For the record, I had not been to Disneyland since my visit in December for the Candlelight events. So, it seemed long overdue. And the AP’s were up for renewal, so this was a good time to get on the road and head south.
Things, as usual, didn’t go quite as planned. An early departure was set back as we waited for the arrival of the U.S. Postal Service and medication. El Gato was safely stowed, and we finally managed to get out of Dodge by almost five p.m. — just in time for the start of the heavier commute traffic out of town and over the Altamont.
We did take advantage of the delay by shopping a bit and checking out the new Disney collectibles store in town. Nice place, nice folks and with the demise of the Disney stores all but a done deal, a welcome addition.
Traffic was surprisingly light and we managed a respectable speed for most of the trip (an average of 71 miles per hour according to the fancy electronic display in our rental car). We rolled into Anaheim about 10:30, and headed for our room at the Days Inn on Ball Road. Finding it was easy. Getting into the parking lot was not. That required a detour by way of Long Beach or so it seemed. And the lot was all but full as we took the last space directly across from the office. If memory serves, we stayed here many years ago, long before the Mickey & friends parking structure sprang forth with the new entrance/exit flyover ramp across Ball Rd. The place had a different name then, and wasn’t all that expensive.
Readers from last year may recall that Jim did a set of tours at this same time last year. And you may also recall that there was an influx of cheerleaders at the Park at the same time. The same held true this year, so mid-range and lower hotel rooms were all booked up.
I’m in mind of a number of titles of films that could be changed to describe the weekend. “Monkee’s, Go Home” and “That Darn Cat” come to mind all to easily with changes to “Cheerleader’s, Go Home” and “Those Darn Cheerleaders”. That and a line from the Blues Brothers about Illinois Nazi’s…
Raging teen hormones on the loose in unescorted gaggles, pushing, shoving and in general just being there. All those little super inflated ego’s in one spot all at the same time. At times, it’s enough to make me want to watch a marathon showing of “Heathers“.
You want construction walls? We got ’em and all over the place! Glad to see all the work going on and hope we get to enjoy the results ASAP!
Michele and I took a measured approach to our weekend in the Park. We didn’t really rush about but took things as they came. For example, we managed to be at the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean right at 11:00 a.m. as the attraction opened and were all of maybe tenth or so in line. After that we ended up in line for the Disneyland Railroad just in time for the Holiday Two train to arrive with the Caboose open and seating passengers. Rode it around to Main Street to make the short walk across the Esplanade to DCA for a while. Picked up Fastpasses for Soarin’ Over California (with a 6:20 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. return) and ambled over to the Animation building. I never get tired of just sitting in the foyer here and just watching the show.
Another treat was a performance by the current incarnation of the Royal Street Bachelors.
This classic view shows the original trio on the street of their name in New Orleans Square.
Taking a bit of a break, we went in and watched a showing of “One Man’s Dream”. Yes, it is still a bit odd watching Michael Eisner go one about Walt and his legacy. But the film still drives home points that, at least publicly, it seems that some folks find difficult to remember.
Back to the lobby and the exit through Off The Page, I was bemused to see a new (at least it was to me) trend using animation desktops and cells as collectibles. There was also one woman hard at work drawing a collection of characters. Just a guess that it was for a guest…
We adjourned to the Grand Californian for a sedate lunch at Whitewater Snacks. It was interesting to note that this place is now only open until 7:00 p.m. — a trend one can only hope is only seasonal. As it is the only moderate price option for quick food service in the hotel, one would think they might wish to keep the place open a few hours longer, especially on weekends. Michele books a fair number of families into the place. Not every one likes room service, or the prices of it…
Back into the Park after lunch, we headed off to Adventureland for a show in the Enchanted Tiki Room. Now on another site, there’s been a fair amount of heated discussion about the replacement of the sign over the marquee of the Main Street Cinema. Frankly, I didn’t even notice it, even when I stopped in next door at the New Century Music Shoppe for a glance at the CD’s. I was safe here as there was not a new title I couldn’t live without. I do hope that we will see more of those classic albums come out on disc this summer. And while I’m in the neighborhood, why don’t they have the “Firehouse Plus Two At Disneyland” for sale here, too? Considering how we still hear tracks from Ward and the rest of these animators about the Park, this seems a natural.
Word has it that the entire Tiki Room complex will be closing in September for a long delayed refurb. No show changes, just a clean and polish inside and out. It was nice to see that the old faded 16mm film loop with Dole’s “Taste of Hawaii” had been replaced with a new clear video — complete with some animated advertising for their line of tropical canned fruit products. We also enjoyed the usual helping of Dole Pineapple Whip. Chatting with the nice lady behind the counter, I guess I’ve now had Pineapple Whip everywhere it is served. That’s here in Anaheim, then in Orlando and lastly on Oahu at the Dole Plantation. Call me sentimental, but it was nice to just sit and relax in the Tiki garden with a dish of it. The same used to be true of coffee here. Once upon a time, it was Kona coffee. Now it’s just the usual Nescafe served everywhere else in the Park.
A classic view of the entrance to Adventureland and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
All of the Tiki gods and goddesses were doing their usual in the preshow, but a bit too quietly. Maybe when the refurb is done they’ll be back in full form. Especially Pele, who needs her fire relit…
Just to see if Michele actually pays attention to things she reads here and hears me say about the Park, I asked her if she knew why there are restrooms here. She did, and recalled that it was originally supposed to be a dinner show. So a point for her!
A few bonus points as well for the Cast Member (Bryant?) who was our host for the show! Not only was he envious of the pins I had traded for that day, he also got everyone well into the spirit of the show with a rousing “Aloha” cheer and lots of great upbeat comments in his introduction. I’m always glad to see someone making the Guests get involved in an attraction like this. We sat just to the left of Jose’s perch in the front row. As much as I miss the complete show, it is a definite treat to enjoy this vintage attraction.
Let’s all sing like the birdies sing!
We made our way back out to Downtown Disney on kind of a two pronged mission. I was off to the car in the Mickey & Friends parking structure to grab some assorted goodies for folks, and Michele went off in search of a watch at “World of Disney”. She found a nice inexpensive one with Eeyore in clear light purple plastic. My little bag contained a few alcoholic items that the security folks wouldn’t let me take into the new containment area, so I checked the bag at the bell desk of the Grand Californian.
With a few minutes to kill until our Fastpasses for Soarin’ were valid, we sat in the lobby and enjoyed the antics of the gentleman at the piano. Not the repertoire we remembered from previous visits, and he played the grand piano like it was the standing version Rod Miller was busy with over at the Coca Cola Corner. (Don’t know about you all, but I would sure like to see another Compact Disc from Rod!)
A walk through the Acorns shop in the Grand Californian was interesting as well. Notably, the wall display of pins has been replaced with assorted ladies jewelry. Was more than tempted by the nice set of pajamas and the comfy robes for sale (I passed, however). Still hoping that book on the hotel will see the light of day soon… Business was brisk at the Storytellers Café with folks without reservations being turned away.
Wandering back into DCA, there was a fair sized line for Grizzly River Rapids for six p.m. on a Saturday. And the stand-by line for Soarin’ was healthy as well with a forty-five minute wait showing. Thanks to only being a party of two, we managed to by-pass a good deal of the wait and were gliding above the Golden State less than ten minutes after entry.
One thing I’ll give those Imagineers. They sure got a lot right in Condor Flats. From the décor, to the lighting to the music, it all works so well. The mist from the rocket engine test stand, the landing lights flashing in sequence in the runway and even the wheel scuff marks… I’m not a total airport geek (train maybe at times) but the feeling from the way the place appears just works for me.
Dinner was right on time with Jim and Chuck joining us at Naples. Service was a bit odd, but the food was great. Drew Tretick was playing his violin just across from the entrance, drawing the usual crowds. On the whole, another fine evening in Downtown Disney…
We managed to meet up with folks (I still want my Pal Stitch!) for the start of Jim’s tour Sunday morning before enjoying a fine breakfast at Carnation on Main Street. Some last minute shopping saw us out of the park and the parking structure before noon. Traffic heading north on the Five was a pain as usual, but we finally managed to arrive at the Los Angeles Live Steamers in Griffith Park. Jim, Chuck and the tour group had gotten here ahead of us. This was the usual day of the month for Walt’s Barn to be open, thanks to the volunteers from the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. There were also a number of authors in attendance with their books for sale. Michael Broggie was there with copies of his “Walt Disney’s Railroad Story“, now back in print, and available directly from the Society for $59.95 plus shipping and handling.
There was also a flyer for a new book coming out later this year — “Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad” by Steve DeGaetano. That looks like a winner and I’ll be pre-ordering mine soon! Promises to be 300 pages of great stuff for railroad and Disney fans alike.
All too soon, we had to get back on the Five and head north. Lot of officers out and about with no shortage of customers. For us, an uneventful journey saw us home at a reasonable hour. Looking forward to another visit maybe later in the spring…