November 2, 2008 - Sunday
Anaheim, California. Yes, we live one hour from DisneyWorld in Florida, but we wanted to "do" Disney here in California again (we've been to Disney all over the world), so we did. We pulled into the parking area by 9:30 - and paid our $12 (!!) to park - then were directed to another parking lot... down the road.. around the corner, up the ramp, around... anyway, we got parked by about 10AM after driving another 2 miles just on Disney property. It was drizzling, but still felt so HAPPY being at Disney again. SO many happy memories. I really have to hand it to Disney that they had totally lined all of the major roads with Bird-of-Paradise. Both sides of each road - 3 feet wide *and* the center divider. It must have been hundreds of thousands of Bird-of-Paradise. Quite stunning.
We picked a one-day park-hopper ticket: $100 each instead of $72 each - but it allowed us to do both parks: Disneyland and "Disney California Experience" at our discretion and turned out to be a very-good choice: we were *easily* able to cover both parks in one day - given the light crowds and the fact that we have "done" Disney for decades so all we needed to "do" was "new stuff".
It was an utterly-magical day. Amazing how it feels to be back at Disney - with "just the 2 of us" - nobody to please but *us* - and getting back to the way we felt when we *honeymooned* at DisneyWorld - 27 years ago. All excited and googly-eyed and - well - stupid-in-love. Yes. Disney is still a very-special place. We essentially *raised* our kids at Disney and it was great for *that*. But it is also a very-special place for "just two people".
It started to rain just as we got our tickets, so we ran on into Disneyland and put on the vintage yellow "Mickey Mouse" poncho's we'd bot 20 years ago - and brot with us.
We got a few looks from people wondering where we got those "new" ponchos. (smile). Even "Cruella DeVille" remarked "Nice Poncho's" as we went past.
And then we started old - and new - rides. Buzz Lightyear (Kathy whupped me), The Matterhorn (both sides - so we rode twice),
then decided to head to the "California Experience" since it closed earlier. We strolled across to the entrance and thru the park and found the "California Screamin'" roller-coaster.
Note that there's a coaster upside-down in the loop behind Kathy.
Kathy had the presence of mind to request the *front* row - and it was great. It gives the experience of an old wooden coaster, but it is smooth and solid (not scrambling my brains) - with a surprise or two thrown in. We enjoyed it enough to immediately ride again - first row again. With the wind making my eyes tear as we rode.
Then to the new "Toy Story" ride. REALLY fun and creative. You put on 3D glasses,
then shoot at wall-sized video screens - and it real-time computes the view to show *your* shot entering the scene - and its effects - and keeps score. LOTS of fun. HIGHLY recommended.
Huge smoked Turkey Legs for lunch. Another coaster. "Bug's Life", "Monster's Inc" (cute, but it really doesn't grab you) - annd we were pretty-much done with "California Experience". Back to Disneyland to get a sugar cookie, then get into "nostalgia" mode to ride the old stand-by's: Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean (better than Disney Worlds' - particularly the Jack Sparrow figures recently added - VERY life-like), Haunted Mansion (arriving in the line just as it got dark - and Disney gets so-much-more magical at night - lit up) - which has been *totally* "overlaid" with "Nightmare Before Christmas" motif - a special thing from Halloween thru New Year - really cool to see something new there. Thunder Mountain - with some noticable difference between Land and World: turtles and other animals beside the track. Star Tours - which still has Pee-Wee Herman's voice as the pilot (always has) - and finishing up with "Finding Nemo" which is the re-do of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" annnd... sorry... "Finding Nemo" is pretty lame.
But magic is magic and it has been a *wonderful* day of both "Being with a whole bunch of people" and being "Just the 2 of us" - hand-in-hand, arms-around-waists, holding each other thru the Matterhorn ride, walking a boardwalk and being "on our honeymoon". Again. At Disney. Sniff. Sniffle. A magical day and evening. And we were still back in the hotel room by 8PM. Can't beat *that*.
Anaheim, California. Yes, we live one hour from DisneyWorld in Florida, but we wanted to "do" Disney here in California again (we've been to Disney all over the world), so we did. We pulled into the parking area by 9:30 - and paid our $12 (!!) to park - then were directed to another parking lot... down the road.. around the corner, up the ramp, around... anyway, we got parked by about 10AM after driving another 2 miles just on Disney property. It was drizzling, but still felt so HAPPY being at Disney again. SO many happy memories. I really have to hand it to Disney that they had totally lined all of the major roads with Bird-of-Paradise. Both sides of each road - 3 feet wide *and* the center divider. It must have been hundreds of thousands of Bird-of-Paradise. Quite stunning.
We picked a one-day park-hopper ticket: $100 each instead of $72 each - but it allowed us to do both parks: Disneyland and "Disney California Experience" at our discretion and turned out to be a very-good choice: we were *easily* able to cover both parks in one day - given the light crowds and the fact that we have "done" Disney for decades so all we needed to "do" was "new stuff".
It was an utterly-magical day. Amazing how it feels to be back at Disney - with "just the 2 of us" - nobody to please but *us* - and getting back to the way we felt when we *honeymooned* at DisneyWorld - 27 years ago. All excited and googly-eyed and - well - stupid-in-love. Yes. Disney is still a very-special place. We essentially *raised* our kids at Disney and it was great for *that*. But it is also a very-special place for "just two people".
It started to rain just as we got our tickets, so we ran on into Disneyland and put on the vintage yellow "Mickey Mouse" poncho's we'd bot 20 years ago - and brot with us.
We got a few looks from people wondering where we got those "new" ponchos. (smile). Even "Cruella DeVille" remarked "Nice Poncho's" as we went past.
And then we started old - and new - rides. Buzz Lightyear (Kathy whupped me), The Matterhorn (both sides - so we rode twice),
then decided to head to the "California Experience" since it closed earlier. We strolled across to the entrance and thru the park and found the "California Screamin'" roller-coaster.
Note that there's a coaster upside-down in the loop behind Kathy.Kathy had the presence of mind to request the *front* row - and it was great. It gives the experience of an old wooden coaster, but it is smooth and solid (not scrambling my brains) - with a surprise or two thrown in. We enjoyed it enough to immediately ride again - first row again. With the wind making my eyes tear as we rode.
Then to the new "Toy Story" ride. REALLY fun and creative. You put on 3D glasses,
then shoot at wall-sized video screens - and it real-time computes the view to show *your* shot entering the scene - and its effects - and keeps score. LOTS of fun. HIGHLY recommended.Huge smoked Turkey Legs for lunch. Another coaster. "Bug's Life", "Monster's Inc" (cute, but it really doesn't grab you) - annd we were pretty-much done with "California Experience". Back to Disneyland to get a sugar cookie, then get into "nostalgia" mode to ride the old stand-by's: Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean (better than Disney Worlds' - particularly the Jack Sparrow figures recently added - VERY life-like), Haunted Mansion (arriving in the line just as it got dark - and Disney gets so-much-more magical at night - lit up) - which has been *totally* "overlaid" with "Nightmare Before Christmas" motif - a special thing from Halloween thru New Year - really cool to see something new there. Thunder Mountain - with some noticable difference between Land and World: turtles and other animals beside the track. Star Tours - which still has Pee-Wee Herman's voice as the pilot (always has) - and finishing up with "Finding Nemo" which is the re-do of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" annnd... sorry... "Finding Nemo" is pretty lame.
But magic is magic and it has been a *wonderful* day of both "Being with a whole bunch of people" and being "Just the 2 of us" - hand-in-hand, arms-around-waists, holding each other thru the Matterhorn ride, walking a boardwalk and being "on our honeymoon". Again. At Disney. Sniff. Sniffle. A magical day and evening. And we were still back in the hotel room by 8PM. Can't beat *that*.
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