get. The only hotel closer was Best Western; where BarbD stayed; we compared notes; the big difference was a hot tub or whirlpool at Best Western. The room at a microwave, refrigerator, two queen beds, TV; nice bathroom area; separated with the sink and mirror outside, a huge closet. The hotel is older so there is some general wear and tear but it was clean, the staff was wonderful, helpful, and I was only sleeping there! Tip If you stay at any of the hotels on Harbor Blvd I suggest a room near the back of the hotel; the street noise can be a little loud. Room was not ready when I arrive; I stored my luggage and off I went.
It is 11:05 when I entered California Adventure, the park opened at 10:00 am - no crowds at the gate and park would feel empty to me in the morning.
For those who don't know - California Adventure is my least favorite Disney Park. While this trip I was pleased with the park more than the last trip - it still did not come up out of last place of the 6 Disney Parks in the US.
Now having said that - I loved the Hollywood Pictures Backlot: this area houses Disney Animation, the Muppets 3 D, Who wants to be a Millionaire, Playhouse Disney, and the Hyperion Theater, which has Aladdin. Does it look familiar to everyone? MGM/Disney Studios - west coast style! I had a great time exploring Animation - there is a cute movie with Mushoo (?) from Mulan, they also show the film from Walt Disney - One Man's Dream, a place where you can see which Disney Character you are most like --- I was Cinderella and a place where you can either sing or speak lines from a movie and then watch and listen to the characters with your voice - very funny!
Muppets is the same show but the seats are larger! The pre-show may be a little different in places but not too much. This is still a great show and may be my favorite 3 D show at Disney!
To see Aladdin stage show was on the top 10 lists of things to do this trip. Now I know it gets great reviews and there are parts that were indeed funny, and good. :hppmad: GRUMP ALERT don't read this next section if you want to decide completely by yourself or not know some secrets;
This show was a great disappointment to me. While there are great special effects, the genie was wonderful and the story line fairly true to the movie - it missed the mark for me. They never quite got me to the Suspension of Disbelief (something I do very well most times). The special effects require multiple actors and actress to play the same part this did not work - body shapes were different. I never bought the illusion. My other compliant was that the talent did not have very strong voices this performance. It may also be that my gold standard is Hunchback and this performance was not even close. Would I do it again? Only if my niece and nephew wanted to see it!
Grump Alert over! :)
Lunch was a Chili Cheese dog, fries and water from Award Wieners very good! There is great street talent at CA - I enjoyed all of the acts I caught! Off for a little shopping and then back to the room for nap. It was hot for the whole trip by mid afternoon the only place to be was inside or in a pool!
Went back over to CA at about 6:30 pm. There was a little breeze in the air and the park had seemingly cleared out. I went over to Ariel's Grotto to check out this character meal. It looked wonderful. However the menu was heavy with wheat dishes so I decided against it. I think it would be a great place for a meal and character interaction.
Off to Paradise Pier. This Area holds most of the thrill rides. And much to my surprise this area was just about empty.
So over to California Screaming - the coaster may be just about end all of Disney Coasters! What a blast! It shoots you off like RnR - it has the feel of a wooden coaster, and a great loop! I rode three times with no more than a 5-minute wait each time. The back seat was my favorite - some airtime. The middle was fairly rough - not as much airtime and the front was way too rough and no airtime! For this coaster lover - it would be the last seat every time. I will warn everyone this coaster is for real and does shake you up - so have a great time riding!
Then I went over to the Sun Wheel. This is a Ferris wheel with Swinging Cars - it was great fun! I loved the swinging motion! Now the young boy who was traveling with his grandparents did not like this and turned slightly green. So I thought he needed a Mickey pin for being so brave, he loved it and said he would ride it again after all was said and done!
Now they have a rid called the Mailboomer - it shoots you up and then pulls you back down - not this rider. Without the theming it just is not worth the drop to me!
I wanted to try Mullholland madness on the last trip but the line was way to long. This time there was a single rider line and off I went waited about 5 minutes. This is an old cat and mouse coaster with sharp turns and little dips. It was fun but I would not wait more than about 10 minutes for this ride. The cars are small so us pooh sized people need to ride in a car alone!
Tip the pier is very hot during the day - my mistake last time was to go there in the morning - it was hot, crowded and miserable. At night, it was almost perfect. I still feel like I am in a 6 Flags park due to the lack of theming but it was better this time.
And California Screamin will always get me into this park!
The electrical parade was scheduled 8:35 pm that night and I was getting hungry so a giant corn dog called my name! Do you see a theme here? Maybe I should call this the hot dog tour! Yes, this is one of those $5 corndogs - it was huge and it was everything a corn dog should be - crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. It came with some chip - gave those to some children waiting for the parade, and I got a coke and a glass of water Tip glasses of ice water are still free at the counter services at DL so just ask!
I then looked for a place to watch the parade - I choose slightly wrong but still fine. I choose across from the paradise bay - I should have taken a bench along the Bay. There were tons of seats at 8, still some options at 8:15 if you wanted to sit on the ground and still some room when the parade started. When it was time to move out to where the parade would go by the CM made sure those of us who were on the benches had first shot at the front row - very fun! The parade seemed shorter to me but it still is my favorite light parade!
A good day!
So really this trip started the day before and went on for days after but that was in Las Vegas and that is a whole different trip report!
Day 1 Monday, June 30
Up at 5:05 am - no alarm need -of course, I am going to Disneyland! Just in case you don' t know Disneyland is my favorite park - hands down- no debate or discussion! It started years ago when Mickey met a very young BetsyAnn at the gate just like this two year old said he would and as they say the rest is history!
Now back to this trip!
Flight was for 8:30 am so was dropped off at the Vegas airport at 6:05 am. I am flying Southwest for the grand total of $70 round trip. It has been years since I flew SW so I was a little unsure of what to expect. The check in lines were a mob scene. But they have this handy dandy computer check in for passengers without checked baggage! Very fast, very easy and off I went to security. Now I have done security tons of times I don't mind the wait or the procedure and always have a big smile on my face. I take special care not to wear any metal; but I still managed to ring the alarm (women you know what set it off) and off to the secondary check; very nice security guard; quickly in and out.
Flight was packed and uneventful! Straight out to Super shuttle then on to the Motel. It took about an hour to get to my hotel; cost - $14.75 one-way. Fun Driver loved that I was going to Disney without children! Meet a nice family on the shuttle; her children had never been and it had been about 16 years since the Mom had gone. So of course, I gave her all my tips, must sees and secrets. She gave me a Mickey luggage tag; I gave her a Mickey pin (always have a few spares to give out)
This trip I stayed at the Park Vue Inn; we had stayed there before as a family several times. It is just about as directly across the street from the cross walk as you can get. The only hotel closer was Best Western; where BarbD stayed; we compared notes; the big difference was a hot tub or whirlpool at Best Western. The room at a microwave, refrigerator, two queen beds, TV; nice bathroom area; separated with the sink and mirror outside, a huge closet. The hotel is older so there is some general wear and tear but it was clean, the staff was wonderful, helpful, and I was only sleeping there! Tip If you stay at any of the hotels on Harbor Blvd I suggest a room near the back of the hotel; the street noise can be a little loud. Room was not ready when I arrive; I stored my luggage and off I went.
It is 11:05 when I entered California Adventure, the park opened at 10:00 am - no crowds at the gate and park would feel empty to me in the morning.
For those who don't know - California Adventure is my least favorite Disney Park. While this trip I was pleased with the park more than the last trip - it still did not come up out of last place of the 6 Disney Parks in the US.
Now having said that - I loved the Hollywood Pictures Backlot: this area houses Disney Animation, the Muppets 3 D, Who wants to be a Millionaire, Playhouse Disney, and the Hyperion Theater, which has Aladdin. Does it look familiar to everyone? MGM/Disney Studios - west coast style! I had a great time exploring Animation - there is a cute movie with Mushoo (?) from Mulan, they also show the film from Walt Disney - One Man's Dream, a place where you can see which Disney Character you are most like --- I was Cinderella and a place where you can either sing or speak lines from a movie and then watch and listen to the characters with your voice - very funny!
Muppets is the same show but the seats are larger! The pre-show may be a little different in places but not too much. This is still a great show and may be my favorite 3 D show at Disney!
To see Aladdin stage show was on the top 10 lists of things to do this trip. Now I know it gets great reviews and there are parts that were indeed funny, and good. :hppmad: GRUMP ALERT don't read this next section if you want to decide completely by yourself or not know some secrets;
This show was a great disappointment to me. While there are great special effects, the genie was wonderful and the story line fairly true to the movie - it missed the mark for me. They never quite got me to the Suspension of Disbelief (something I do very well most times). The special effects require multiple actors and actress to play the same part this did not work - body shapes were different. I never bought the illusion. My other compliant was that the talent did not have very strong voices this performance. It may also be that my gold standard is Hunchback and this performance was not even close. Would I do it again? Only if my niece and nephew wanted to see it!
Grump Alert over! :)
Lunch was a Chili Cheese dog, fries and water from Award Wieners very good! There is great street talent at CA - I enjoyed all of the acts I caught! Off for a little shopping and then back to the room for nap. It was hot for the whole trip by mid afternoon the only place to be was inside or in a pool!
Went back over to CA at about 6:30 pm. There was a little breeze in the air and the park had seemingly cleared out. I went over to Ariel's Grotto to check out this character meal. It looked wonderful. However the menu was heavy with wheat dishes so I decided against it. I think it would be a great place for a meal and character interaction.
Off to Paradise Pier. This Area holds most of the thrill rides. And much to my surprise this area was just about empty.
So over to California Screaming - the coaster may be just about end all of Disney Coasters! What a blast! It shoots you off like RnR - it has the feel of a wooden coaster, and a great loop! I rode three times with no more than a 5-minute wait each time. The back seat was my favorite - some airtime. The middle was fairly rough - not as much airtime and the front was way too rough and no airtime! For this coaster lover - it would be the last seat every time. I will warn everyone this coaster is for real and does shake you up - so have a great time riding!
Then I went over to the Sun Wheel. This is a Ferris wheel with Swinging Cars - it was great fun! I loved the swinging motion! Now the young boy who was traveling with his grandparents did not like this and turned slightly green. So I thought he needed a Mickey pin for being so brave, he loved it and said he would ride it again after all was said and done!
Now they have a rid called the Mailboomer - it shoots you up and then pulls you back down - not this rider. Without the theming it just is not worth the drop to me!
I wanted to try Mullholland madness on the last trip but the line was way to long. This time there was a single rider line and off I went waited about 5 minutes. This is an old cat and mouse coaster with sharp turns and little dips. It was fun but I would not wait more than about 10 minutes for this ride. The cars are small so us pooh sized people need to ride in a car alone!
Tip the pier is very hot during the day - my mistake last time was to go there in the morning - it was hot, crowded and miserable. At night, it was almost perfect. I still feel like I am in a 6 Flags park due to the lack of theming but it was better this time.
And California Screamin will always get me into this park!
The electrical parade was scheduled 8:35 pm that night and I was getting hungry so a giant corn dog called my name! Do you see a theme here? Maybe I should call this the hot dog tour! Yes, this is one of those $5 corndogs - it was huge and it was everything a corn dog should be - crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. It came with some chip - gave those to some children waiting for the parade, and I got a coke and a glass of water Tip glasses of ice water are still free at the counter services at DL so just ask!
I then looked for a place to watch the parade - I choose slightly wrong but still fine. I choose across from the paradise bay - I should have taken a bench along the Bay. There were tons of seats at 8, still some options at 8:15 if you wanted to sit on the ground and still some room when the parade started. When it was time to move out to where the parade would go by the CM made sure those of us who were on the benches had first shot at the front row - very fun! The parade seemed shorter to me but it still is my favorite light parade!
A good day!