Another great report! :rep: These were all very informative :thumbs: Thanks!!
PS: Love the view from the Mad Tea Party.
PS: Love the view from the Mad Tea Party.
My Southern California Trip Recap
- Thread starter Teknik_DC2
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Day 4, Part 2: Disneyland
The next land we entered after finishing Fantasyland was Mickey's Toontown. I still won't forget seeing the Toontown commercials on TV as a Child back in 1993. This new land looked so much fun and amazing. It had 3 rides, and all of the characters houses including a huge bounce house for Goofy, Playground boat for Donald, and a huge ball pit and slides for Chip and Dales Tree House. It looked like so much fun. In 95 I finally got to go to Disneyland and experiance Toontown for myself. It was all I hoped for. Except for one thing. By this point I was too big to do any of the play houses. No bounce house (which I was most excited for) for me. Still the area was fun and unique and after that trip I had a new favorite traditional style dark ride in Roger Rabbits Toon Car Spin.
Unfotunatly in that time since the 90's Toon Town has become a shadow of its former self. Toon Town turned out to be a huge Liablity issue for Disney so they came in and striped the area of much of its fun in the name of safety. The Bounce House no longer bounces. The Tree House is practically closed down, The Jolley Trolley is perminantly parked and only avalible for photo ops. It also doesn't help that some of the franchises in Toon Town are only relevent to those of us who were kids in the 90's. Kids today don't know who Gadget is from Rescue Rangers who has a Roller Coaster in the land. And with all the Legal issues that surround Roger Rabbit many kids don't know who he is ether. Luckly Mickey and the Gang is back in the public eye thanks to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. Dispite its apparent issues though Toon Town is a greatly themed land that shouldn't be missed. Toon Town is probably one of the most picturisc of all the lands and there are many photo ops you won't want to miss out on. It even gets decorated for Christmas. Although it has had many decorations imported in from the now defunct Toon Town Fair from WDW and these decorations are worse then the old ones (the trees for example).
Toon Town is worth checking out even if you just browse thru the area. I really hope Disney sees fit to do a referbishment on the area and even expand it sometime in the future. Unlike Florida it is not bad enough to remove all together. The area still looks great and is alot of fun. it just needs more to do. Roger Rabbit is solid but the West side of the area could see an additional ride. I think a Mickey Mouse themed dark ride could go very well if they could find the room. I think removing the Go-Coaster and some how importing Mickeys Philharmagic from the Magic Kingdom would work in Toon Town as well. The area just needs a little help.
We parked the stroller and headed towards the first Toon Town attraction. Roger Rabbits Toon Car Spin. This was the flagship attraction of the land when it opened and still one of the best rides in the park. Plus Disneyland is the only place in America where you can go on the ride. I tried getting a fastpass earlier for the ride but at the time the fastpass machines were closed. They were up and running now though but that wouldn't be a big deal as the ride only had a 10 minute wait posted. Toon Town was somewhat desgined around the Toon Town you see in the Roger Rabbit film and this ride will take you to the more Dark Side you don't see out front of Toon Town. The que is one of the most elabratly themed ques in the whole resort as you make your way thru dark alleys and villianous warehouses before finally boarding your cab. The Villans from the film are back and are looking to get even with Roger Rabbit by kidnapping his wife Jessica Rabbit and trying to kill him. Your along for the wacky ride as he trys to save her. The unique thing about this ride is unlike your traditional dark rides where the vehicle stays in one position you can spin the Cab around like a tea cup. Which makes the ride extremely fun. Although since the spinning mechanisim is the steering wheel it makes it more difficult to spin then the teacups are. The ride doesn't have a height limit but this ride requires all riders to sit on there own. No lap riders. Daniel was just fine to sit between Kiera and I. This ride is great and one not to be missed in my opinion. But I may be biased as it is my favorite traditional dark ride in the park.
It was after noon by this point in the day and we were starting to get hungry. But we wanted to finish Toon Town first so we wouldn't have to come back to this area of the park later in the day. We looked around the Town and got some photos with the Gags set up around the area. Daniel really liked the Fireworks factory and he pushed the bar down himself and got a big kick out of the sound effects. We then walked across the town to the neighborhood are where other then the Go-Coaster the only other things to do now is see Mickey and Minnie in there houses. We didn't care to see Minnie in her house but it has become somewhat of a tradition to see Mickey in his house at Disneyland.
The wait time posted outside Mickey's House was posted as 15 minutes which we figured wasn't that bad. Daniel really enjoyed seeing Mickey's house and loved playing on the furnature and seeing parts of the house as we made our way thru it. When we "exited" the house into the back yard we finally meet the end of the line. If you havn't been thru this Mickey Meet and Greet I have to say that this is probably the most detailed que that isn't for a ride. Between the House and Yard and Barn there is so many little details and interactive gags all over the place. Although we met the end of the line we still had a wait ahead of us. We slowly moved thru the barn before coming to the screening room where the line came to a dead stop for over 10 minutes. Knowing how the Mickey Meet and Greet is set up with 3 seperate Meeting rooms I didn't think you ever stopped. But I guess they must have only been using 1 of the 3 rooms today. By the time we were finally escorted in to the dressing room to meet Mickey we had waited over 30 minutes.
Daniel loves Mickey Mouse. Between all his toys or plushes to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show that he watches over and over again we figured he would be so excited to see Mickey in person. Plus the interactions Daniel had with Mickey in Orlando were some of the cutest Characters meets we did as Daniel really loved seeing Mickey. So we figured we would see a repeat of that. When it was out turn to finally meet Mickey, Kiera set Daniel down to see if he would run up to Mickey. Upon seeing Mickey Daniel did start running towards him with a big smile on his face. However about half way to Mickey he stopped dead in his tracks and the big smile quickly turned to a look of Terror as he turned around and ran back towards Kiera in Tears. He was afraid of Mickey. Even when we got our picture taken you can see that he was not Its funny to look back on now but kind of sad too that he was so scared to see somebody he loves so much. It was clear to us now that he would not have the same excited Character interactions like he did in Florida.
Having finally meet Mickey and with our stomachs getting very hungry we decided that we were now done with Toon Town for the day and even for the trip. We saw all that we wanted to see and would now be on our way to the next destination. Which would hopefully include somewhere with food.
Where we were going was an area of the park where Submarines take you deep below the ocean, Ships fly you deep in to space, and Monorails travel overhead. We were heading to one of my favorite areas of the park. Tomorrowland. We passed back thru Fantasyland and around the Matterhorn and then walked passed the Sub lagoon officially entering the land.
We were of course hungry and ready for lunch so where would we head first? Well we made our way towards the Monorail. Unlike Walt Disney World where the Monorail is used strictly as a transportation method outside the Magic Kingdom, in Disneyland the Monorail is still considered a ride. But although its is technically a ride it does leave the park and even has a stop located in Downtown Disney. If you havn't guessed yet we decided to leave Disneyland and get lunch in Downtown Disney instead.
As we started to walk up the ramp towards the Monorail loading plateform you walk past the backside of the Autopia attraction. I loved the Autopia as a child as you got to drive a car. As an adult though its pretty boring and can get a long wait so needless to say we skipped it on this trip. Plus Daniel wasn't tall enough for it anyways. One thing for sure is dispite its issues Disneylands Autopia looks much better then the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland Raceway.
About halfway up the Ramp to the Monorail I remember something I needed to do before leaving Disneyland for lunch. I wanted to grab some Fastpasses for Star Tours. Unlike WDW, Disneyland still doesn't enforce Fastpass Return times. So as long as you have a Fastpass you can use it anytime of the day after the active time comes avalible. Knowing the Fastpasses would be active by the time we returned to the park it would end up saving us time later by grabbing the Fastpasses now. So Kiera and Daniel waited on the ramp as I quickly ran thru Tomorrowland to the Star Tours Fastpass machines and then I quickly ran back and meet back up with them.
Although I was fast I wasn't fast enough and we barely missed one of the Monorails and had to wait an additional 10 minutes for another Monorail to come. I took the time to take some photos from this unique vantage point. From the Monorail plateform you have a great view of the Sub Lagoon and the Matterhorn making for some great pictures. Soon though the next Monorail arrived and we went to board it. One thing that wasn't posted anywhere that we noticed though was that all strollers must be folded up when boarding the Monorail so keep that in mind as we struggled to get it folded quickly so we didn't miss this Monorail too.
The trip from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney is a fairly short trip but still offers some great view of the parks below. Upon leaving the Tomorrowland station you will actually leave the park and travel outside the berm along Harbor Drive before turning and entering the Disney California Adventure Park. The Monorail passes thru 3 lands in DCA starting in Hollywoodland passing behind the Monsters Inc. Ride Facade, then passes thru the middle of Buena Vista Street (ruining the amazing themeing of the entry land for a moment as the futuristic looking Monorail goes past), then on thru Condor Flats in front of the Soarin' Over California Hanger. Just like in WDW the Monorail in Disneyland then passes thru 1 of its 3 hotels the Grand Californian Resort. However unlike in WDW where the Monorail really enters the interior space of the Contemporary its all outdoor space in the middle of the resort that the monorail goes thru. You make a turn again and then you pass over Downtown Disney and enter the Downtown Disney station. This portion of the ride is fairly short and the station is located a short walk from where we wanted to be.
The place we wanted to eat at for Lunch was a location that we have become very familiar with during our Florida trips. One month earlier Earl of Sandwich finally opened up a location at the Disneyland Resort and we couldn't be more happier. If you had read my past reports you know that we love Earl of Sandwich and visit it multipule times during our Florida trips. EOS is located very close to the Disneyland Hotel and is short walk from the Monorail. As we walked past the Rain Forest Cafe they had a little show taking place outside where they were showing some different Animals to the people watching.
Earl of Sandwich wasn't too badly packed at this time for still being so new. We waited about 5 minutes before it was turn to order and we waited inside the entire time. For Lunch today I got the sandwich that has become my favorite the full Montagu and Kiera got the Earl's Club. To go along with our Sandwichs we also got a bag of chips to share and decided to give there Holiday Peppermint Brownie to try. If you have been to the WDW location you will likely notice how incredibly much smaller the California location is compared to Floridas. Infact there is very little indoor seating in California. 90% of the tables are located outside. But don't worry the eating area is covered with heat vents blowing during the winter and fans to keep it cool during the summer. It was also fun to watch the happenings of Downtown Disney go on right outside your table. The food as always was amazing and I highly recommend making a stop by Earl of Sandwich no matter what Disney Resort you go to.
After lunch we made our way back to the Monorail station where once again you will need to not only give them your park ticket but also show your ID with it. We then ran up the stairs as there was a Monorail currently in the station and we didn't want to wait for the next one. Luckly we made it before it left. The Ride back to the Tomorrowland station is longer and a bit more exciting as the Monorail winds its way thru the area located above the Autopia tracks and the defunct People Move/Rocket Rods tracks (which look to be in an even sadder state in this area with all the fallen and broken tree branches all over them. You'll circle above the Sub Lagoon and pass by Fantasyland and the Matterhorn before arriving in the Tomorrowland Station. Beware that there is not a ramp down like there was going up so you have to take the stairs or elevator. The Monorail is an odd "ride" that I wouldn't say is a must see at Disneyland. But its a great way to exit the park for a quick lunch in Downtown Disney. The Monorails are also pretty cool right now as to promote Carsland over at DCA the Monorails have eyes on there windshields and also a mouth as if they were right out of that world. I think it looks great and much less intrusive then the wraps the WDW monorails have been getting for promotions.
Located directly under the Monorail Station is the Que and boarding area for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. This classic attraction returned to Disneyland 5 years ago with a Finding Nemo overlay with the film characters replacing the original ride. The wait posted was only 15 minutes so we decided to get in line.
Or should I say Kiera and Daniel got in line. Since our Star Tours Fastpasses were now avalible for use that ment that we could now get more fastpasses. So while Kiera got in Line for the Subs I quickly ran across Tomorrowland again but this time I was heading to Space Mountain. I figured that since the Nemo Subs are a longer ride we could time it just right to use the Fast Passes. So I pulled 2 fastpasses that were 45 minutes out for Space Mountain and then ran back and meet Kiera in line for the Subs.
The wait for the Subs was more like 20 minutes but we were soon boarding the Sub and beginning our Journey under the Sea. The Nemo Sub overlay was installed at around the same time that Nemo took over the Seas pavillion in Epcot. Because the rides use similar tech in the form of the characters being projected onto clear screens to make it appear as if they are really swimming in the water. Because of this the rides pretty much follow the exact same story as Nemo is lost again and the Film characters are trying to find him. Even many of the screen scenes are the same projections. Although the story is delevered completly differently where as the Nemo ride in Epcot uses the run of the meal Omni Mover system the Nemo subs are unique in the fact that you are inside a REAL submarine really under the water level.
I'll just say it now that the Nemo Subs are significantly better then there Omni Mover cousin in Florida. The ride is longer and the story seems to make more sense compared to the condensed version at Epcot. Plus your experiancing the ride in a way that you can no where else on Earth. The Nemo subs get a lot of heat. I actually really enjoy the ride though. Yeah I loved the original too but frankly I don't think the Original version would hold up very well to todays standards. Yes they could have come up with a more original story instead of Nemo being lost again. However i'm glad that we have the Subs back again. I'd much rather have the Nemo subs then no subs. Although Nemo may not be a ride I would recommend to go on every time you go its one you must see if its your first time. I'm sure it will become a regular ride though for us as this ride was one of Daniels favorites of the whole trip. Just be prepared to wait as the ride has a low capacity and is very slow loading.
We couldn't have timed it any better as within 2 minutes of being done with Nemo our Space Mountain Fastpasses became avalible for use. So now we had a choice. Do we use the Star Tours Fastpasses or the Space Mountain Fastpasses? We decided to work backwards out so we started moving towards the enterance to Space Mountain. Knowing this was a ride we would likely want to ride again later we used our Fastpass/Rider Swap combo that we learned in Florida for the first time on this trip. Since I pulled 2 Fastpasses that basically means that we could also get 2 Rider Swap cards. As we walked up to the enterance I asked for a Rider Swap card but Space Mountain is one of those rides where you exchange one of the wait time lanyards for the Rider Swap card before boarding the ride. So into the Fastpass line I went and completly bypassed the outdoor que area and went right indoors where I didn't even find the line until I was in the boarding room. The que itself looks much better then Orlandos dispite there more recent update. There video games and Interactive que still isn't enough to make it not feel like the 70's. Disneylands que has aged much better and looks much more modern. It took almost 10 minutes to round the room down to the load plateform where I got the Rider Swap before being directed to the row.
Space Mountain differs quite a bit from its Florida cousin. Unlike the Magic Kingdom version there is only 1 track instead of 2 making the size of the building much smaller in Disneyland. But don't let size fool you because the Disneyland version is better then the Magic Kingdoms in practically every way. Remember that the Magic Kingdoms Space Mountain was designed to be somewhat of an indoor Matterhorn so the attraction seems to have more in common with that then it does with Disneylands Space Mountain. In Florida seating is arranged single file like that Materhorn where in California you sit Side by Side more like a traditional roller coaster. It also has more cars (or rockets) in the train then they do in Florida. The lift hill is much more exciting and better themed as you ascent to start your ride in space. Disneylands Space Mountain has onboard audio and a much better sound track then the random music and sound effects you'll occasionally pass in Florida. While flying thru Space you'll notice it much darker with more stars giving you the feeling as if you are really flying thru space as you really can not see when the turns and dips are coming. But the best part of all. Is unlike in Florida the ride track is VERY smooth. You'll feel like your gliding thru Space on your adventure instead of wishing your ride was over like Florida. There track is rediculously rough. I have never had a rougher ride then on Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom. The ride isn't even enjoyable in Florida because of how rough it is. So glad that Disneylands newer track doesn't suffer from these problems and offers an extremely fun and incredible ride. Put this one on your absolute Do Not Miss list and enjoy a thrilling ride thru space that doesn't rattle your brain.
As I exited the ride I stopped to see my picture from the ride and decided to load it to our Photopass+ Card. Kiera and Daniel were waiting for me at the rides exit as Kiera was trying to get Daniel to take a nap. It was now her turn to ride so we walked back over to the rides enterance and once again got another Rider Swap card for a later ride. Kiera then entered the Fastpass line with time card in hand and Daniel and I returned to where the rides Exit is located. He was so tired though that he had already passed out for a nap before we even got back to where we would wait. I kinda wish he hadn't fallen asleep as located directly across from us in the Starcade was the Wreck it Ralph meet and greet with Ralph and Vanillaphe from the movie. The line was only a 15 minute wait which would probably work perfect for Kieras ride but I didn't bother with Daniel being asleep. Kiera soon returned from her ride and also enjoyed it significantly more then the Orlando version.
The next land we entered after finishing Fantasyland was Mickey's Toontown. I still won't forget seeing the Toontown commercials on TV as a Child back in 1993. This new land looked so much fun and amazing. It had 3 rides, and all of the characters houses including a huge bounce house for Goofy, Playground boat for Donald, and a huge ball pit and slides for Chip and Dales Tree House. It looked like so much fun. In 95 I finally got to go to Disneyland and experiance Toontown for myself. It was all I hoped for. Except for one thing. By this point I was too big to do any of the play houses. No bounce house (which I was most excited for) for me. Still the area was fun and unique and after that trip I had a new favorite traditional style dark ride in Roger Rabbits Toon Car Spin.
Unfotunatly in that time since the 90's Toon Town has become a shadow of its former self. Toon Town turned out to be a huge Liablity issue for Disney so they came in and striped the area of much of its fun in the name of safety. The Bounce House no longer bounces. The Tree House is practically closed down, The Jolley Trolley is perminantly parked and only avalible for photo ops. It also doesn't help that some of the franchises in Toon Town are only relevent to those of us who were kids in the 90's. Kids today don't know who Gadget is from Rescue Rangers who has a Roller Coaster in the land. And with all the Legal issues that surround Roger Rabbit many kids don't know who he is ether. Luckly Mickey and the Gang is back in the public eye thanks to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. Dispite its apparent issues though Toon Town is a greatly themed land that shouldn't be missed. Toon Town is probably one of the most picturisc of all the lands and there are many photo ops you won't want to miss out on. It even gets decorated for Christmas. Although it has had many decorations imported in from the now defunct Toon Town Fair from WDW and these decorations are worse then the old ones (the trees for example).
Toon Town is worth checking out even if you just browse thru the area. I really hope Disney sees fit to do a referbishment on the area and even expand it sometime in the future. Unlike Florida it is not bad enough to remove all together. The area still looks great and is alot of fun. it just needs more to do. Roger Rabbit is solid but the West side of the area could see an additional ride. I think a Mickey Mouse themed dark ride could go very well if they could find the room. I think removing the Go-Coaster and some how importing Mickeys Philharmagic from the Magic Kingdom would work in Toon Town as well. The area just needs a little help.
We parked the stroller and headed towards the first Toon Town attraction. Roger Rabbits Toon Car Spin. This was the flagship attraction of the land when it opened and still one of the best rides in the park. Plus Disneyland is the only place in America where you can go on the ride. I tried getting a fastpass earlier for the ride but at the time the fastpass machines were closed. They were up and running now though but that wouldn't be a big deal as the ride only had a 10 minute wait posted. Toon Town was somewhat desgined around the Toon Town you see in the Roger Rabbit film and this ride will take you to the more Dark Side you don't see out front of Toon Town. The que is one of the most elabratly themed ques in the whole resort as you make your way thru dark alleys and villianous warehouses before finally boarding your cab. The Villans from the film are back and are looking to get even with Roger Rabbit by kidnapping his wife Jessica Rabbit and trying to kill him. Your along for the wacky ride as he trys to save her. The unique thing about this ride is unlike your traditional dark rides where the vehicle stays in one position you can spin the Cab around like a tea cup. Which makes the ride extremely fun. Although since the spinning mechanisim is the steering wheel it makes it more difficult to spin then the teacups are. The ride doesn't have a height limit but this ride requires all riders to sit on there own. No lap riders. Daniel was just fine to sit between Kiera and I. This ride is great and one not to be missed in my opinion. But I may be biased as it is my favorite traditional dark ride in the park.
It was after noon by this point in the day and we were starting to get hungry. But we wanted to finish Toon Town first so we wouldn't have to come back to this area of the park later in the day. We looked around the Town and got some photos with the Gags set up around the area. Daniel really liked the Fireworks factory and he pushed the bar down himself and got a big kick out of the sound effects. We then walked across the town to the neighborhood are where other then the Go-Coaster the only other things to do now is see Mickey and Minnie in there houses. We didn't care to see Minnie in her house but it has become somewhat of a tradition to see Mickey in his house at Disneyland.
The wait time posted outside Mickey's House was posted as 15 minutes which we figured wasn't that bad. Daniel really enjoyed seeing Mickey's house and loved playing on the furnature and seeing parts of the house as we made our way thru it. When we "exited" the house into the back yard we finally meet the end of the line. If you havn't been thru this Mickey Meet and Greet I have to say that this is probably the most detailed que that isn't for a ride. Between the House and Yard and Barn there is so many little details and interactive gags all over the place. Although we met the end of the line we still had a wait ahead of us. We slowly moved thru the barn before coming to the screening room where the line came to a dead stop for over 10 minutes. Knowing how the Mickey Meet and Greet is set up with 3 seperate Meeting rooms I didn't think you ever stopped. But I guess they must have only been using 1 of the 3 rooms today. By the time we were finally escorted in to the dressing room to meet Mickey we had waited over 30 minutes.
Daniel loves Mickey Mouse. Between all his toys or plushes to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show that he watches over and over again we figured he would be so excited to see Mickey in person. Plus the interactions Daniel had with Mickey in Orlando were some of the cutest Characters meets we did as Daniel really loved seeing Mickey. So we figured we would see a repeat of that. When it was out turn to finally meet Mickey, Kiera set Daniel down to see if he would run up to Mickey. Upon seeing Mickey Daniel did start running towards him with a big smile on his face. However about half way to Mickey he stopped dead in his tracks and the big smile quickly turned to a look of Terror as he turned around and ran back towards Kiera in Tears. He was afraid of Mickey. Even when we got our picture taken you can see that he was not Its funny to look back on now but kind of sad too that he was so scared to see somebody he loves so much. It was clear to us now that he would not have the same excited Character interactions like he did in Florida.
Having finally meet Mickey and with our stomachs getting very hungry we decided that we were now done with Toon Town for the day and even for the trip. We saw all that we wanted to see and would now be on our way to the next destination. Which would hopefully include somewhere with food.
Where we were going was an area of the park where Submarines take you deep below the ocean, Ships fly you deep in to space, and Monorails travel overhead. We were heading to one of my favorite areas of the park. Tomorrowland. We passed back thru Fantasyland and around the Matterhorn and then walked passed the Sub lagoon officially entering the land.
We were of course hungry and ready for lunch so where would we head first? Well we made our way towards the Monorail. Unlike Walt Disney World where the Monorail is used strictly as a transportation method outside the Magic Kingdom, in Disneyland the Monorail is still considered a ride. But although its is technically a ride it does leave the park and even has a stop located in Downtown Disney. If you havn't guessed yet we decided to leave Disneyland and get lunch in Downtown Disney instead.
As we started to walk up the ramp towards the Monorail loading plateform you walk past the backside of the Autopia attraction. I loved the Autopia as a child as you got to drive a car. As an adult though its pretty boring and can get a long wait so needless to say we skipped it on this trip. Plus Daniel wasn't tall enough for it anyways. One thing for sure is dispite its issues Disneylands Autopia looks much better then the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland Raceway.
About halfway up the Ramp to the Monorail I remember something I needed to do before leaving Disneyland for lunch. I wanted to grab some Fastpasses for Star Tours. Unlike WDW, Disneyland still doesn't enforce Fastpass Return times. So as long as you have a Fastpass you can use it anytime of the day after the active time comes avalible. Knowing the Fastpasses would be active by the time we returned to the park it would end up saving us time later by grabbing the Fastpasses now. So Kiera and Daniel waited on the ramp as I quickly ran thru Tomorrowland to the Star Tours Fastpass machines and then I quickly ran back and meet back up with them.
Although I was fast I wasn't fast enough and we barely missed one of the Monorails and had to wait an additional 10 minutes for another Monorail to come. I took the time to take some photos from this unique vantage point. From the Monorail plateform you have a great view of the Sub Lagoon and the Matterhorn making for some great pictures. Soon though the next Monorail arrived and we went to board it. One thing that wasn't posted anywhere that we noticed though was that all strollers must be folded up when boarding the Monorail so keep that in mind as we struggled to get it folded quickly so we didn't miss this Monorail too.
The trip from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney is a fairly short trip but still offers some great view of the parks below. Upon leaving the Tomorrowland station you will actually leave the park and travel outside the berm along Harbor Drive before turning and entering the Disney California Adventure Park. The Monorail passes thru 3 lands in DCA starting in Hollywoodland passing behind the Monsters Inc. Ride Facade, then passes thru the middle of Buena Vista Street (ruining the amazing themeing of the entry land for a moment as the futuristic looking Monorail goes past), then on thru Condor Flats in front of the Soarin' Over California Hanger. Just like in WDW the Monorail in Disneyland then passes thru 1 of its 3 hotels the Grand Californian Resort. However unlike in WDW where the Monorail really enters the interior space of the Contemporary its all outdoor space in the middle of the resort that the monorail goes thru. You make a turn again and then you pass over Downtown Disney and enter the Downtown Disney station. This portion of the ride is fairly short and the station is located a short walk from where we wanted to be.
The place we wanted to eat at for Lunch was a location that we have become very familiar with during our Florida trips. One month earlier Earl of Sandwich finally opened up a location at the Disneyland Resort and we couldn't be more happier. If you had read my past reports you know that we love Earl of Sandwich and visit it multipule times during our Florida trips. EOS is located very close to the Disneyland Hotel and is short walk from the Monorail. As we walked past the Rain Forest Cafe they had a little show taking place outside where they were showing some different Animals to the people watching.
Earl of Sandwich wasn't too badly packed at this time for still being so new. We waited about 5 minutes before it was turn to order and we waited inside the entire time. For Lunch today I got the sandwich that has become my favorite the full Montagu and Kiera got the Earl's Club. To go along with our Sandwichs we also got a bag of chips to share and decided to give there Holiday Peppermint Brownie to try. If you have been to the WDW location you will likely notice how incredibly much smaller the California location is compared to Floridas. Infact there is very little indoor seating in California. 90% of the tables are located outside. But don't worry the eating area is covered with heat vents blowing during the winter and fans to keep it cool during the summer. It was also fun to watch the happenings of Downtown Disney go on right outside your table. The food as always was amazing and I highly recommend making a stop by Earl of Sandwich no matter what Disney Resort you go to.
After lunch we made our way back to the Monorail station where once again you will need to not only give them your park ticket but also show your ID with it. We then ran up the stairs as there was a Monorail currently in the station and we didn't want to wait for the next one. Luckly we made it before it left. The Ride back to the Tomorrowland station is longer and a bit more exciting as the Monorail winds its way thru the area located above the Autopia tracks and the defunct People Move/Rocket Rods tracks (which look to be in an even sadder state in this area with all the fallen and broken tree branches all over them. You'll circle above the Sub Lagoon and pass by Fantasyland and the Matterhorn before arriving in the Tomorrowland Station. Beware that there is not a ramp down like there was going up so you have to take the stairs or elevator. The Monorail is an odd "ride" that I wouldn't say is a must see at Disneyland. But its a great way to exit the park for a quick lunch in Downtown Disney. The Monorails are also pretty cool right now as to promote Carsland over at DCA the Monorails have eyes on there windshields and also a mouth as if they were right out of that world. I think it looks great and much less intrusive then the wraps the WDW monorails have been getting for promotions.
Located directly under the Monorail Station is the Que and boarding area for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. This classic attraction returned to Disneyland 5 years ago with a Finding Nemo overlay with the film characters replacing the original ride. The wait posted was only 15 minutes so we decided to get in line.
Or should I say Kiera and Daniel got in line. Since our Star Tours Fastpasses were now avalible for use that ment that we could now get more fastpasses. So while Kiera got in Line for the Subs I quickly ran across Tomorrowland again but this time I was heading to Space Mountain. I figured that since the Nemo Subs are a longer ride we could time it just right to use the Fast Passes. So I pulled 2 fastpasses that were 45 minutes out for Space Mountain and then ran back and meet Kiera in line for the Subs.
The wait for the Subs was more like 20 minutes but we were soon boarding the Sub and beginning our Journey under the Sea. The Nemo Sub overlay was installed at around the same time that Nemo took over the Seas pavillion in Epcot. Because the rides use similar tech in the form of the characters being projected onto clear screens to make it appear as if they are really swimming in the water. Because of this the rides pretty much follow the exact same story as Nemo is lost again and the Film characters are trying to find him. Even many of the screen scenes are the same projections. Although the story is delevered completly differently where as the Nemo ride in Epcot uses the run of the meal Omni Mover system the Nemo subs are unique in the fact that you are inside a REAL submarine really under the water level.
I'll just say it now that the Nemo Subs are significantly better then there Omni Mover cousin in Florida. The ride is longer and the story seems to make more sense compared to the condensed version at Epcot. Plus your experiancing the ride in a way that you can no where else on Earth. The Nemo subs get a lot of heat. I actually really enjoy the ride though. Yeah I loved the original too but frankly I don't think the Original version would hold up very well to todays standards. Yes they could have come up with a more original story instead of Nemo being lost again. However i'm glad that we have the Subs back again. I'd much rather have the Nemo subs then no subs. Although Nemo may not be a ride I would recommend to go on every time you go its one you must see if its your first time. I'm sure it will become a regular ride though for us as this ride was one of Daniels favorites of the whole trip. Just be prepared to wait as the ride has a low capacity and is very slow loading.
We couldn't have timed it any better as within 2 minutes of being done with Nemo our Space Mountain Fastpasses became avalible for use. So now we had a choice. Do we use the Star Tours Fastpasses or the Space Mountain Fastpasses? We decided to work backwards out so we started moving towards the enterance to Space Mountain. Knowing this was a ride we would likely want to ride again later we used our Fastpass/Rider Swap combo that we learned in Florida for the first time on this trip. Since I pulled 2 Fastpasses that basically means that we could also get 2 Rider Swap cards. As we walked up to the enterance I asked for a Rider Swap card but Space Mountain is one of those rides where you exchange one of the wait time lanyards for the Rider Swap card before boarding the ride. So into the Fastpass line I went and completly bypassed the outdoor que area and went right indoors where I didn't even find the line until I was in the boarding room. The que itself looks much better then Orlandos dispite there more recent update. There video games and Interactive que still isn't enough to make it not feel like the 70's. Disneylands que has aged much better and looks much more modern. It took almost 10 minutes to round the room down to the load plateform where I got the Rider Swap before being directed to the row.
Space Mountain differs quite a bit from its Florida cousin. Unlike the Magic Kingdom version there is only 1 track instead of 2 making the size of the building much smaller in Disneyland. But don't let size fool you because the Disneyland version is better then the Magic Kingdoms in practically every way. Remember that the Magic Kingdoms Space Mountain was designed to be somewhat of an indoor Matterhorn so the attraction seems to have more in common with that then it does with Disneylands Space Mountain. In Florida seating is arranged single file like that Materhorn where in California you sit Side by Side more like a traditional roller coaster. It also has more cars (or rockets) in the train then they do in Florida. The lift hill is much more exciting and better themed as you ascent to start your ride in space. Disneylands Space Mountain has onboard audio and a much better sound track then the random music and sound effects you'll occasionally pass in Florida. While flying thru Space you'll notice it much darker with more stars giving you the feeling as if you are really flying thru space as you really can not see when the turns and dips are coming. But the best part of all. Is unlike in Florida the ride track is VERY smooth. You'll feel like your gliding thru Space on your adventure instead of wishing your ride was over like Florida. There track is rediculously rough. I have never had a rougher ride then on Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom. The ride isn't even enjoyable in Florida because of how rough it is. So glad that Disneylands newer track doesn't suffer from these problems and offers an extremely fun and incredible ride. Put this one on your absolute Do Not Miss list and enjoy a thrilling ride thru space that doesn't rattle your brain.
As I exited the ride I stopped to see my picture from the ride and decided to load it to our Photopass+ Card. Kiera and Daniel were waiting for me at the rides exit as Kiera was trying to get Daniel to take a nap. It was now her turn to ride so we walked back over to the rides enterance and once again got another Rider Swap card for a later ride. Kiera then entered the Fastpass line with time card in hand and Daniel and I returned to where the rides Exit is located. He was so tired though that he had already passed out for a nap before we even got back to where we would wait. I kinda wish he hadn't fallen asleep as located directly across from us in the Starcade was the Wreck it Ralph meet and greet with Ralph and Vanillaphe from the movie. The line was only a 15 minute wait which would probably work perfect for Kieras ride but I didn't bother with Daniel being asleep. Kiera soon returned from her ride and also enjoyed it significantly more then the Orlando version.
Day 4, Part 3: Disneyland
With Daniel asleep and Kiera finishing her ride on Space Mountain we took advantage of Daniel sleeping and went to another ride that we would have to Rider Swap on. And it so happend that the ride we'd be going to was a short walk away. And we already have Fastpasses for it. We were heading to Star Tours.
I would be going first and once again we asked for a Rider Swap card in the event that we'd get to ride again later. Here at Star Tours we got the pass right at the ride enterance. I entered the ride and once indoors you will find the que to be pretty much indentical to the version at Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you may recall We rode this ride earlier this year in Orlando. I was very excited for it as the ride reopened last year after a referbishment and major update. The ride now features randomized locations making your ride different each time you go on it. The old version of the ride was great. But the new version is even better. Especially if your a Star Wars fan like myself. In fact I enjoyed the ride so much that it took the #1 spot as my favorite Simulator ride.
The wait was short but it still took longer to load then the ride does in Orlando. Thats because in Orlando the ride utilizes 6 simulators where in Disneyland there are only 4 simulators so be prepared for a longer wait. Soon though I was directed to my terminal and boarded our Starspeeder. As or StarSpeeder took off we were stopped by Darth Vader as the Empire was looking for a Rebel spy onboard. Luckly we were able to blast away though and found ourselves on Hoth as the Rebel Allliance was in battle with the Empire. We narrowly escaped and jump back to space where we got a holigraphic message from Yoda informing us to safely delever the Rebel Spy. We jump to lightspeed again to be confronted by not only Bobba Fett but also the Death Star as we engage in battle above Geonosis. Again we made it out alive though and found refuge on a Rebel starship where our ride came to an end.
The ride was great once again although the only part of this ride I had never experianced before was the Geonosis battle. I love the randomness of the ride as it really adds to the repeat value of the ride. I think its the only Simulator that I could go on multipule times in the same day. The 3d on the ride looks amazing as it adds depth to the ride instead of making things pop out at you. Yes the ride footage and simulator movments are the same as the Hollywood Studios version. So which version is better? Well theres no doubt that Hollywood Studios version has the better facade with the Endor set and the full size AT-AT. However the "movie set" theme doesn't work well in Florida dispite how amazing it looks. You walk thru Endor, find yourself in a spaceport, and then exit in a Tantooene shop? The full story works better in Disneyland as dispite the facade not being as good, you can believe your walking into a Tomorrowland space port. Then you exit into the more generic space portisc Startraders store. For the Overall package I think it works better at Disneyland. However most Star Wars fans will prefer the Hollywood Studios set up.
After my ride I found Kiera and Daniel and Kiera entered the Star Tours to take her ride to a Galaxy Far, Far away. Daniel was still asleep so I took a walk around Tomorrowland while Kiera rode. For being a land of the same name the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland couldn't be more different then Disneylands. Both try to be futuristic and sci-fi themed but thats where simularities end. The only thing the 2 have in common (other then 2 ride) is both are in desperate need of revamps. Both Tomorrowlands are in very rough shape. Magic Kingdoms seems to be invaded by Cartoon Characters where Disneylands is a jumbled mess. I never got to experiance the actual Tomorrowland 98' remodel that Disneyland got but its easy to see why that remodel failed so badly. Gold paint was thrown everywhere even on Space Mountain, The new "thrill ride" Rocket Rods was closed within 3 years, The Rocket Jets were replaced by something called and Observitron while the spinner was placed on ground level blocking the entryway, and it was all done on the cheap. Although the area has been repainted a much nicer Silver and Blue (with little gold left). But the area still is an inconsistant mess. Autopia isn't futuristic, Why is there a Toy shooter game, Theres talking fish in the Lagoon, and don't even get me started on Innoventions. Still dispite its weaknesses I still really like the land. I do think it looks pretty decent and I love it at night with all the neon lights. I also prefer the look and feel of Disneylands Tomorrowland more then the Magic Kingdoms. I feel in Florida that I could skip everything in Tomorrowland but I don't feel that way in California. The area needs work no doubt but its still probably my favorite area in Disneyland. Something needs to be done quick though as its so depressing seeing satalites on the load plateform and the empty people move tracks running everywhere. Please Disney fix Tomorrowland. And for reals this time.
While Kiera finished her ride I checked out the StarTraders store until she was done. The store was very packed especially around the build your own Lightsaber area as this is the only store in Disneyland where you can build one. When Kiera was done though we were done completly with Tomorrowland so we exited towards the hub. We would be continuing with our Journey to the opposite side of the parking to the parks Frontierland Section.
As with Adventureland, Disneylands Frontierland will seem significantly smaller then the Magic Kingdoms version. And you wouldn't be wrong. Frontierland is very small. Almost a blink and you miss it type area. But thats because the area is filled with waisted space. In addition to the large footprint that Big Thunder Mountain uses theres also a large space used by the Big Thunder Ranch and Festival Area at the back of the land that isn't even open much of the year. Frontierland is prime for expansion if they ever choose to do so as its another land that could use it. Even though Adventureland is small it seems larger then Frontierland. This is another case where the larger more elabrite version of Frontierland wins out in the Magic Kingdom compared to Disneyland.
There is a reason though why we came to Frontierland at this time. Daniel still hadn't waken up from his nap so we figued we would continue with doing rides he couldn't go on anyways. So we were heading for Big Thunder Mountain. A ride which if you have read my reviews may recall a ride I call my Cursed attraction. Thats because the ride always seems to be closed when we visit the parks. It was closed in 2008 when we came to Disneyland, and the Magic Kingdoms version was closed when we went earlier in 2012. Infact we barely made it this time as 3 weeks later the ride closed for a lengthy 10 month rehab.
I was very excited to go on Big Thunder Mountain. It was one that I loved as a kid and I had not been on the ride for close to 18 years. I couldn't even really remember it. We didn't pull Fastpasses for the ride because we didn't need to. When we got to the ride it only had a 10 minute wait posted so I just entered the standby line while Kiera would wait with the sleeping Daniel. We asked about Rider Swap and was told it was a pass we would get before boarding. The Que for the ride is something I forgot and is pretty cool as it takes you to the center of the mountain area where an old town is on one side and mining equipment and even dinosaur bones are all around you as the train passes on by. At the Top of the stairs is where your suppose to get the Rider Swap Card. But I didn't realize it and forgot to get it before boarding.
Our Runaway Train left the station and we were on our way into the mountain. This ride has to be the one that suprised me most on this trip. Not only did I forget all of the caverns you go in but also all of the animal animatronics. And the ride is long too. You go up and down and around the mountain then back up and do it again dipping thru caves and thru rivers and its so much fun. Dispite it being a family ride it delevers quite the thrill. I even remembered to do the "Goat Trick" which gives a little more thrill on the helex after the lift hill. I forgot what I was missing with not riding this in so long. Its one of Disney's best rides and one that should not be missed. Sorry but I unfotuantly won't be able to compare the Disneyland version of the ride to the Magic Kingdoms since it was closed when we went 7 months ago. I had a huge smile on my face as I exited the ride and returned to Kiera and Daniel who was now awake.
Luckly the Standby line still had a short wait so dispite forgeting to get the Rider Swap card she wouldn't have to wait long. Daniel didn't want to be in his stroller anymore by this point so he was out and able to run around for a minute while we waited for Kiera to ride. We walked up Big Thunder Trail towards the exit of Thunder Mountain to finish waiting for Kiera and when she returned after her ride we continued down the trail towards Big Thunder Ranch.
For many years During the Holidays Big Thunder Ranch has become Santas Reindeer Roundup. The ranch recieves a Christmas Overlay where you could meet Santa and also some of his Reindeer too. Well that is of a thing of the past as this year the area expanded into the Jingle, Jangle, Jamboree. As with many other "parties" thruout the year the back of the Ranch is opened up into the old Festival of Fools area. Don't worry though all of the old decorations are still here too. Unfotunatly Santas Reindeer are no longer making the trip down and won't be seen anymore.
The Festival area is pretty big and is where all of the Christmas activities are taking place. There is a stage where Bill Hill and the Hillbillies are playing during the holiday season. Theres also a food stand set up selling seasonally themed treats and snacks as well as many different Christmas themed games and Craft booths set up for the kids.
This is one of the areas of the park where Mickey and the Gang are located and I believe the only place in Disneyland that you will see them in there Christmas attire. The first Character we saw in here was Minnie so we got in line to see her. She had a Photopass photographer with her but when it was finally our turn Daniel was not happy to see her at all. He started crying and pulling away from her and didn't want anything to do with it. Again quite the difference from Florida 7 months earlier.
Santa use to meet and greet in a small Cabin thats part of the ranch. Now though he has a larger meet area in the Festival area. Daniel needed a Diaper change so while Kiera went and did that I went and got in line for Santa. The line didn't look to be too long but I would end up being very wrong. This line was one of the longest waits of the day as we waited about a 1/2 hour. The line moved so slow as many kids (or should I say parents) would rather there kids see Santa one at a time instead of as a family. After waiting it out though we finally got our turn with Santa. Daniel was afraid at first but was slowly warming up to Santa once he offered him a Candy Cane. We managed to get a few cute photos before Daniel was done with him again. I couldn't imagine coming to Disneyland during Christmas and not stopping to see Santa.
After we finished seeing Santa we saw that Goofy was also out now and was dressed up as Santa too. So we stopped to see him. Suprisingly Daniel didn't have a freak out this time seeing a character. Although he wasn't excited ether. He was just kind of whatever about it lol. We also stopped quickly and saw Mrs. Claus too who Daniel did actually like. Probably cause she would talk to him and be sweet.
We spent over an hour at the Jingle, Jangle, Jamboree and watched the sky's turn dark while we were in there. Having finished all we wanted to do we walked back into the Frontierland and made our way towards another attraction. We still had not gone on the Haunted Mansion so that was our next planned attraction. However when we arrived at the Mansion we were greated by some farely long lines and a 40 minute wait. So instead of waiting I went and grabbed some Fastpasses for the ride (only avalible during the Holidays) and we continued on to an area of the park we hadn't visited yet. Critter Country.
As we approched Critter Country we were looking at what I consider to be my favorite Disney ride (although I like the WDW version more) Splash Mountain. And I figured this would be a fairly short ride as we watched empty or nearly empty logs tumble over the waterfall. I guess with it being Dark and getting cold most people didn't want to chance getting wet at this time of night. Well i'm one of those people and with this being one of my favorites in the resort I was gonna ride. I got in line while Kiera continued down towards the Winnie the Pooh ride with Daniel. Sure enough the line was completly empty as I didn't even come across anyone until I was at the loading station where I was 2 people away from having my own log. Unfotunatly they placed me in a log with this couple though and my journey began.
Although the Disneyland Splash Mountain is the original version of the ride, this is one of the rare instances where the WDW version was cloned better then the original. I do prefer the original seating arrangement as it feels like a traditional log flume and there are many more animatronics as Disneyland's bennifited from the left over America Sings animatronics being added in. The general story of the ride is still the same and the additional small drops in the attraction still take me by suprise no matter which version i'm on. Although WDW's version is longer because it has additional show scenes in it that are missing in California. I felt really bad for the couple sitting in front of the log as every drop our log pretty much nose dived soaking those 2 while I stayed dry in the very back. They really got wet on the final drop which i'm sure does not feel good with the colder weather. Even though this version isn't as good as WDW's I still love it and could ride it over and over again. Its one that I highly recommend and shouldn't be missed. I would hope to ride it again later in the trip. Hopefully late at night again in hopes to get a log to myself.
When I exited the ride I found Kiera and Daniel waiting for me but turns out they hadn't rode the Winnie the Pooh ride because it was closed for some reason. I asked Kiera if she wanted a turn then on Splash Mountain but she decided as well with the Darkness and Cold that she didn't want to risk getting wet so she didn't ride tonight. As we were walking back up towards the exit to Critter Country we again passed the Entrance to Winnie the Pooh and found that the ride had reopened. So we parked the stroller and entered the line where there was no wait to board a vehicle. Compared to the WDW version I really like the exterior of the Disneyland ride more. I like the outdoorsy que and the outside loading area. I also like the honeycomb style ride vehicles more then the honey pots in Florida. The vehicles also move up and down more then they do in Florida which is pretty unique. However for overall story I think the WDW version is better. I also did like the new Interactive que in Florida. The ride is fairly odd during some points that seems pretty trippy but overall I found myself enjoying the ride more then I did in 2008. The opinion that really matterd though was Daniels as he really seemed to enjoy the ride again with its bright and vibrant colors. This isn't a ride that I would consider a must see but its short diversion if you're rider swapping on Splash Mountain or you want to get out of the sun. Plus it almost always has a short wait. Overall though I would say the WDW is the better of the two.
We managed to time ourselves in Critter Country just right once again as when we were finishing with Winnie the Pooh our Fastpasses for the Haunted Mansion became avalible for use. So since we'd have to walk past the Mansion anyway thats where we would be heading next.
As I mentioned earlier during the Christmas and Halloween Holidays the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is transformed with a Nightmare before Christmas overlay. With these characters its almost like the Haunted Mansion becomes a completly different ride. I'm happy we decided to pull the Fastpasses as the standby line was still long. Infact it had grown 5 minutes in length since we were last here. The exterior decor of the Mansion looks like it could have been pulled right out of the Movie. The detail is so interesting and screams halloweentown. Within 5 minutes we walked thru the mansions front doors and into the stretching room where unlike WDW the stretching room is an actual elevator as you move down.
The waiting hallway to load into the doombuggies was much less crowded then it was in Florida dispite the attraction being much busier then it was in the Magic Kingdom when we rode 7 months ago. We stepped in our Doombuggie and we were on our way into the mansion which was decorated from head to toe. Every nook and cranny it seemed had the overlay put in it. There was no floating candle. Instead Zero the Ghost dog was in the hallway. The ghosts were still dancing away in the Dance hall but theres also a very well done Gingerbread house down there with other holiday goodies. The attic is filled with presents for all the kids on Santas list. However our ride came to a stop for a moment here before continueing on to the Graveyard.
As you approch the graveyard you'll find that it is coverd in snow as you pass a life size Jack Skellington Animatronic. The graveyard is a winter wonderland with snow angel pumpkins soaring above in the air. The ride ends after passing a Life size Oggie Boogie and collecting your presents where the hitch hiking ghosts are usually at.
The Haunted Mansion is a Disney classic that should never be missed. And the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay really shouldn't be missed since its around for such a short time. So how does Disneylands Mansion compare to the Magic Kingdoms. Once again Disneylands Mansion is the original but its hard for me to choose the winner because I havn't been on the regular version of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland in a very long time. Exteriorwise I like the look of Floridas more and from what I remember I think the ride portion was better too. However Florida doesn't get the Holiday overlay and that makes Disneylands version into something really special. Fans of the movie will love the overlay and it will make them wish there was an actual Nightmare Before Christmas ride.
When we finished with the Mansion we realized how hungry we were so we decided now would be a good time to find something to eat for Dinner. After looking over the Touringplans app on my phone we decided to head back to Tomorrowland to grab dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrice. As we started making way across the hub back to Tomorrowland we saw Sleeping Beauty Castle all lite up with its Christmas lights turned on. The castle looked incredible. Breathtakingly beautiful. They had the area directly in front of it closed off though i'm guessing as they started to prepare for the Fireworks.
As we entered back into Tomorrowland the area looked great at night with all the lights on. We headed strait to the Tomorrowland Terrace where the was practically no lines for food since we had missed the dinner rush. I ended up ordering the BBQ Bacon Burger while Kiera got the Chicken Sandwich. We also ordered a milk so that we could give Daniel a bottle. Its too bad that we were eating later and the Jedi Training Acadamy was already finished for the day because here in California the show is done on a small stage at the Tomorrowland Terrace. The food was good and filling and after finishing up we continued on back into Tomorrowland.
We were an hour away from the fireworks starting and since we still had 2 Rider Swap cards for Space Mountain from earlier in the day we decided to use them at this time. I went first again while Kiera went to wait near the exit. The wait turned out to be a little bit longer this time of night then it was earlier in the day. I'm guessing because of all the people using there expired Fastpasses late. But soon I was in the rocket and shooting off into space. I seriously love this ride so much. Its nearly perfect in every way.
As I finished with my ride Kiera took the last Rider Swap card and went and rode as well. Why Daniel and I waited I again let him out of the stroller to let him run around for a bit. In the Starcade across from us the Wreck it Ralph meet and greet had closed for the day however the backdrops were still up and open where you could take pictures with them. Daniel loved playing around the building from the Fix it Felix Jr. Video game and it almost seemed like he was trying to climb it to "wreck it". As part of the Meet and Greet they even created a few full size Fix it Felix Jr. Arcade games that you can actually play. I never got a chance to play them but I thought it was a cool touch.
When Kiera finished her ride thru space we had about 25 minutes until I thought the Fireworks would be starting. There was one more ride in Tomorrowland that we hadn't rode earlier because Daniel was asleep and we were sure it was a ride he would like. The ride is Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters and since Daniel is pretty much obsessed with all things Toy Story we knew he had to be awake. The line was posted with only a 10 minute wait so we got in line which stretched outside the building. It was while waiting in line though that I overhead somebody say the fireworks would be starting at 8:45. Not 9pm like I thought they would. Since we really only had about 10 minutes now until the Fireworks we decided to get out of line and not ride on Buzz today so that we could see the Fireworks instead.
With Daniel asleep and Kiera finishing her ride on Space Mountain we took advantage of Daniel sleeping and went to another ride that we would have to Rider Swap on. And it so happend that the ride we'd be going to was a short walk away. And we already have Fastpasses for it. We were heading to Star Tours.
I would be going first and once again we asked for a Rider Swap card in the event that we'd get to ride again later. Here at Star Tours we got the pass right at the ride enterance. I entered the ride and once indoors you will find the que to be pretty much indentical to the version at Disney's Hollywood Studios. If you may recall We rode this ride earlier this year in Orlando. I was very excited for it as the ride reopened last year after a referbishment and major update. The ride now features randomized locations making your ride different each time you go on it. The old version of the ride was great. But the new version is even better. Especially if your a Star Wars fan like myself. In fact I enjoyed the ride so much that it took the #1 spot as my favorite Simulator ride.
The wait was short but it still took longer to load then the ride does in Orlando. Thats because in Orlando the ride utilizes 6 simulators where in Disneyland there are only 4 simulators so be prepared for a longer wait. Soon though I was directed to my terminal and boarded our Starspeeder. As or StarSpeeder took off we were stopped by Darth Vader as the Empire was looking for a Rebel spy onboard. Luckly we were able to blast away though and found ourselves on Hoth as the Rebel Allliance was in battle with the Empire. We narrowly escaped and jump back to space where we got a holigraphic message from Yoda informing us to safely delever the Rebel Spy. We jump to lightspeed again to be confronted by not only Bobba Fett but also the Death Star as we engage in battle above Geonosis. Again we made it out alive though and found refuge on a Rebel starship where our ride came to an end.
The ride was great once again although the only part of this ride I had never experianced before was the Geonosis battle. I love the randomness of the ride as it really adds to the repeat value of the ride. I think its the only Simulator that I could go on multipule times in the same day. The 3d on the ride looks amazing as it adds depth to the ride instead of making things pop out at you. Yes the ride footage and simulator movments are the same as the Hollywood Studios version. So which version is better? Well theres no doubt that Hollywood Studios version has the better facade with the Endor set and the full size AT-AT. However the "movie set" theme doesn't work well in Florida dispite how amazing it looks. You walk thru Endor, find yourself in a spaceport, and then exit in a Tantooene shop? The full story works better in Disneyland as dispite the facade not being as good, you can believe your walking into a Tomorrowland space port. Then you exit into the more generic space portisc Startraders store. For the Overall package I think it works better at Disneyland. However most Star Wars fans will prefer the Hollywood Studios set up.
After my ride I found Kiera and Daniel and Kiera entered the Star Tours to take her ride to a Galaxy Far, Far away. Daniel was still asleep so I took a walk around Tomorrowland while Kiera rode. For being a land of the same name the Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland couldn't be more different then Disneylands. Both try to be futuristic and sci-fi themed but thats where simularities end. The only thing the 2 have in common (other then 2 ride) is both are in desperate need of revamps. Both Tomorrowlands are in very rough shape. Magic Kingdoms seems to be invaded by Cartoon Characters where Disneylands is a jumbled mess. I never got to experiance the actual Tomorrowland 98' remodel that Disneyland got but its easy to see why that remodel failed so badly. Gold paint was thrown everywhere even on Space Mountain, The new "thrill ride" Rocket Rods was closed within 3 years, The Rocket Jets were replaced by something called and Observitron while the spinner was placed on ground level blocking the entryway, and it was all done on the cheap. Although the area has been repainted a much nicer Silver and Blue (with little gold left). But the area still is an inconsistant mess. Autopia isn't futuristic, Why is there a Toy shooter game, Theres talking fish in the Lagoon, and don't even get me started on Innoventions. Still dispite its weaknesses I still really like the land. I do think it looks pretty decent and I love it at night with all the neon lights. I also prefer the look and feel of Disneylands Tomorrowland more then the Magic Kingdoms. I feel in Florida that I could skip everything in Tomorrowland but I don't feel that way in California. The area needs work no doubt but its still probably my favorite area in Disneyland. Something needs to be done quick though as its so depressing seeing satalites on the load plateform and the empty people move tracks running everywhere. Please Disney fix Tomorrowland. And for reals this time.
While Kiera finished her ride I checked out the StarTraders store until she was done. The store was very packed especially around the build your own Lightsaber area as this is the only store in Disneyland where you can build one. When Kiera was done though we were done completly with Tomorrowland so we exited towards the hub. We would be continuing with our Journey to the opposite side of the parking to the parks Frontierland Section.
As with Adventureland, Disneylands Frontierland will seem significantly smaller then the Magic Kingdoms version. And you wouldn't be wrong. Frontierland is very small. Almost a blink and you miss it type area. But thats because the area is filled with waisted space. In addition to the large footprint that Big Thunder Mountain uses theres also a large space used by the Big Thunder Ranch and Festival Area at the back of the land that isn't even open much of the year. Frontierland is prime for expansion if they ever choose to do so as its another land that could use it. Even though Adventureland is small it seems larger then Frontierland. This is another case where the larger more elabrite version of Frontierland wins out in the Magic Kingdom compared to Disneyland.
There is a reason though why we came to Frontierland at this time. Daniel still hadn't waken up from his nap so we figued we would continue with doing rides he couldn't go on anyways. So we were heading for Big Thunder Mountain. A ride which if you have read my reviews may recall a ride I call my Cursed attraction. Thats because the ride always seems to be closed when we visit the parks. It was closed in 2008 when we came to Disneyland, and the Magic Kingdoms version was closed when we went earlier in 2012. Infact we barely made it this time as 3 weeks later the ride closed for a lengthy 10 month rehab.
I was very excited to go on Big Thunder Mountain. It was one that I loved as a kid and I had not been on the ride for close to 18 years. I couldn't even really remember it. We didn't pull Fastpasses for the ride because we didn't need to. When we got to the ride it only had a 10 minute wait posted so I just entered the standby line while Kiera would wait with the sleeping Daniel. We asked about Rider Swap and was told it was a pass we would get before boarding. The Que for the ride is something I forgot and is pretty cool as it takes you to the center of the mountain area where an old town is on one side and mining equipment and even dinosaur bones are all around you as the train passes on by. At the Top of the stairs is where your suppose to get the Rider Swap Card. But I didn't realize it and forgot to get it before boarding.
Our Runaway Train left the station and we were on our way into the mountain. This ride has to be the one that suprised me most on this trip. Not only did I forget all of the caverns you go in but also all of the animal animatronics. And the ride is long too. You go up and down and around the mountain then back up and do it again dipping thru caves and thru rivers and its so much fun. Dispite it being a family ride it delevers quite the thrill. I even remembered to do the "Goat Trick" which gives a little more thrill on the helex after the lift hill. I forgot what I was missing with not riding this in so long. Its one of Disney's best rides and one that should not be missed. Sorry but I unfotuantly won't be able to compare the Disneyland version of the ride to the Magic Kingdoms since it was closed when we went 7 months ago. I had a huge smile on my face as I exited the ride and returned to Kiera and Daniel who was now awake.
Luckly the Standby line still had a short wait so dispite forgeting to get the Rider Swap card she wouldn't have to wait long. Daniel didn't want to be in his stroller anymore by this point so he was out and able to run around for a minute while we waited for Kiera to ride. We walked up Big Thunder Trail towards the exit of Thunder Mountain to finish waiting for Kiera and when she returned after her ride we continued down the trail towards Big Thunder Ranch.
For many years During the Holidays Big Thunder Ranch has become Santas Reindeer Roundup. The ranch recieves a Christmas Overlay where you could meet Santa and also some of his Reindeer too. Well that is of a thing of the past as this year the area expanded into the Jingle, Jangle, Jamboree. As with many other "parties" thruout the year the back of the Ranch is opened up into the old Festival of Fools area. Don't worry though all of the old decorations are still here too. Unfotunatly Santas Reindeer are no longer making the trip down and won't be seen anymore.
The Festival area is pretty big and is where all of the Christmas activities are taking place. There is a stage where Bill Hill and the Hillbillies are playing during the holiday season. Theres also a food stand set up selling seasonally themed treats and snacks as well as many different Christmas themed games and Craft booths set up for the kids.
This is one of the areas of the park where Mickey and the Gang are located and I believe the only place in Disneyland that you will see them in there Christmas attire. The first Character we saw in here was Minnie so we got in line to see her. She had a Photopass photographer with her but when it was finally our turn Daniel was not happy to see her at all. He started crying and pulling away from her and didn't want anything to do with it. Again quite the difference from Florida 7 months earlier.
Santa use to meet and greet in a small Cabin thats part of the ranch. Now though he has a larger meet area in the Festival area. Daniel needed a Diaper change so while Kiera went and did that I went and got in line for Santa. The line didn't look to be too long but I would end up being very wrong. This line was one of the longest waits of the day as we waited about a 1/2 hour. The line moved so slow as many kids (or should I say parents) would rather there kids see Santa one at a time instead of as a family. After waiting it out though we finally got our turn with Santa. Daniel was afraid at first but was slowly warming up to Santa once he offered him a Candy Cane. We managed to get a few cute photos before Daniel was done with him again. I couldn't imagine coming to Disneyland during Christmas and not stopping to see Santa.
After we finished seeing Santa we saw that Goofy was also out now and was dressed up as Santa too. So we stopped to see him. Suprisingly Daniel didn't have a freak out this time seeing a character. Although he wasn't excited ether. He was just kind of whatever about it lol. We also stopped quickly and saw Mrs. Claus too who Daniel did actually like. Probably cause she would talk to him and be sweet.
We spent over an hour at the Jingle, Jangle, Jamboree and watched the sky's turn dark while we were in there. Having finished all we wanted to do we walked back into the Frontierland and made our way towards another attraction. We still had not gone on the Haunted Mansion so that was our next planned attraction. However when we arrived at the Mansion we were greated by some farely long lines and a 40 minute wait. So instead of waiting I went and grabbed some Fastpasses for the ride (only avalible during the Holidays) and we continued on to an area of the park we hadn't visited yet. Critter Country.
As we approched Critter Country we were looking at what I consider to be my favorite Disney ride (although I like the WDW version more) Splash Mountain. And I figured this would be a fairly short ride as we watched empty or nearly empty logs tumble over the waterfall. I guess with it being Dark and getting cold most people didn't want to chance getting wet at this time of night. Well i'm one of those people and with this being one of my favorites in the resort I was gonna ride. I got in line while Kiera continued down towards the Winnie the Pooh ride with Daniel. Sure enough the line was completly empty as I didn't even come across anyone until I was at the loading station where I was 2 people away from having my own log. Unfotunatly they placed me in a log with this couple though and my journey began.
Although the Disneyland Splash Mountain is the original version of the ride, this is one of the rare instances where the WDW version was cloned better then the original. I do prefer the original seating arrangement as it feels like a traditional log flume and there are many more animatronics as Disneyland's bennifited from the left over America Sings animatronics being added in. The general story of the ride is still the same and the additional small drops in the attraction still take me by suprise no matter which version i'm on. Although WDW's version is longer because it has additional show scenes in it that are missing in California. I felt really bad for the couple sitting in front of the log as every drop our log pretty much nose dived soaking those 2 while I stayed dry in the very back. They really got wet on the final drop which i'm sure does not feel good with the colder weather. Even though this version isn't as good as WDW's I still love it and could ride it over and over again. Its one that I highly recommend and shouldn't be missed. I would hope to ride it again later in the trip. Hopefully late at night again in hopes to get a log to myself.
When I exited the ride I found Kiera and Daniel waiting for me but turns out they hadn't rode the Winnie the Pooh ride because it was closed for some reason. I asked Kiera if she wanted a turn then on Splash Mountain but she decided as well with the Darkness and Cold that she didn't want to risk getting wet so she didn't ride tonight. As we were walking back up towards the exit to Critter Country we again passed the Entrance to Winnie the Pooh and found that the ride had reopened. So we parked the stroller and entered the line where there was no wait to board a vehicle. Compared to the WDW version I really like the exterior of the Disneyland ride more. I like the outdoorsy que and the outside loading area. I also like the honeycomb style ride vehicles more then the honey pots in Florida. The vehicles also move up and down more then they do in Florida which is pretty unique. However for overall story I think the WDW version is better. I also did like the new Interactive que in Florida. The ride is fairly odd during some points that seems pretty trippy but overall I found myself enjoying the ride more then I did in 2008. The opinion that really matterd though was Daniels as he really seemed to enjoy the ride again with its bright and vibrant colors. This isn't a ride that I would consider a must see but its short diversion if you're rider swapping on Splash Mountain or you want to get out of the sun. Plus it almost always has a short wait. Overall though I would say the WDW is the better of the two.
We managed to time ourselves in Critter Country just right once again as when we were finishing with Winnie the Pooh our Fastpasses for the Haunted Mansion became avalible for use. So since we'd have to walk past the Mansion anyway thats where we would be heading next.
As I mentioned earlier during the Christmas and Halloween Holidays the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is transformed with a Nightmare before Christmas overlay. With these characters its almost like the Haunted Mansion becomes a completly different ride. I'm happy we decided to pull the Fastpasses as the standby line was still long. Infact it had grown 5 minutes in length since we were last here. The exterior decor of the Mansion looks like it could have been pulled right out of the Movie. The detail is so interesting and screams halloweentown. Within 5 minutes we walked thru the mansions front doors and into the stretching room where unlike WDW the stretching room is an actual elevator as you move down.
The waiting hallway to load into the doombuggies was much less crowded then it was in Florida dispite the attraction being much busier then it was in the Magic Kingdom when we rode 7 months ago. We stepped in our Doombuggie and we were on our way into the mansion which was decorated from head to toe. Every nook and cranny it seemed had the overlay put in it. There was no floating candle. Instead Zero the Ghost dog was in the hallway. The ghosts were still dancing away in the Dance hall but theres also a very well done Gingerbread house down there with other holiday goodies. The attic is filled with presents for all the kids on Santas list. However our ride came to a stop for a moment here before continueing on to the Graveyard.
As you approch the graveyard you'll find that it is coverd in snow as you pass a life size Jack Skellington Animatronic. The graveyard is a winter wonderland with snow angel pumpkins soaring above in the air. The ride ends after passing a Life size Oggie Boogie and collecting your presents where the hitch hiking ghosts are usually at.
The Haunted Mansion is a Disney classic that should never be missed. And the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay really shouldn't be missed since its around for such a short time. So how does Disneylands Mansion compare to the Magic Kingdoms. Once again Disneylands Mansion is the original but its hard for me to choose the winner because I havn't been on the regular version of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland in a very long time. Exteriorwise I like the look of Floridas more and from what I remember I think the ride portion was better too. However Florida doesn't get the Holiday overlay and that makes Disneylands version into something really special. Fans of the movie will love the overlay and it will make them wish there was an actual Nightmare Before Christmas ride.
When we finished with the Mansion we realized how hungry we were so we decided now would be a good time to find something to eat for Dinner. After looking over the Touringplans app on my phone we decided to head back to Tomorrowland to grab dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrice. As we started making way across the hub back to Tomorrowland we saw Sleeping Beauty Castle all lite up with its Christmas lights turned on. The castle looked incredible. Breathtakingly beautiful. They had the area directly in front of it closed off though i'm guessing as they started to prepare for the Fireworks.
As we entered back into Tomorrowland the area looked great at night with all the lights on. We headed strait to the Tomorrowland Terrace where the was practically no lines for food since we had missed the dinner rush. I ended up ordering the BBQ Bacon Burger while Kiera got the Chicken Sandwich. We also ordered a milk so that we could give Daniel a bottle. Its too bad that we were eating later and the Jedi Training Acadamy was already finished for the day because here in California the show is done on a small stage at the Tomorrowland Terrace. The food was good and filling and after finishing up we continued on back into Tomorrowland.
We were an hour away from the fireworks starting and since we still had 2 Rider Swap cards for Space Mountain from earlier in the day we decided to use them at this time. I went first again while Kiera went to wait near the exit. The wait turned out to be a little bit longer this time of night then it was earlier in the day. I'm guessing because of all the people using there expired Fastpasses late. But soon I was in the rocket and shooting off into space. I seriously love this ride so much. Its nearly perfect in every way.
As I finished with my ride Kiera took the last Rider Swap card and went and rode as well. Why Daniel and I waited I again let him out of the stroller to let him run around for a bit. In the Starcade across from us the Wreck it Ralph meet and greet had closed for the day however the backdrops were still up and open where you could take pictures with them. Daniel loved playing around the building from the Fix it Felix Jr. Video game and it almost seemed like he was trying to climb it to "wreck it". As part of the Meet and Greet they even created a few full size Fix it Felix Jr. Arcade games that you can actually play. I never got a chance to play them but I thought it was a cool touch.
When Kiera finished her ride thru space we had about 25 minutes until I thought the Fireworks would be starting. There was one more ride in Tomorrowland that we hadn't rode earlier because Daniel was asleep and we were sure it was a ride he would like. The ride is Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters and since Daniel is pretty much obsessed with all things Toy Story we knew he had to be awake. The line was posted with only a 10 minute wait so we got in line which stretched outside the building. It was while waiting in line though that I overhead somebody say the fireworks would be starting at 8:45. Not 9pm like I thought they would. Since we really only had about 10 minutes now until the Fireworks we decided to get out of line and not ride on Buzz today so that we could see the Fireworks instead.
Great stuff! :rep: If I ever get the chance to visit Disneyland, I hope I can make it around the holidays so I can catch the Nightmare Before Christmas version of HM!
Day 4, Part 4: Disneyland
We rushed into a very crowded Hub and Main Street area as we were less then 10 minutes away from the Fireworks starting. I thought we wouldn't be able to find too great of a spot so we were suprised to find a spot with a head on view of the castle just past the Partners statue. I don't know if this was a pathway that they had opened up right before we got there but it was like a big open spot with nobody standing that filled in as we waited.
As we waited for the fireworks and saw so many kids with light up bands and toys we pulled out the ones we brought for Daniel. We picked some up from the local Dollar Tree before our trip so that Daniel could have something at night and he loved them. Although he also tried shoving them down my mouth too lol. Buying the light up bands at home will diffenitly save you some money from buying them in park and most kids won't know the difference.
If you read our 2008 recap of our last visit to Disneyland then you'll know we didn't get to see the fireworks how they were intended to be viewed. We nearly got stuck on the Matterhorn on that trip and because of that delay we were blocked off from getting us in front of the Castle and forced us to watch the fireworks from Fantasyland just outside the Matterhorn. We were so excited to finally see the Christmas Fireworks from the Hub.
The fireworks soon started and were accompanied by the sounds of Christmas Music. Daniel was instantly excited as he saw the explosians of light in the sky. He laughed and clapped just like he did with World of Color the night before. He loved the show the whole time. The show itself is pretty good. Theres not many fireworks shows out there that are as good as the worst Disney does. Plus the Christmas Fireworks make for something truely magical during the Holiday season.
But thats not to say the fireworks are perfect. Although we were very happy to see the Fireworks from in front of the castle we couldn't help but think the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom were much better. Of course that is comparing there regular fireworks to a Holiday version so maybe that had something to do with us likeing them more. Maybe we would have enjoyed them more if it was the regular show. And we were really dissapointed to see that Tinkerbell DOES NOT FLY during the Christmas fireworks. We really wanted to see that as we hear its much better in Disneyland then it is at the Magic Kingdom. So compared to the Christmas Firework show at Disneyland. We prefer the Magic Kingdoms show more.
Dispite these issues though and a very crowded Main Street and Hub that people will camp out for at Disneyland for hours on end the show was still great and something that you cannot miss no matter what Disney park your in. Fireworks ending the day is part of the experiance and you should make sure to see them.
The thing that is truely made for a magical experiance though was the second the Fireworks were finished the trees illuminated white as if covered with snow and as the music changed snow starts to fall from the sky. Well not real snow. We get plenty of that in Utah but its snow that is made from bubble suds. There consistancy as the fall though do look just like snow until it touches your skin and you see what it really is. Daniel really loved the snowfall and with his reactions mixed with the soundtrack playing it was once again a moment that brought tears to my eye as I was so happy to experiance this with my small family.
Once the snow turns off the lights in the trees will also go out but Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Main Street Tree will stay lite up for the rest of the night. Although the park was officially closed at this point we decided to go against the crowds heading for the exit and made our way to the front of the castle in hopes that there would be Photopass Photographers out again now that the fireworks were over. Unfotunatly there wasn't though so we walked thru the castle and back into Fantasyland.
We were heading back to Fantasyland because we wanted to see "Its a Small World" lite up with its Christmas lights. We also hoped that there would be a photopass photographer back there still as well. When we got back there the building looked great lite up at night. Its probably the closest that the Disneyland Resort gets to the Spectical of Lights thats put on at the Hollywood Studios in Florida. Although the building looks amazing at night all lite up we wouldn't get to enjoy it for too long as security was already back here telling people that the park was closed and to head to the exit. Unforutnatly this also ment no Photopass people were around and the one person who took our families photo didn't use the flash.
We started heading back towards Main Street and once again cruised passed the castle in hopes that there were photographers out but again there wasn't. I can honestly say the lack of PhotoPass Photographers was one of the only dissapointments we had with the Disneyland resort. In all of the Florida parks there were photographers everywhere AND they were all out wel past the official park closing time. That is not the case here as the photographers were hard to find in Disneyland park (although there were many in DCA) but nether park had them out after closing. I guess thats probably why the package is cheaper in California then it is for Florida.
Main Street had cleared out fairly significantly since we left it after the Fireworks. These times after the park officially closes for the night are some of the times that I enjoy them most because you can really take in the beauty without the crowds. Main Street is a very special place at night with all the vintage lighting down the street.
As we made our way towards the exit though we decided to take a look at the large Emporiam store to see if there was anything that we missed in many of the other stores of the resort. However there wasn't anything too special that we didn't already see elsewhere. I guess the Emporiam (as well as Elias and Co and the World of Disney Stores) carry the best selling items found thruout the resort.
We soon reached the end of Main Street and viewed the large Christmas tree up close and gazed back down towards the castle one last time for the night. We walked past Walts Apartment above the Firehouse and the walked thru the tunnel and thru the park exit.
The DCA exit also looked great at night with not many people standing around the Esplande.
You would think we would start the long trek back to the Hotel now but before leaving the resort we wanted to walk thru the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. I didn't mention it earlier but when we ate at the Bangle BBQ a couple days earlier a coupon printed on the bottom of the reciept for 20% you full order at select locations by 1pm so with only one Disney park day left we wanted to make sure first that the World of Disney store had all that we would want to buy.
After looking around the store we did find pretty much everything we wanted to we started the walk back to the hotel. Obviously we wouldn't get back tonight before the pool closed to soak our feet but it was nice to kick our shoes off and relax once we were finally back in the room for the night. We again quickly got ready for bed as we were pretty tired and beat after spending over 13 hours in the park today. We had another Park day ahead of us tomorrow but it would be much less tiring as we would be able to sleep in a little and take our time getting to the park. Thats because tomorrow we would be returning to Universal Studios Hollywood for our 2nd and final day there.
We rushed into a very crowded Hub and Main Street area as we were less then 10 minutes away from the Fireworks starting. I thought we wouldn't be able to find too great of a spot so we were suprised to find a spot with a head on view of the castle just past the Partners statue. I don't know if this was a pathway that they had opened up right before we got there but it was like a big open spot with nobody standing that filled in as we waited.
As we waited for the fireworks and saw so many kids with light up bands and toys we pulled out the ones we brought for Daniel. We picked some up from the local Dollar Tree before our trip so that Daniel could have something at night and he loved them. Although he also tried shoving them down my mouth too lol. Buying the light up bands at home will diffenitly save you some money from buying them in park and most kids won't know the difference.
If you read our 2008 recap of our last visit to Disneyland then you'll know we didn't get to see the fireworks how they were intended to be viewed. We nearly got stuck on the Matterhorn on that trip and because of that delay we were blocked off from getting us in front of the Castle and forced us to watch the fireworks from Fantasyland just outside the Matterhorn. We were so excited to finally see the Christmas Fireworks from the Hub.
The fireworks soon started and were accompanied by the sounds of Christmas Music. Daniel was instantly excited as he saw the explosians of light in the sky. He laughed and clapped just like he did with World of Color the night before. He loved the show the whole time. The show itself is pretty good. Theres not many fireworks shows out there that are as good as the worst Disney does. Plus the Christmas Fireworks make for something truely magical during the Holiday season.
But thats not to say the fireworks are perfect. Although we were very happy to see the Fireworks from in front of the castle we couldn't help but think the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom were much better. Of course that is comparing there regular fireworks to a Holiday version so maybe that had something to do with us likeing them more. Maybe we would have enjoyed them more if it was the regular show. And we were really dissapointed to see that Tinkerbell DOES NOT FLY during the Christmas fireworks. We really wanted to see that as we hear its much better in Disneyland then it is at the Magic Kingdom. So compared to the Christmas Firework show at Disneyland. We prefer the Magic Kingdoms show more.
Dispite these issues though and a very crowded Main Street and Hub that people will camp out for at Disneyland for hours on end the show was still great and something that you cannot miss no matter what Disney park your in. Fireworks ending the day is part of the experiance and you should make sure to see them.
The thing that is truely made for a magical experiance though was the second the Fireworks were finished the trees illuminated white as if covered with snow and as the music changed snow starts to fall from the sky. Well not real snow. We get plenty of that in Utah but its snow that is made from bubble suds. There consistancy as the fall though do look just like snow until it touches your skin and you see what it really is. Daniel really loved the snowfall and with his reactions mixed with the soundtrack playing it was once again a moment that brought tears to my eye as I was so happy to experiance this with my small family.
Once the snow turns off the lights in the trees will also go out but Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Main Street Tree will stay lite up for the rest of the night. Although the park was officially closed at this point we decided to go against the crowds heading for the exit and made our way to the front of the castle in hopes that there would be Photopass Photographers out again now that the fireworks were over. Unfotunatly there wasn't though so we walked thru the castle and back into Fantasyland.
We were heading back to Fantasyland because we wanted to see "Its a Small World" lite up with its Christmas lights. We also hoped that there would be a photopass photographer back there still as well. When we got back there the building looked great lite up at night. Its probably the closest that the Disneyland Resort gets to the Spectical of Lights thats put on at the Hollywood Studios in Florida. Although the building looks amazing at night all lite up we wouldn't get to enjoy it for too long as security was already back here telling people that the park was closed and to head to the exit. Unforutnatly this also ment no Photopass people were around and the one person who took our families photo didn't use the flash.
We started heading back towards Main Street and once again cruised passed the castle in hopes that there were photographers out but again there wasn't. I can honestly say the lack of PhotoPass Photographers was one of the only dissapointments we had with the Disneyland resort. In all of the Florida parks there were photographers everywhere AND they were all out wel past the official park closing time. That is not the case here as the photographers were hard to find in Disneyland park (although there were many in DCA) but nether park had them out after closing. I guess thats probably why the package is cheaper in California then it is for Florida.
Main Street had cleared out fairly significantly since we left it after the Fireworks. These times after the park officially closes for the night are some of the times that I enjoy them most because you can really take in the beauty without the crowds. Main Street is a very special place at night with all the vintage lighting down the street.
As we made our way towards the exit though we decided to take a look at the large Emporiam store to see if there was anything that we missed in many of the other stores of the resort. However there wasn't anything too special that we didn't already see elsewhere. I guess the Emporiam (as well as Elias and Co and the World of Disney Stores) carry the best selling items found thruout the resort.
We soon reached the end of Main Street and viewed the large Christmas tree up close and gazed back down towards the castle one last time for the night. We walked past Walts Apartment above the Firehouse and the walked thru the tunnel and thru the park exit.
The DCA exit also looked great at night with not many people standing around the Esplande.
You would think we would start the long trek back to the Hotel now but before leaving the resort we wanted to walk thru the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. I didn't mention it earlier but when we ate at the Bangle BBQ a couple days earlier a coupon printed on the bottom of the reciept for 20% you full order at select locations by 1pm so with only one Disney park day left we wanted to make sure first that the World of Disney store had all that we would want to buy.
After looking around the store we did find pretty much everything we wanted to we started the walk back to the hotel. Obviously we wouldn't get back tonight before the pool closed to soak our feet but it was nice to kick our shoes off and relax once we were finally back in the room for the night. We again quickly got ready for bed as we were pretty tired and beat after spending over 13 hours in the park today. We had another Park day ahead of us tomorrow but it would be much less tiring as we would be able to sleep in a little and take our time getting to the park. Thats because tomorrow we would be returning to Universal Studios Hollywood for our 2nd and final day there.
Day 5, Part 1: Universal Studios Hollywood
The start of this day was much more relaxing then the previous two. Although today was another park day we wouldn't be waking up before the sun rose to get ready. We would be going back to Universal Studios Hollywood today. A park we had already been to on this trip so we were't in a huge rush to get there.
Compared to waking up before 7am then prior two days it was so nice to finally be able to somewhat sleep in. We got up and took our time getting ready and with a late breakfast in the room we finally left the hotel at around 11am.
As we drove back to the LA area where Universal is located we noticed some darker clouds and then it started to rain. We knew that there was a chance of rain today. I was just really hoping it wouldn't be anything too bad since we would be out in the park most of the day. I thought we would be in luck though as the rain had stopped shortly before we passed Downtown LA.
The drive to Universal took a big longer then I thought it would. I figured since we were driving during in the late morning that traffic would be fine. But we still got stuck in it for a little bit adding about 20 minutes to the drive. Although the drive should take around 40-45 minutes always plan on it taking over an hour. I wish I would have thought that sooner.
We pulled up to the Universal Studios and it was evident right away how different the crowds would be compared to what they were on Saturday when we came. There was only 1 lane open to get into the parking area. Then we were able to find a spot right up front to the Citywalk enterance from the garage instead of parking 3 levels up like we did Saturday.
This time we were on the main level of Citywalk when we exited the garage. As we walked thru Citywalk towards the park we walked past the iFly indoor skydiving. Well I guess its indoor but you the tube is actually outside and anyone can watch the skydivers do there thing in the tube. It was pretty cool to sit and watch for a moment and Daniel really seemed to enjoy it. I don't think I could ever get myself to do it though.
As we walked thru Citywalk the whole place had a different vibe to it compared to the previous Saturday. It was much nicer not being so packed but many things were missing. Santa wasn't out and there wasn't any concerts going on. Still Citywalk Hollywood is probably my favorite out of all the resort shopping/entertainment areas in California and Florida.
We soon arrived at the enterance of the park. Unfortunatly though as we were walking thru Citywalk the rain had come back. Luckly it wasn't too bad though and we hoped it wouldn't get any worse then it was. Considering today was much lighter crowd wise then it was on Saturday we were suprised by how many Universal Photographers were out taking photos for guests near the globe and enterance to the park. If you are using the Citypass tickets make sure you don't forget your actual plastic Citypass card as you will need it to get into the park.
You'll notice that some of the photos I post may be in similar spots as photos I already posted from when we were in the park earlier. This is to show the difference in crowds going to the park on a Wednesday compared to a Saturday during the Holiday Season. Of course with less crowds though will come shorter hours and referbs as the Park was only open until 5pm tonight (compared to 8pm on Saturday) and Jurassic Park was closed for Referb.
Right after we walked thru the gate we were stopped by a TM wanting us to take a short survey. Normally I don't ususally do this but for our time he offered to give us a free "A" Gate (front of the line) pass for the Studio Tour. So I figured why not. The survey was pretty simple demographic survey as they asked questions like our age, where we were from, where else we were visiting in Southern California, how many times we'd been to the park in the past, ect...... It only took about 2 minutes of our time and we figured that pass would come in handy later in the day.
Before heading to any attractions Kiera needed to use the Restroom so we stopped at the one near the enterance to the park. These Restrooms do sit next to a couple attractions such as the Waterworld Stunt Show, Gibson Amphitheater, and also the House of Horrors. Unfortunatly we didn't do any of these attractions on this trip though. However we did in 2008 when we last visited.
Water World is said by many to be one of the best Stunt Shows there is. I would say its pretty good but I don't think its the best. Honestly I think i've enjoyed the Sinbad Show in Islands of Adventure and the Lights, Motors, Action show at Disneys Hollywood Studios More. Still its something that I wish we would have done again as it is something that you should see for yourself when going to the park. Its also something you should see soon too as its rumored to be one of the areas that will be removed to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Expansion.
Another area that the Wizarding World is rumored take over is the space currently used by the Gibson Amphitheater. This venue actually isn't an attraction in the theme park but an acutal concert venue where big names in music perform when they come to town.
The House of Horrors is a walk thru attraction bringing you face to face with some of the classic monsters of Universal film history. Its basically a year round haunt comparible to what you would find during Halloween Horror Nights. Although when we went thru back in 2008 we weren't real super impressed with it. The sets were amazingly detailed. But it severly lacked scareactors. I'm sure that was because it was weekday then as well. One advantage about it though is you don't go thru it in a congo line like the HHN houses though. Do to the possible fear factor of this wether it was heavly staffed or not though is what prevented us from going thru it with Daniel on this trip.
As we continued into the park we passed all the same areas we did when we were at the park Saturday. However with it being much less busy we were able to stop and get a photo with Jaws. We decided to save the Studio Tour for later as we walked by though on our way to the Simpsons Ride.
When we got to the Simpsons ride though the wait time had rose to 25 minutes. So we figured we would hit it after the Lower Lot. But before heading down Homer and Marge Simpson were out doing Meet and Greets so we took Daniel over to see them.
Luck was with us as before we got to the Lower Lot Escolaters the Rain had completly stopped and it didn't return for the rest of our time in the park. Dispite Grinchmas not taking place today the grinch story speal was still being played as you make the long journey down the escalator system to the Lower Lot. Without the crowds there is plenty of space to stop and take a look at the Backlot and other parts of the Studios as you make your way to the bottom.
Once we got to the bottom we decided to first get ourselves a little treat. Universal Studios Hollywood offered a popcorn bucket for I think around $6 with unlimited refills thruout the park that day. We thought this was a great deal and figured we would diffenitly get our moneys worth out of it. Needless to say we did as I belive we refilled it like 4 times.
So now we were on to our first attraction of the day. One right next to the Popcorn place and one we didn't go on when we were at the park a few days earlier. That ride was Revenge of the Mummy. Now although this ride shares the same name and the same ride system as the Florida version thats about where the simularities end. First of all you'll notice the lackluster facade the attraction has here in California as it pretty much is just a soundstage with a sign. Kinda intersting when you think of it that Florida has the neat Museum and Theater Facades yet inside its themed to as if your making another Mummy Movie. Yet in California outside is themed as a Soundstage look yet inside you "literally" enter an egyptian tomb. As with Transformers we were given a card for me to take thru the que and exchange after the ride for a Rider Swap card while Kiera and Daniel were taken thru the Exit into the Child Swap room.
The Outdoor section of the que is minimally themed. some statues here and there but nothing great. Its not an area I would want to spend a lot of time waiting in. Inside though the que is actually very well themed. Not as well as the Florida version but still pretty well considering there was much less space to work with. Still many of the que gags are present in Hollywood as well. I didn't get to see them up close though as with how short the lines were we bipassed all the switchbacks. The line stretched all the way to the outdoor section though and was about a 10 minute wait until I was boarding the ride.
The ride itself is still a Roller Coaster/Dark Ride Hybrid. Although the ride is much shorter considering it is housed in the Former E.T. Adventure building instead of the much larger soundstage that the Florida version got for replacing the Kongfrontation. The ride starts out slower as a dark ride as you venture into the Mummy's tomb. Theres a guy above that you pass warning you to turn around as the curse is real as he is eaten by the beetles and drops of water drop you to simulate the guys blood. You pass a tunnel with hands reaching down for you and then enter the Treasure room which is much smaller and less intense then Floridas. As you turn the corner you come to a room where Imohop is as he steals your souls. Two Solders drop from the cealing and then the Coaster launches forward into the coaster portion of the ride.
The Launch as diffenitly much better in Hollywood then it is in Florida but I would say that the coaster portions themselves are about the same thrill wise. In both rides you will pass by the blacklight solders that look horrible. At one point you will come to a stop as you face a wall of scarab beetles. Yes Florida has this part as well but unlike Floridas ride vehicles the Hollywood ones are equiped with the leg ticklers so little shots of air on your legs make it feel like the bugs are really crawling on you. The vehicle then moves backwards into the reverse portion of the ride which although is significantly better then the backwards part of Floridas ride it still isn't as good as Expedition Everests. The real killer to this ride though is the abroupt ending. As you stop on the turntable theres just some flash of light as you spin as the Imohop yells and then the wall opens and the vehicle returns to the unload area.
The Mummy is easily one of the do not miss attractions on the Hollywood park. But it pales in comparission in almost every way to the Florida version. Really the only things I'd say are better in Hollywood are the backwards portion of the ride and the launch. Its too bad that the ride isn't a little bit longer and I wish they could figure out a better ending. But given the smaller soundstage that Hollywood had to work with I couldn't imagine the ride turning out any better. So don't miss out on this ride. But don't expect it to be as great as the Florida ride.
I went down to the Child Swap room wich unlike the rest of the interior of the attraction is completly unthemed. I was acutally kind of shocked as the Florida version still has a themed Child Swap room. There was tv playing the Mummy Cartoon but that was the extent of the themeing. There were a few toys and playsets kids could play with while waiting and Daniel seemed to really enjoy it. Kiera got back in much less time after her ride then it took me as the line was nonexistant when she rode.
As we exited the Mummy area we noticed the Dora the Explorer was out meeting park guests so we took Daniel over to see her. He watches the show every now and then on Nick Jr. but its not one of his favorites. He didn't really know what to think of her lol. Once again its so weird how he didn't care for characters on this trip.
After topping off our Popcorn again The next attraction we went to is one that we rode a few days earlier and also the parks newest attraction. Transformers the Ride 3d. Where the ride had a posted 45 minute wait on Saturday today the wait was only 10 minutes. We asked for a Child Swap card and Kiera and Daniel went to the exit to go to the Child Swap room. As I started to make my way to the main enterance one of the TM's told me I could use Single Rider with no wait. I knew this but I didn't want to use Single Rider at this time. I wanted to see the actual themed que for the attraction and I figured 10 minutes wasn't a bad wait.
The theme starts as you walk inside. Whats a very bland building with an obnoxously large mural on the outside looks like a very industrial, sophesticated and very high tech military facility on the inside. The first room has a bunch of screens and buttons a switches you pass by. I didn't stick around long enough to see what happens on the screens or if the buttons work or do anything though.
The next room is where the Allspark remnant is kept in a secured container. This room was probably my favorite in the whole que as I loved seeing the detail on the Allspark itself. The room after that has the tail peice of the decepticon from the first film with what seems like some sort of tests being done on it. As you enter the room after that though you can tell something is going on at this Nest facility though as now the emergency warning lights were flashing thruout the room and also the ramps you go down as you decend to the load area.
Had I gone Single Rider or not it wouldn't have matered as there was no wait at all at the end of the ride. I walked strait on to a ride vehicle and then the fight against the Decpticons was on. As I mentioned earlier Transformers is an incredible ride. It uses the same ride system as Spiderman in Islands of Adventure but its much more action packed from the get go. Although one downside of the attraction is it is much more dependent on screens then it is physical sets when compared to Spiderman. Transformers is a solid attraction that should not be missed and will make a great addition to the Orlando park.
After my ride I went to the Child Swap Room where Daniel was the only kid in there playing today. Which was nice cause the room is so interactive that Daniel was having a great time in there. As Kiera took the Child Swap Card to go on her ride (which was much better this time around with no breakdowns like before) I played with Daniel in the room. He liked pushing the buttons and seeing the autobots on the screens. Although it is kinda odd having the large glass looking out at the unload area. I guess its great for parents waiting for others in there party but its kind of odd for those getting off the ride seeing the kids in a bubble.
When Kiera was done with her ride which was much better then her first I decided to quickly go on Transformers again since there was no wait for it. This time I did just enter thru the Single Riders line as it is a much shorter distance to travel. Practically down the stairs from the enterance and your on the load plateform. I walked right on to the ride again and even had a whole row to my self this time. Once again the ride was amazing and I spent this ride looking in some directions that your not suppose to look to see how the ride functions and also see how effective the elevators are hidden as its something you really don't notice unless your looking for them.
As we exited the ride we decided to look in the Transformers Gift Shop right across from the ride exit. I was very suprised by how small the shop was and would hope that Orlando's will be much larger. There were some unique merchandise but we didn't get anything. Right outside the shop is where the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee meet and greets are located but nether of them were out yet. We were about 30 minutes away still from Optimus Primes first showing of the day and 45 from Bumblebee. I really wanted a picture with them so we figured we would wait out the time on the Lower Lot before heading back to the Upper Lot. I thought about giving the Energon drink another try but the stand that sells it was closed. Next to Transformers though in one of the large soundstages something was taking place but we couldn't tell what it was.
With time to kill on the Lower Lot we decided to stop in and look around The NBC/Universal Experiance. This is a exhibit that has many props and costumes from many Movies and TV shows from NBC/Universal History. They also have an actual Acadamy and Emmy Award on Display. There may be thousands of different things on display with discriptions of it all and the exhibit seems to switch out regularly. To promote the film Paranorman there were many of the claymations and sets on display from the movie in there. Its pretty cool to see and look at some of the props. It could also kill a lot of time if you look and read every thing in there. I'm very suprised that the Florida park doesn't have something like this. I think it would go over much better then the I Love Lucy exhibit.
After the Experiance we once again refilled our Popcorn and then walked around the closed Jurassic Park area. I belive this was the final full week it was closed for Referb (it was only opening on the weekends) so dispite it being closed the flume was still full of water and the Waterfall was turned on. It was pretty depressing though not seeing and hearing the boats splash into the pond. The shop was also closed do the refurb.
Since there was still time before Optimus Prime would be out I figured now would be as good of time as any to take another spin on the Mummy. Kiera didn't really care to ride again though so instead of waiting for me in Child Swap she took Daniel over to the Dino Play area that had finally opened up (it was closed earlier) so that he could play and unwind a bit. As I made my way thru the empty line for the Mummy I pretty much walked right into one of the vehicles. The ride was a blast again and I hoped there wouldn't be any crowds when I returned to the station so I could possibly ride again. Unfortunatly though there was so I had to unload. I considered running back thru the ride and going again but decided against it.
I walked over to the Dino Play are where Daniel was the only kid playing. It was quite the difference from Saturday when the area was so packed you could barely move. Daniel really enjoyed having the playground to himself playing with the toys and climbing on and under the nets or going down the slide. I was only there for a few minutes though when it was time to head back over near Transformers to meet Optimus Prime. Daniel was not happy about it though as he cried as we walked away from the Dino Play area. He really loved it.
It was within 5 minutes of when Optimus would be coming out but there was already a crowd of about a dozen people waiting to meet him when we got to the location. We got in line and before long Optimus came walking out. These characters are pretty incredible to see in person. They are much taller then they look in photos and just to see how the stilt walkers work are pretty awesome. Its too bad they don't do more then stand there. Do to the fact that they are on stilts they also don't let you get too close to the characters during the meet and greet as there is a line on the ground that you have to stay behind. Daniel didn't seem to know what to think about Optimus Prime but I thought it was pretty cool.
Bumblebee would be coming out in 15 minutes but we decided not to wait. I wanted to at least see one of them and having seen Optimus I was fine moving on back up to the Upper Lot. Besides we still had a lot of stuff we still wanted to do up there before the park closed. We refilled the Popcorn bucket one last time before heading back and then started the long trek back up the escalators.
The start of this day was much more relaxing then the previous two. Although today was another park day we wouldn't be waking up before the sun rose to get ready. We would be going back to Universal Studios Hollywood today. A park we had already been to on this trip so we were't in a huge rush to get there.
Compared to waking up before 7am then prior two days it was so nice to finally be able to somewhat sleep in. We got up and took our time getting ready and with a late breakfast in the room we finally left the hotel at around 11am.
As we drove back to the LA area where Universal is located we noticed some darker clouds and then it started to rain. We knew that there was a chance of rain today. I was just really hoping it wouldn't be anything too bad since we would be out in the park most of the day. I thought we would be in luck though as the rain had stopped shortly before we passed Downtown LA.
The drive to Universal took a big longer then I thought it would. I figured since we were driving during in the late morning that traffic would be fine. But we still got stuck in it for a little bit adding about 20 minutes to the drive. Although the drive should take around 40-45 minutes always plan on it taking over an hour. I wish I would have thought that sooner.
We pulled up to the Universal Studios and it was evident right away how different the crowds would be compared to what they were on Saturday when we came. There was only 1 lane open to get into the parking area. Then we were able to find a spot right up front to the Citywalk enterance from the garage instead of parking 3 levels up like we did Saturday.
This time we were on the main level of Citywalk when we exited the garage. As we walked thru Citywalk towards the park we walked past the iFly indoor skydiving. Well I guess its indoor but you the tube is actually outside and anyone can watch the skydivers do there thing in the tube. It was pretty cool to sit and watch for a moment and Daniel really seemed to enjoy it. I don't think I could ever get myself to do it though.
As we walked thru Citywalk the whole place had a different vibe to it compared to the previous Saturday. It was much nicer not being so packed but many things were missing. Santa wasn't out and there wasn't any concerts going on. Still Citywalk Hollywood is probably my favorite out of all the resort shopping/entertainment areas in California and Florida.
We soon arrived at the enterance of the park. Unfortunatly though as we were walking thru Citywalk the rain had come back. Luckly it wasn't too bad though and we hoped it wouldn't get any worse then it was. Considering today was much lighter crowd wise then it was on Saturday we were suprised by how many Universal Photographers were out taking photos for guests near the globe and enterance to the park. If you are using the Citypass tickets make sure you don't forget your actual plastic Citypass card as you will need it to get into the park.
You'll notice that some of the photos I post may be in similar spots as photos I already posted from when we were in the park earlier. This is to show the difference in crowds going to the park on a Wednesday compared to a Saturday during the Holiday Season. Of course with less crowds though will come shorter hours and referbs as the Park was only open until 5pm tonight (compared to 8pm on Saturday) and Jurassic Park was closed for Referb.
Right after we walked thru the gate we were stopped by a TM wanting us to take a short survey. Normally I don't ususally do this but for our time he offered to give us a free "A" Gate (front of the line) pass for the Studio Tour. So I figured why not. The survey was pretty simple demographic survey as they asked questions like our age, where we were from, where else we were visiting in Southern California, how many times we'd been to the park in the past, ect...... It only took about 2 minutes of our time and we figured that pass would come in handy later in the day.
Before heading to any attractions Kiera needed to use the Restroom so we stopped at the one near the enterance to the park. These Restrooms do sit next to a couple attractions such as the Waterworld Stunt Show, Gibson Amphitheater, and also the House of Horrors. Unfortunatly we didn't do any of these attractions on this trip though. However we did in 2008 when we last visited.
Water World is said by many to be one of the best Stunt Shows there is. I would say its pretty good but I don't think its the best. Honestly I think i've enjoyed the Sinbad Show in Islands of Adventure and the Lights, Motors, Action show at Disneys Hollywood Studios More. Still its something that I wish we would have done again as it is something that you should see for yourself when going to the park. Its also something you should see soon too as its rumored to be one of the areas that will be removed to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Expansion.
Another area that the Wizarding World is rumored take over is the space currently used by the Gibson Amphitheater. This venue actually isn't an attraction in the theme park but an acutal concert venue where big names in music perform when they come to town.
The House of Horrors is a walk thru attraction bringing you face to face with some of the classic monsters of Universal film history. Its basically a year round haunt comparible to what you would find during Halloween Horror Nights. Although when we went thru back in 2008 we weren't real super impressed with it. The sets were amazingly detailed. But it severly lacked scareactors. I'm sure that was because it was weekday then as well. One advantage about it though is you don't go thru it in a congo line like the HHN houses though. Do to the possible fear factor of this wether it was heavly staffed or not though is what prevented us from going thru it with Daniel on this trip.
As we continued into the park we passed all the same areas we did when we were at the park Saturday. However with it being much less busy we were able to stop and get a photo with Jaws. We decided to save the Studio Tour for later as we walked by though on our way to the Simpsons Ride.
When we got to the Simpsons ride though the wait time had rose to 25 minutes. So we figured we would hit it after the Lower Lot. But before heading down Homer and Marge Simpson were out doing Meet and Greets so we took Daniel over to see them.
Luck was with us as before we got to the Lower Lot Escolaters the Rain had completly stopped and it didn't return for the rest of our time in the park. Dispite Grinchmas not taking place today the grinch story speal was still being played as you make the long journey down the escalator system to the Lower Lot. Without the crowds there is plenty of space to stop and take a look at the Backlot and other parts of the Studios as you make your way to the bottom.
Once we got to the bottom we decided to first get ourselves a little treat. Universal Studios Hollywood offered a popcorn bucket for I think around $6 with unlimited refills thruout the park that day. We thought this was a great deal and figured we would diffenitly get our moneys worth out of it. Needless to say we did as I belive we refilled it like 4 times.
So now we were on to our first attraction of the day. One right next to the Popcorn place and one we didn't go on when we were at the park a few days earlier. That ride was Revenge of the Mummy. Now although this ride shares the same name and the same ride system as the Florida version thats about where the simularities end. First of all you'll notice the lackluster facade the attraction has here in California as it pretty much is just a soundstage with a sign. Kinda intersting when you think of it that Florida has the neat Museum and Theater Facades yet inside its themed to as if your making another Mummy Movie. Yet in California outside is themed as a Soundstage look yet inside you "literally" enter an egyptian tomb. As with Transformers we were given a card for me to take thru the que and exchange after the ride for a Rider Swap card while Kiera and Daniel were taken thru the Exit into the Child Swap room.
The Outdoor section of the que is minimally themed. some statues here and there but nothing great. Its not an area I would want to spend a lot of time waiting in. Inside though the que is actually very well themed. Not as well as the Florida version but still pretty well considering there was much less space to work with. Still many of the que gags are present in Hollywood as well. I didn't get to see them up close though as with how short the lines were we bipassed all the switchbacks. The line stretched all the way to the outdoor section though and was about a 10 minute wait until I was boarding the ride.
The ride itself is still a Roller Coaster/Dark Ride Hybrid. Although the ride is much shorter considering it is housed in the Former E.T. Adventure building instead of the much larger soundstage that the Florida version got for replacing the Kongfrontation. The ride starts out slower as a dark ride as you venture into the Mummy's tomb. Theres a guy above that you pass warning you to turn around as the curse is real as he is eaten by the beetles and drops of water drop you to simulate the guys blood. You pass a tunnel with hands reaching down for you and then enter the Treasure room which is much smaller and less intense then Floridas. As you turn the corner you come to a room where Imohop is as he steals your souls. Two Solders drop from the cealing and then the Coaster launches forward into the coaster portion of the ride.
The Launch as diffenitly much better in Hollywood then it is in Florida but I would say that the coaster portions themselves are about the same thrill wise. In both rides you will pass by the blacklight solders that look horrible. At one point you will come to a stop as you face a wall of scarab beetles. Yes Florida has this part as well but unlike Floridas ride vehicles the Hollywood ones are equiped with the leg ticklers so little shots of air on your legs make it feel like the bugs are really crawling on you. The vehicle then moves backwards into the reverse portion of the ride which although is significantly better then the backwards part of Floridas ride it still isn't as good as Expedition Everests. The real killer to this ride though is the abroupt ending. As you stop on the turntable theres just some flash of light as you spin as the Imohop yells and then the wall opens and the vehicle returns to the unload area.
The Mummy is easily one of the do not miss attractions on the Hollywood park. But it pales in comparission in almost every way to the Florida version. Really the only things I'd say are better in Hollywood are the backwards portion of the ride and the launch. Its too bad that the ride isn't a little bit longer and I wish they could figure out a better ending. But given the smaller soundstage that Hollywood had to work with I couldn't imagine the ride turning out any better. So don't miss out on this ride. But don't expect it to be as great as the Florida ride.
I went down to the Child Swap room wich unlike the rest of the interior of the attraction is completly unthemed. I was acutally kind of shocked as the Florida version still has a themed Child Swap room. There was tv playing the Mummy Cartoon but that was the extent of the themeing. There were a few toys and playsets kids could play with while waiting and Daniel seemed to really enjoy it. Kiera got back in much less time after her ride then it took me as the line was nonexistant when she rode.
As we exited the Mummy area we noticed the Dora the Explorer was out meeting park guests so we took Daniel over to see her. He watches the show every now and then on Nick Jr. but its not one of his favorites. He didn't really know what to think of her lol. Once again its so weird how he didn't care for characters on this trip.
After topping off our Popcorn again The next attraction we went to is one that we rode a few days earlier and also the parks newest attraction. Transformers the Ride 3d. Where the ride had a posted 45 minute wait on Saturday today the wait was only 10 minutes. We asked for a Child Swap card and Kiera and Daniel went to the exit to go to the Child Swap room. As I started to make my way to the main enterance one of the TM's told me I could use Single Rider with no wait. I knew this but I didn't want to use Single Rider at this time. I wanted to see the actual themed que for the attraction and I figured 10 minutes wasn't a bad wait.
The theme starts as you walk inside. Whats a very bland building with an obnoxously large mural on the outside looks like a very industrial, sophesticated and very high tech military facility on the inside. The first room has a bunch of screens and buttons a switches you pass by. I didn't stick around long enough to see what happens on the screens or if the buttons work or do anything though.
The next room is where the Allspark remnant is kept in a secured container. This room was probably my favorite in the whole que as I loved seeing the detail on the Allspark itself. The room after that has the tail peice of the decepticon from the first film with what seems like some sort of tests being done on it. As you enter the room after that though you can tell something is going on at this Nest facility though as now the emergency warning lights were flashing thruout the room and also the ramps you go down as you decend to the load area.
Had I gone Single Rider or not it wouldn't have matered as there was no wait at all at the end of the ride. I walked strait on to a ride vehicle and then the fight against the Decpticons was on. As I mentioned earlier Transformers is an incredible ride. It uses the same ride system as Spiderman in Islands of Adventure but its much more action packed from the get go. Although one downside of the attraction is it is much more dependent on screens then it is physical sets when compared to Spiderman. Transformers is a solid attraction that should not be missed and will make a great addition to the Orlando park.
After my ride I went to the Child Swap Room where Daniel was the only kid in there playing today. Which was nice cause the room is so interactive that Daniel was having a great time in there. As Kiera took the Child Swap Card to go on her ride (which was much better this time around with no breakdowns like before) I played with Daniel in the room. He liked pushing the buttons and seeing the autobots on the screens. Although it is kinda odd having the large glass looking out at the unload area. I guess its great for parents waiting for others in there party but its kind of odd for those getting off the ride seeing the kids in a bubble.
When Kiera was done with her ride which was much better then her first I decided to quickly go on Transformers again since there was no wait for it. This time I did just enter thru the Single Riders line as it is a much shorter distance to travel. Practically down the stairs from the enterance and your on the load plateform. I walked right on to the ride again and even had a whole row to my self this time. Once again the ride was amazing and I spent this ride looking in some directions that your not suppose to look to see how the ride functions and also see how effective the elevators are hidden as its something you really don't notice unless your looking for them.
As we exited the ride we decided to look in the Transformers Gift Shop right across from the ride exit. I was very suprised by how small the shop was and would hope that Orlando's will be much larger. There were some unique merchandise but we didn't get anything. Right outside the shop is where the Optimus Prime and Bumblebee meet and greets are located but nether of them were out yet. We were about 30 minutes away still from Optimus Primes first showing of the day and 45 from Bumblebee. I really wanted a picture with them so we figured we would wait out the time on the Lower Lot before heading back to the Upper Lot. I thought about giving the Energon drink another try but the stand that sells it was closed. Next to Transformers though in one of the large soundstages something was taking place but we couldn't tell what it was.
With time to kill on the Lower Lot we decided to stop in and look around The NBC/Universal Experiance. This is a exhibit that has many props and costumes from many Movies and TV shows from NBC/Universal History. They also have an actual Acadamy and Emmy Award on Display. There may be thousands of different things on display with discriptions of it all and the exhibit seems to switch out regularly. To promote the film Paranorman there were many of the claymations and sets on display from the movie in there. Its pretty cool to see and look at some of the props. It could also kill a lot of time if you look and read every thing in there. I'm very suprised that the Florida park doesn't have something like this. I think it would go over much better then the I Love Lucy exhibit.
After the Experiance we once again refilled our Popcorn and then walked around the closed Jurassic Park area. I belive this was the final full week it was closed for Referb (it was only opening on the weekends) so dispite it being closed the flume was still full of water and the Waterfall was turned on. It was pretty depressing though not seeing and hearing the boats splash into the pond. The shop was also closed do the refurb.
Since there was still time before Optimus Prime would be out I figured now would be as good of time as any to take another spin on the Mummy. Kiera didn't really care to ride again though so instead of waiting for me in Child Swap she took Daniel over to the Dino Play area that had finally opened up (it was closed earlier) so that he could play and unwind a bit. As I made my way thru the empty line for the Mummy I pretty much walked right into one of the vehicles. The ride was a blast again and I hoped there wouldn't be any crowds when I returned to the station so I could possibly ride again. Unfortunatly though there was so I had to unload. I considered running back thru the ride and going again but decided against it.
I walked over to the Dino Play are where Daniel was the only kid playing. It was quite the difference from Saturday when the area was so packed you could barely move. Daniel really enjoyed having the playground to himself playing with the toys and climbing on and under the nets or going down the slide. I was only there for a few minutes though when it was time to head back over near Transformers to meet Optimus Prime. Daniel was not happy about it though as he cried as we walked away from the Dino Play area. He really loved it.
It was within 5 minutes of when Optimus would be coming out but there was already a crowd of about a dozen people waiting to meet him when we got to the location. We got in line and before long Optimus came walking out. These characters are pretty incredible to see in person. They are much taller then they look in photos and just to see how the stilt walkers work are pretty awesome. Its too bad they don't do more then stand there. Do to the fact that they are on stilts they also don't let you get too close to the characters during the meet and greet as there is a line on the ground that you have to stay behind. Daniel didn't seem to know what to think about Optimus Prime but I thought it was pretty cool.
Bumblebee would be coming out in 15 minutes but we decided not to wait. I wanted to at least see one of them and having seen Optimus I was fine moving on back up to the Upper Lot. Besides we still had a lot of stuff we still wanted to do up there before the park closed. We refilled the Popcorn bucket one last time before heading back and then started the long trek back up the escalators.
Once we were at the top of the Escalators we figured now should be a good time go on one of the other Major attractions in the park. The Simpsons Ride. Earlier the wait time was at 25 mintues and so we bipassed it to the lower lot. This is a ride that we consider a must do if you can handle Motion Simulators so we didn't want to miss out on it. The Plaza area where the ride is located is also lightly themed to the Simpsons and they even strung up some Mega Trees decorated for Christmas with Presents addressed to different characters from the TV Show. Unlike Florida though the large Krusty head does not have a large Santa hat on it during the Holidays. However the Simpsons Family at the rides Marque do. This is the extent of the Holiday decor on the ride though.
We were shocked to still see a 25 minute wait posted for the ride. We figured that since all the other rides have had shorter waits then posted then this one would too. We got a Child Swap card and I entered the line while Kiera and Daniel walked to the Child Swap area to wait (which oddly enough is outdoors for this ride). Upon entering the ride though I found the line to be even longer then it was earlier in the day. So I got out of line and figured we would try again later when the attraction would hopefully be slower.
Earlier in the day the only attraction that had a longer wait time then the Simpsons Ride was the Studio Tour. This was something we wanted to do again. Especially since filming takes place during the week and not on the weekend. But would the line still be long for it? That didn't matter because remember we got a free "A" Gate pass for the Studio tour for taking that survey.
We made our way to the Studio Tour, Parked the stroller, and then entered the A Gate area. Of course by this time of day that really wouldn't matter as the Studio Tours Que was very short as I think everyone in line made it on to our tram. The only difference was that the "A" Gate guests were put in the very front part of the tram with the Tour Guide and Driver. We thought this could be pretty cool. I made sure this time around to sit on the left side of the tram though as when we rode a few days earlier we sat on the Right side.
Just to give the heads up now I won't be writting a whole lot about the Studio Tour as I already gave a pretty in depth review of it from our previous day in the park. Instead of repeating what i've already wrote I will just give a basic overview of the tour so don't expect a whole lot other then pictures.
Once the tram was full we started our tour into the backlot. It was obvious farely quickly that this tour would be somewhat different then the tour a few days ago. The biggest difference was in our Tour Guides though. Both were very good but they just did things so diffrently. Where our guide on Saturday acted as if things were happing on the backlot as if it was real life this guide was all about giving us the in's and outs of filmmaking and made it clear we were going thru movie sets. Different styles but both good. We learned things new on each tour. Once again another reason to do the tour multipule times. The tour would also be shorter today do to filming taking place. Where the full tour we had Saturday took about 45 minutes the tour today would be more like 30.
We started the decent down the hill passing again all the different movie posters from Universal's Amazing Film history. At the bottom of the hill you enter the front lot area that contains the studios Soundstages. Sitting on the left side you will get a better view of Soundstage 12 where The Voice is recorded (it was recording today infact). This is where that Film magic comes in to play as I never knew the Voice is recoreded in a Soundstage since it shows the contestants walking into a theater before there performances. Not a soundstage.
The entire front lot was very busy with activity today compared to Saturday. There were people everywhere, tons of trailers and golf carts driving past. I mentioned that The Voice was filming today on the front lot but so were the NBC shows Go On and Parenthood. Many of the soundstages we went past even had there doors open so we were able to peak in and see some sets for movies being filmed. Unfortunatly though we didn't see any noticible Actors.
After you pass thru the Front Lot and Bungalos the tour would next take you thru the New York and City streets. But not today. We just passed by as there was filming taking place in the City sets so the trams are not allowed to go thru during shooting. The Tour guide told us that the TV show Castle and also a TV commercial were being shot in different parts of the City Sets today. However on the filming board at the parks enterance it said that it was actually the Fox Comedy the Mindy Project that was shooting today on the City Sets. I was kinda sad we didn't get to go thru the City Sets though as I looked forward to having a better view of Corthouse Square being on the left side of the tram.
Since we bipassed the City sets we pulled right up past the old collapsing bridge and into the Kong 360 experiance. This is one of the highlights of the tour and is an incredible experiance. This was one of those times though where I HIGHLY recommend you sit in one of the middle cars of the tram. Sitting in the very front car this time was still good and fun. However it seemed like we missed out on alot of the visual action as we had to turn around backwards to see it. Daniel did great again dispite there being some scary moments for kids in the Kong Experiance.
Driving next past all the Movie cars is much better sitting on the Left side of the tram then it is the right as you can actually get a good look at the vehicles here. Some of the Vehicles include cars from Back to the Future (including the Original Delorean), The Mustang from the newer Knight Rider show, some Lost World vehicles, and cars from The Fast and the Furious Movies. I loved seeing these cars up close on the tram tour but I kinda wish they had them on display instead thruout the park. And I don't know what there doing with the BTTF Delorean but it looks to be in pretty sad condition.
We entered the Fast and the Furious Dancing car thing next and the show was still stupid after intial explosion. Although the show is worse being in the front car as your seeing it from the side instead of head on. The Dancing part is so dumb and I wish they could come up with a better idea for this area or a better use of this Franchise.
Next up is the small Jurassic Park set up that has more props and vehicles from the films. This is an area that is much better seen sitting on the Left side of the tram as you will see the Lost World Trailers and vehicles, Wrecked Tour Explorer, and other props better. Just watch out for some escaped Dinos out to get ya.
The tram goes down a hill and into the Mexican streets area where of course is the Flash Flood portion of the tour. This was another part where it kinda sucked being in the very front car of the tram as you really couldn't see the Flood very well. This is another experiance on the tour that if you want a good view then sit in one of the middle cars of the tram. Unlike Saturday we also didn't go thru many of the Mexico streets ether. It was pretty much just the flash flood and we left the Mexico Streets.
I could be wrong but it seemed like we did see more of the Western sets though. These are the sets where the Universal Backlot originally started and I was glad to see that the original street is still there. Although we saw pretty much all of the Western Sets on this day though it does seem like they have taken some of the sets out since our trip in 2008.
After passing a large water tank that is used for Underwater filming we head out to the Backlot Lagoon again where we will see the lagoon part and we will drive thru it. This was one of the parts that was kind of cool being in the very front car of the tram as we were able to watch the water part with a head on view. To the left of course is the Skull Island miniatures used when filming King Kong. Sitting on the left side of the tram gives a great view of these miniature sets.
Next up on the tour is the European sets that can become pretty much any European country depending on what flags are raised lol. However unlike Saturday we didn't go into the sets. We just drove past them which I thought was odd considering there wasn't any filming going on in there today.
The Earthquake portion of the tour is next as we pulled into the soundstage to experiance what an Earthquake would feel like. Those of you in Orlando of course have the same experiance in Disaster but I think Diasters experiance is a bit more extreme since it has a dedicated ride vehicle instead of an unanchored tram going thru it. This is another one of the best parts of the Studio tour in my opinion.
After surviving this Earthquake we made our way up a hill and entered the town of Amity where we would now have to survive an attack from the Great White Shark JAWS. The right side of the tram is better for this experiance and you will still see Jaws well being in the front car of the tram. However what you do miss being in the front is the fire effects on the dock unless you turn around to see them.
When you leave Amity you next go to Westeria Lane which is the famous neighborhood from the TV show Desperate Housewives. With that showing being over with now the area doesn't see as much filming anymore and is open more regularly to the trams. Although no filming was going on today there were many Golf Carts parked for the show Go On as they were prepping some of the houses to be used in and upcoming episode of that show.
We next entered Whoville which as you may recall from a previous update was very active with Who's and the Grinch performing for the trams driving past. Such was not the case today though since Grinchmas was only taking place on the weekends. The place looked pretty sad with the stages covered with tarps and no characters around. We just drove right on past the set.
Around the bend though as we drove up to the Bates Motel, Norman Bates was out and up to his old habbits again carrying a dead body to his car. Not happy about us seeing what he was up to he pulled out a knife and started to walk towards the tram. We've already survived a T-Rex fighting King Kong, Sptting Dinosaurs, an Earthquake, and Jaws so escaping a man with a knife wasn't a big deal.
The next movie set is I believe billed as the largest set Universal has ever built and its the 747 wreck from the War of the Worlds movie. This set is huge and the distruction looks so real. This part of the tour is best experianced on the Left side of the tram and will leave you in awe. It is so eery looking.
The last thing you will experiance on the Studio Tour is the Mummy's Tomb. This use to be the formal Avalanche tunnel that has been rethemed to the Mummy. The spinning Tunnel still happens and will really throw you off. It still amazes me that such a simple effect can make it feel like your really spinning around and around. Daniel was asleep by this point so it didn't bother him at all.
After surviving the Mummy you start your return to the Tram loading area. To the left is the parking structure that you likly parked in today when coming to the park and normally wouldn't be anything too cool. However this was the parking structure that the used to film the Trailer Cliff scene from the Lost World on.
Our Studio Tour was now over as we pulled into the station and unloaded the Tram. I've said it before and i'll say it again that the Studio Tour is an absolutly must see when going to the Hollywood park. This is the whole reason the park exists. You should even try to do it more then once if you can. However this tour wasn't nearly as good as the tour we had on Saturday. Although its great to see so much action taking place on the Front and Back Lots during the week, because of this filming taking place many portions of the tour are cut out and the tour is much shorter. Seeing the whole full tour on Saturday mixed with the Grinchmas production really made the tour much better then, then the tour that we had today. Of course many people only visit Universal Studios Hollywood for one day so they won't know the difference between the full tour and the condensed version when filming is taking place. In the words of Jimmy Fallon. "Have a Tramtastic Day".
We were shocked to still see a 25 minute wait posted for the ride. We figured that since all the other rides have had shorter waits then posted then this one would too. We got a Child Swap card and I entered the line while Kiera and Daniel walked to the Child Swap area to wait (which oddly enough is outdoors for this ride). Upon entering the ride though I found the line to be even longer then it was earlier in the day. So I got out of line and figured we would try again later when the attraction would hopefully be slower.
Earlier in the day the only attraction that had a longer wait time then the Simpsons Ride was the Studio Tour. This was something we wanted to do again. Especially since filming takes place during the week and not on the weekend. But would the line still be long for it? That didn't matter because remember we got a free "A" Gate pass for the Studio tour for taking that survey.
We made our way to the Studio Tour, Parked the stroller, and then entered the A Gate area. Of course by this time of day that really wouldn't matter as the Studio Tours Que was very short as I think everyone in line made it on to our tram. The only difference was that the "A" Gate guests were put in the very front part of the tram with the Tour Guide and Driver. We thought this could be pretty cool. I made sure this time around to sit on the left side of the tram though as when we rode a few days earlier we sat on the Right side.
Just to give the heads up now I won't be writting a whole lot about the Studio Tour as I already gave a pretty in depth review of it from our previous day in the park. Instead of repeating what i've already wrote I will just give a basic overview of the tour so don't expect a whole lot other then pictures.
Once the tram was full we started our tour into the backlot. It was obvious farely quickly that this tour would be somewhat different then the tour a few days ago. The biggest difference was in our Tour Guides though. Both were very good but they just did things so diffrently. Where our guide on Saturday acted as if things were happing on the backlot as if it was real life this guide was all about giving us the in's and outs of filmmaking and made it clear we were going thru movie sets. Different styles but both good. We learned things new on each tour. Once again another reason to do the tour multipule times. The tour would also be shorter today do to filming taking place. Where the full tour we had Saturday took about 45 minutes the tour today would be more like 30.
We started the decent down the hill passing again all the different movie posters from Universal's Amazing Film history. At the bottom of the hill you enter the front lot area that contains the studios Soundstages. Sitting on the left side you will get a better view of Soundstage 12 where The Voice is recorded (it was recording today infact). This is where that Film magic comes in to play as I never knew the Voice is recoreded in a Soundstage since it shows the contestants walking into a theater before there performances. Not a soundstage.
The entire front lot was very busy with activity today compared to Saturday. There were people everywhere, tons of trailers and golf carts driving past. I mentioned that The Voice was filming today on the front lot but so were the NBC shows Go On and Parenthood. Many of the soundstages we went past even had there doors open so we were able to peak in and see some sets for movies being filmed. Unfortunatly though we didn't see any noticible Actors.
After you pass thru the Front Lot and Bungalos the tour would next take you thru the New York and City streets. But not today. We just passed by as there was filming taking place in the City sets so the trams are not allowed to go thru during shooting. The Tour guide told us that the TV show Castle and also a TV commercial were being shot in different parts of the City Sets today. However on the filming board at the parks enterance it said that it was actually the Fox Comedy the Mindy Project that was shooting today on the City Sets. I was kinda sad we didn't get to go thru the City Sets though as I looked forward to having a better view of Corthouse Square being on the left side of the tram.
Since we bipassed the City sets we pulled right up past the old collapsing bridge and into the Kong 360 experiance. This is one of the highlights of the tour and is an incredible experiance. This was one of those times though where I HIGHLY recommend you sit in one of the middle cars of the tram. Sitting in the very front car this time was still good and fun. However it seemed like we missed out on alot of the visual action as we had to turn around backwards to see it. Daniel did great again dispite there being some scary moments for kids in the Kong Experiance.
Driving next past all the Movie cars is much better sitting on the Left side of the tram then it is the right as you can actually get a good look at the vehicles here. Some of the Vehicles include cars from Back to the Future (including the Original Delorean), The Mustang from the newer Knight Rider show, some Lost World vehicles, and cars from The Fast and the Furious Movies. I loved seeing these cars up close on the tram tour but I kinda wish they had them on display instead thruout the park. And I don't know what there doing with the BTTF Delorean but it looks to be in pretty sad condition.
We entered the Fast and the Furious Dancing car thing next and the show was still stupid after intial explosion. Although the show is worse being in the front car as your seeing it from the side instead of head on. The Dancing part is so dumb and I wish they could come up with a better idea for this area or a better use of this Franchise.
Next up is the small Jurassic Park set up that has more props and vehicles from the films. This is an area that is much better seen sitting on the Left side of the tram as you will see the Lost World Trailers and vehicles, Wrecked Tour Explorer, and other props better. Just watch out for some escaped Dinos out to get ya.
The tram goes down a hill and into the Mexican streets area where of course is the Flash Flood portion of the tour. This was another part where it kinda sucked being in the very front car of the tram as you really couldn't see the Flood very well. This is another experiance on the tour that if you want a good view then sit in one of the middle cars of the tram. Unlike Saturday we also didn't go thru many of the Mexico streets ether. It was pretty much just the flash flood and we left the Mexico Streets.
I could be wrong but it seemed like we did see more of the Western sets though. These are the sets where the Universal Backlot originally started and I was glad to see that the original street is still there. Although we saw pretty much all of the Western Sets on this day though it does seem like they have taken some of the sets out since our trip in 2008.
After passing a large water tank that is used for Underwater filming we head out to the Backlot Lagoon again where we will see the lagoon part and we will drive thru it. This was one of the parts that was kind of cool being in the very front car of the tram as we were able to watch the water part with a head on view. To the left of course is the Skull Island miniatures used when filming King Kong. Sitting on the left side of the tram gives a great view of these miniature sets.
Next up on the tour is the European sets that can become pretty much any European country depending on what flags are raised lol. However unlike Saturday we didn't go into the sets. We just drove past them which I thought was odd considering there wasn't any filming going on in there today.
The Earthquake portion of the tour is next as we pulled into the soundstage to experiance what an Earthquake would feel like. Those of you in Orlando of course have the same experiance in Disaster but I think Diasters experiance is a bit more extreme since it has a dedicated ride vehicle instead of an unanchored tram going thru it. This is another one of the best parts of the Studio tour in my opinion.
After surviving this Earthquake we made our way up a hill and entered the town of Amity where we would now have to survive an attack from the Great White Shark JAWS. The right side of the tram is better for this experiance and you will still see Jaws well being in the front car of the tram. However what you do miss being in the front is the fire effects on the dock unless you turn around to see them.
When you leave Amity you next go to Westeria Lane which is the famous neighborhood from the TV show Desperate Housewives. With that showing being over with now the area doesn't see as much filming anymore and is open more regularly to the trams. Although no filming was going on today there were many Golf Carts parked for the show Go On as they were prepping some of the houses to be used in and upcoming episode of that show.
We next entered Whoville which as you may recall from a previous update was very active with Who's and the Grinch performing for the trams driving past. Such was not the case today though since Grinchmas was only taking place on the weekends. The place looked pretty sad with the stages covered with tarps and no characters around. We just drove right on past the set.
Around the bend though as we drove up to the Bates Motel, Norman Bates was out and up to his old habbits again carrying a dead body to his car. Not happy about us seeing what he was up to he pulled out a knife and started to walk towards the tram. We've already survived a T-Rex fighting King Kong, Sptting Dinosaurs, an Earthquake, and Jaws so escaping a man with a knife wasn't a big deal.
The next movie set is I believe billed as the largest set Universal has ever built and its the 747 wreck from the War of the Worlds movie. This set is huge and the distruction looks so real. This part of the tour is best experianced on the Left side of the tram and will leave you in awe. It is so eery looking.
The last thing you will experiance on the Studio Tour is the Mummy's Tomb. This use to be the formal Avalanche tunnel that has been rethemed to the Mummy. The spinning Tunnel still happens and will really throw you off. It still amazes me that such a simple effect can make it feel like your really spinning around and around. Daniel was asleep by this point so it didn't bother him at all.
After surviving the Mummy you start your return to the Tram loading area. To the left is the parking structure that you likly parked in today when coming to the park and normally wouldn't be anything too cool. However this was the parking structure that the used to film the Trailer Cliff scene from the Lost World on.
Our Studio Tour was now over as we pulled into the station and unloaded the Tram. I've said it before and i'll say it again that the Studio Tour is an absolutly must see when going to the Hollywood park. This is the whole reason the park exists. You should even try to do it more then once if you can. However this tour wasn't nearly as good as the tour we had on Saturday. Although its great to see so much action taking place on the Front and Back Lots during the week, because of this filming taking place many portions of the tour are cut out and the tour is much shorter. Seeing the whole full tour on Saturday mixed with the Grinchmas production really made the tour much better then, then the tour that we had today. Of course many people only visit Universal Studios Hollywood for one day so they won't know the difference between the full tour and the condensed version when filming is taking place. In the words of Jimmy Fallon. "Have a Tramtastic Day".
Thanks for another great report and the many pics! :thumbs:
I'm going to Portland in the summer, and I've been considering stopping by California for a couple of days before returning to CFL... This is all so enticing!!
I'd love to visit USH and maybe also attend the taping of a show or two.
I'm going to Portland in the summer, and I've been considering stopping by California for a couple of days before returning to CFL... This is all so enticing!!
I'd love to visit USH and maybe also attend the taping of a show or two.
Day 5, Part 3: Universal Studios Hollywood & Westwood
After the Studio tour and with Daniel still sleeping we figured there wasn't a better time to attempt The Simpsons ride again. I was once again very suprised when we arrived at the ride and found a 25 minute wait still posted at the attraction. Unlike last time though where the line was very long there was no line for the attraction at this time.
I got in line while Kiera went to the Child Swap area with the sleeping child. I expected the Child Swap room to be themed much like the Orlando version however that was not the case. Infact the Child Swap area for the Simpsons ride is located outside of the attraction. The line for the Simpsons ride in Hollywood is themed pretty much the same as the Orlando version with some Krustyland attraction posters and TV moniters playing clips from the show. Dispite the que's being similar in Florida and Hollywood though I think the building and facades themselves look MUCH better in Hollywood which based on the "Krustyland" map is what Universal Creative likely designed the facade around and then forced it on the Florida building. In Hollywood the 2 theaters are in seperate buildings connected only by the que line where in Florida its all one building. I had practically no outside wait before being guided inside to wait direction to what theater and vehicle I would be riding.
The rides themselves and videos are exactly the same in Hollywood and Florida. In 2008 I was still really dissapointed to see my former all time favorite Motion Simulator Ride Back to the Future replaced by the Simpsons. Although I was sad to see Back to the Future gone though I thought although not as good that back the Simpsons ride was a worthy replacement. Especially if your a fan of the show. Heck Kiera doesn't care much for the show but loves the ride. The Simpsons is a very good ride that I consider a do not miss wether your in Hollywood or Orlando. But it no longer has the title of my favorite "current" Motion Simulator like it did from 2008-2011. That title is now claimed by Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. There is one difference though between the Orlando and Hollywood versions of the ride though and that is in Hollywood there is a ride photo taken of you that you can view at the bottom of the exit ramps of the ride.
I meet Kiera in the Child Swap area which was actually pretty cold as the sun started to set on our day. Kiera took the Child Swap card I got earlier and entered the ride dispite it really not being needed. I waited around in the cold until Daniel woke up from his Nap. Once he did and figuring we would keep warm while moving I decided to walk over to check out the Kwik-e-Mart. Theres a few things different about this store between Hollywood and Florida. First of all the Facade of the store is So much better in Hollywood then Florida because it actually looks like the Kwik-E-Mart from the TV Show. The store also had different themed facades depending which side your standing on with Moes being on one side and the Androids Dungion on the other. So sorta like you see currently under construction in Orlando but on a smaller scale. Although the stores main enterance facade looked more anthentic to the show you soon realized once inside the store that it is very small. You could probably fit 2 of them inside the Orlando store.
Next to the Kwik-E-Mart Bart Simpson was out meeting guests. Since we meet Homer and Marge earlier in the day I figured we should see Bart as well. There was no line to see him and he was cute with Daniel dispite Daniel not really giving a crap lol.
Kiera seemed to be taking longer then I thought she would so after sending her a text and finding out she was still in the indoor waiting room I figured I would take Daniel to the Curious George Play area to let him run around while we waited instead of the cold Child Swap area. I was shocked to find when we got there though that it was already closed for the night dispite us still being about 20 minutes away from official park closing. That was something that seemed to echo thruout the park as Daniel and I walked around. Shrek 4d already had its final showing of the day, almost all the food service locations were closed and most of the smaller shops. It was pretty strange. I guess it all fit in though with all the closed off Grinchmas areas.
For so many things already being closed before the official park closing I was actually suprised to see Characters still out. Not only did we see Bart Simpson but Sponge Bob was also out still at his Meet and Greet. There was a small line but with time to kill until Kiera was done we waited to see Sponge Bob who Daniel seemed to enjoy the most.
We made our way next into the International Streets where I had more time to look around. The International Streets right now are easily the most well themed area of the park. Although not large take your time and look around as theres some neat details and even some movie props such as the Mini Cooper from one of the Bourne movies and Biff's Car from Back to the Future. Mels Dinner is also back here although its not as big or as themed as the Orlando one.
In the back behind the International Streets is an attraction and store that I was really hoping would still be open. The now closed Terminator 2 3d. I really wished we would have got to see this show one last time before it closed because it is pretty good. However with Daniel and time constraints its one we didn't plan to experiance. The building (along with the old Coke Soak play area) is now behind walls as its converted into the Dispicable Me Ride. What I was going back here for was for the Terminator exit store as it was also where Universal had all there markdown merchandise at. In addition to the Markdown stuff the Terminator store was like it is in Orlando and carry's a bunch of different stuff including franchises not in or owned by Universal like Marvel and DC stuff. Kiera finally meet up with us at this store and after looking thru all the Markdowns and not finding anything we left.
Since Kiera had now rejoined Daniel and I we walked around the International streets again as we made our way towards the exit of the Park. Again these areas are so detailed that its fun to look around. Especially with the Holiday decore and window displays that are set up.
Most of the shops were closed before the park was but like every major theme park the main stores at the park enterance stay open later then the park does. This was good as we had a few things to get before leaving the park for the day and the trip. Those of you who follow my reports may recall the items we buy each time we go on vacation. A postcard and a Christmas Ornament. Both of these seem to frustrate me more though each trip we go on. Postcards seem to be harder and harder to come by. Especially since Universal (even Disney) hasn't updated there cards in a very long time. Yes some of the Universal cards still had Back to the Future, the Original Kong Encounter, and Backdraft on them. What really suprised me though was the lack in Christmas Ornaments. ESPECIALLY at Christmas time. We found no Ornaments that said Universal Studios on them. I found a Keychain that I could convert to an Ornament but I figured we could look at the Grinchmas store first. The Grinchmas store had Grinch and Dr. Suess themed ornaments but again none of them said Universal Studios much less Grinchmas on them. Still we decided a Grinch Ornament would be symbolic of Grinchmas so thats what we settled on. I thought about getting a shirt or a lanyard but I couldn't find any styles that I really liked.
Don't forget to see the filming sign as you exit or enter the park to see what is filming that day. I wish we would have seen it on Saturday when we came (dispite being told nothing was filming as everything we were told was being filmed today was wrong). We exited the park and our time at Universal Studios Hollywood was over. I mentioned it when I posted earlier about Universal but the Hollywood park really is a great little park. Is it as good as Orlando? Of course not. Universal Studios Hollywood will always be a Movie Studio first and theme park second. Still the parks Studio Tour is something you will not see anywhere else. Some parks may try to replicate it but its nothing like the real deal. That alone is worth a visit to the park. And it will only get better as Dispicable Me is finished and the Wizarding World is built over the next few years. Although it was much busier on Saturday I can't help but admit that it was the better day to go. Honestly I feel bad for the people who go on a weekday and don't know all that there missing due to filming on the Studio Tour. The tour was better Saturday and Grinchmas adds a whole nother level of fun to the park. Still I couldn't imagine going to California and not going to Universal. Its always been that way since I was little.
CityWalk was bustling with people once again. It was nearly as packed as it was Saturday night but it was still pretty busy and much more packed then it was during the day. But then again Night time is really when this place comes alive. No concerts were taking place tonight with just Music Videos being played over the big screen.
The night was still young as we exited the parking garage and left the Universal Property. The park closed today at 5pm and at 5:45 we were on the freeway. With the night still free we started to make our way to the Westwood area of Los Angeles. This little area just off the campus of UCLA is a little area we fell in love with on our Honeymoon in 2008 and a place we return to each time we are in Southern California. The GPS directed us to take Santa Monica Blvd thru Hollywood to get there and dispite not being too far distance wise, the drive took about 45 minutes to get from Universal to Westwood. Parking is a pain in the butt to find around Westwood as its a very popular hang out for the Collage crowds. Even on a weeknight. We ended up finding a parking garage with $3 parking after driving around in circles for a bit.
If you didn't notice we never ate lunch today in the park since we had a late breakfast and didn't get to the park tell later in the day. So by this point in our day we were starving. There are many diffrent restaurants around the Westwood area but we were so hungry that we just went strait to the Califonia Pizza Kitchen. Suprisingly we got right in and sat at a table. Its been so long now but I think I got a Meat lover type pizza and Kiera got a Salad. Daniel of course got his Milk as well. The food was good and priced pretty much the same as it is back home.
The real thing though that brings us back to Westwood each trip is a little place called Diddy Riese. This little place sells the best Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches that we've every had. You choose what kind of Ice Cream you want and then choose 2 cookes to have it placed between. The best part is the sandwich only costs $1.50. That is rediculously cheap for very good food especially in an area like Westwood. There is always a line and the shop is small so be prepaired to wait. And make sure you have cash as thats all that they accept there. We try to go multipule times and even get a dozen cookies before the end of our trip (only $6). I can't recommend this place enough.
After walking around the area we finally left Westwood to head back to our hotel in Anaheim. We got on the freeway and started the long drive back as with traffic tonight it took us over an hour to get back to Anaheim. To make matters worse something unthinkable happened. Daniel thru up all over the back seat of the rental car. Kiera was sitting back there with him already so she was able to start cleaning up the best she could while I drove. But the damage was done. He was soaked and so was his car seat and the seat of the car. And it didn't smell good.
When we got back to the hotel we hoped to have time to head over to the pool but do to the throw up incident that was out the window. We got Daniel and his car seat into the bedroom where Kiera started getting him cleaned up. While she did so I took the car to go find an auto parts store or somewhere that I could buy some upolstry cleaner to try to get the throw up and the smell out of the seats cushion. I found a K-Mart and got what I needed there. Dispite being a few miles from Disneyland It was intersting that I could still hear the Fireworks exploading inside the K-Mart and even see them outside from the Parking Lot.
Once back at the hotel I got to work on the cushion. I scrubbed and sprayed and did all I could. I got the stains out of the seat and most of the smell. But unfortunatly the smell still lingered. I would end up scrubbing it a couple more times before we returned the car at the end of the trip. I just couldn't believe this happened. Its never happened before in ether of our personal cars so it figures it would in a rental car. I just hoped we wouldn't get charged extra for this accident.
After I got done cleaning I went back into the hotel room where Daniel was already going down to bed. The kid was worn out after another day in a theme park and also after his accident. We tried cleaning the car seat with the cleaner as well before we went to bed. At least tomorrow would be an off day so again we wouldn't have to worry about waking up early. It was originally suppose to be our final day at Disney. But with how tired we were from the last 3 park days we decided to move it to Friday instead to take advantage of longer hours and Fantasmic. We were glad we did as we really needed this off day to just kick back, relax, and take it easy.
After the Studio tour and with Daniel still sleeping we figured there wasn't a better time to attempt The Simpsons ride again. I was once again very suprised when we arrived at the ride and found a 25 minute wait still posted at the attraction. Unlike last time though where the line was very long there was no line for the attraction at this time.
I got in line while Kiera went to the Child Swap area with the sleeping child. I expected the Child Swap room to be themed much like the Orlando version however that was not the case. Infact the Child Swap area for the Simpsons ride is located outside of the attraction. The line for the Simpsons ride in Hollywood is themed pretty much the same as the Orlando version with some Krustyland attraction posters and TV moniters playing clips from the show. Dispite the que's being similar in Florida and Hollywood though I think the building and facades themselves look MUCH better in Hollywood which based on the "Krustyland" map is what Universal Creative likely designed the facade around and then forced it on the Florida building. In Hollywood the 2 theaters are in seperate buildings connected only by the que line where in Florida its all one building. I had practically no outside wait before being guided inside to wait direction to what theater and vehicle I would be riding.
The rides themselves and videos are exactly the same in Hollywood and Florida. In 2008 I was still really dissapointed to see my former all time favorite Motion Simulator Ride Back to the Future replaced by the Simpsons. Although I was sad to see Back to the Future gone though I thought although not as good that back the Simpsons ride was a worthy replacement. Especially if your a fan of the show. Heck Kiera doesn't care much for the show but loves the ride. The Simpsons is a very good ride that I consider a do not miss wether your in Hollywood or Orlando. But it no longer has the title of my favorite "current" Motion Simulator like it did from 2008-2011. That title is now claimed by Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. There is one difference though between the Orlando and Hollywood versions of the ride though and that is in Hollywood there is a ride photo taken of you that you can view at the bottom of the exit ramps of the ride.
I meet Kiera in the Child Swap area which was actually pretty cold as the sun started to set on our day. Kiera took the Child Swap card I got earlier and entered the ride dispite it really not being needed. I waited around in the cold until Daniel woke up from his Nap. Once he did and figuring we would keep warm while moving I decided to walk over to check out the Kwik-e-Mart. Theres a few things different about this store between Hollywood and Florida. First of all the Facade of the store is So much better in Hollywood then Florida because it actually looks like the Kwik-E-Mart from the TV Show. The store also had different themed facades depending which side your standing on with Moes being on one side and the Androids Dungion on the other. So sorta like you see currently under construction in Orlando but on a smaller scale. Although the stores main enterance facade looked more anthentic to the show you soon realized once inside the store that it is very small. You could probably fit 2 of them inside the Orlando store.
Next to the Kwik-E-Mart Bart Simpson was out meeting guests. Since we meet Homer and Marge earlier in the day I figured we should see Bart as well. There was no line to see him and he was cute with Daniel dispite Daniel not really giving a crap lol.
Kiera seemed to be taking longer then I thought she would so after sending her a text and finding out she was still in the indoor waiting room I figured I would take Daniel to the Curious George Play area to let him run around while we waited instead of the cold Child Swap area. I was shocked to find when we got there though that it was already closed for the night dispite us still being about 20 minutes away from official park closing. That was something that seemed to echo thruout the park as Daniel and I walked around. Shrek 4d already had its final showing of the day, almost all the food service locations were closed and most of the smaller shops. It was pretty strange. I guess it all fit in though with all the closed off Grinchmas areas.
For so many things already being closed before the official park closing I was actually suprised to see Characters still out. Not only did we see Bart Simpson but Sponge Bob was also out still at his Meet and Greet. There was a small line but with time to kill until Kiera was done we waited to see Sponge Bob who Daniel seemed to enjoy the most.
We made our way next into the International Streets where I had more time to look around. The International Streets right now are easily the most well themed area of the park. Although not large take your time and look around as theres some neat details and even some movie props such as the Mini Cooper from one of the Bourne movies and Biff's Car from Back to the Future. Mels Dinner is also back here although its not as big or as themed as the Orlando one.
In the back behind the International Streets is an attraction and store that I was really hoping would still be open. The now closed Terminator 2 3d. I really wished we would have got to see this show one last time before it closed because it is pretty good. However with Daniel and time constraints its one we didn't plan to experiance. The building (along with the old Coke Soak play area) is now behind walls as its converted into the Dispicable Me Ride. What I was going back here for was for the Terminator exit store as it was also where Universal had all there markdown merchandise at. In addition to the Markdown stuff the Terminator store was like it is in Orlando and carry's a bunch of different stuff including franchises not in or owned by Universal like Marvel and DC stuff. Kiera finally meet up with us at this store and after looking thru all the Markdowns and not finding anything we left.
Since Kiera had now rejoined Daniel and I we walked around the International streets again as we made our way towards the exit of the Park. Again these areas are so detailed that its fun to look around. Especially with the Holiday decore and window displays that are set up.
Most of the shops were closed before the park was but like every major theme park the main stores at the park enterance stay open later then the park does. This was good as we had a few things to get before leaving the park for the day and the trip. Those of you who follow my reports may recall the items we buy each time we go on vacation. A postcard and a Christmas Ornament. Both of these seem to frustrate me more though each trip we go on. Postcards seem to be harder and harder to come by. Especially since Universal (even Disney) hasn't updated there cards in a very long time. Yes some of the Universal cards still had Back to the Future, the Original Kong Encounter, and Backdraft on them. What really suprised me though was the lack in Christmas Ornaments. ESPECIALLY at Christmas time. We found no Ornaments that said Universal Studios on them. I found a Keychain that I could convert to an Ornament but I figured we could look at the Grinchmas store first. The Grinchmas store had Grinch and Dr. Suess themed ornaments but again none of them said Universal Studios much less Grinchmas on them. Still we decided a Grinch Ornament would be symbolic of Grinchmas so thats what we settled on. I thought about getting a shirt or a lanyard but I couldn't find any styles that I really liked.
Don't forget to see the filming sign as you exit or enter the park to see what is filming that day. I wish we would have seen it on Saturday when we came (dispite being told nothing was filming as everything we were told was being filmed today was wrong). We exited the park and our time at Universal Studios Hollywood was over. I mentioned it when I posted earlier about Universal but the Hollywood park really is a great little park. Is it as good as Orlando? Of course not. Universal Studios Hollywood will always be a Movie Studio first and theme park second. Still the parks Studio Tour is something you will not see anywhere else. Some parks may try to replicate it but its nothing like the real deal. That alone is worth a visit to the park. And it will only get better as Dispicable Me is finished and the Wizarding World is built over the next few years. Although it was much busier on Saturday I can't help but admit that it was the better day to go. Honestly I feel bad for the people who go on a weekday and don't know all that there missing due to filming on the Studio Tour. The tour was better Saturday and Grinchmas adds a whole nother level of fun to the park. Still I couldn't imagine going to California and not going to Universal. Its always been that way since I was little.
CityWalk was bustling with people once again. It was nearly as packed as it was Saturday night but it was still pretty busy and much more packed then it was during the day. But then again Night time is really when this place comes alive. No concerts were taking place tonight with just Music Videos being played over the big screen.
The night was still young as we exited the parking garage and left the Universal Property. The park closed today at 5pm and at 5:45 we were on the freeway. With the night still free we started to make our way to the Westwood area of Los Angeles. This little area just off the campus of UCLA is a little area we fell in love with on our Honeymoon in 2008 and a place we return to each time we are in Southern California. The GPS directed us to take Santa Monica Blvd thru Hollywood to get there and dispite not being too far distance wise, the drive took about 45 minutes to get from Universal to Westwood. Parking is a pain in the butt to find around Westwood as its a very popular hang out for the Collage crowds. Even on a weeknight. We ended up finding a parking garage with $3 parking after driving around in circles for a bit.
If you didn't notice we never ate lunch today in the park since we had a late breakfast and didn't get to the park tell later in the day. So by this point in our day we were starving. There are many diffrent restaurants around the Westwood area but we were so hungry that we just went strait to the Califonia Pizza Kitchen. Suprisingly we got right in and sat at a table. Its been so long now but I think I got a Meat lover type pizza and Kiera got a Salad. Daniel of course got his Milk as well. The food was good and priced pretty much the same as it is back home.
The real thing though that brings us back to Westwood each trip is a little place called Diddy Riese. This little place sells the best Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches that we've every had. You choose what kind of Ice Cream you want and then choose 2 cookes to have it placed between. The best part is the sandwich only costs $1.50. That is rediculously cheap for very good food especially in an area like Westwood. There is always a line and the shop is small so be prepaired to wait. And make sure you have cash as thats all that they accept there. We try to go multipule times and even get a dozen cookies before the end of our trip (only $6). I can't recommend this place enough.
After walking around the area we finally left Westwood to head back to our hotel in Anaheim. We got on the freeway and started the long drive back as with traffic tonight it took us over an hour to get back to Anaheim. To make matters worse something unthinkable happened. Daniel thru up all over the back seat of the rental car. Kiera was sitting back there with him already so she was able to start cleaning up the best she could while I drove. But the damage was done. He was soaked and so was his car seat and the seat of the car. And it didn't smell good.
When we got back to the hotel we hoped to have time to head over to the pool but do to the throw up incident that was out the window. We got Daniel and his car seat into the bedroom where Kiera started getting him cleaned up. While she did so I took the car to go find an auto parts store or somewhere that I could buy some upolstry cleaner to try to get the throw up and the smell out of the seats cushion. I found a K-Mart and got what I needed there. Dispite being a few miles from Disneyland It was intersting that I could still hear the Fireworks exploading inside the K-Mart and even see them outside from the Parking Lot.
Once back at the hotel I got to work on the cushion. I scrubbed and sprayed and did all I could. I got the stains out of the seat and most of the smell. But unfortunatly the smell still lingered. I would end up scrubbing it a couple more times before we returned the car at the end of the trip. I just couldn't believe this happened. Its never happened before in ether of our personal cars so it figures it would in a rental car. I just hoped we wouldn't get charged extra for this accident.
After I got done cleaning I went back into the hotel room where Daniel was already going down to bed. The kid was worn out after another day in a theme park and also after his accident. We tried cleaning the car seat with the cleaner as well before we went to bed. At least tomorrow would be an off day so again we wouldn't have to worry about waking up early. It was originally suppose to be our final day at Disney. But with how tired we were from the last 3 park days we decided to move it to Friday instead to take advantage of longer hours and Fantasmic. We were glad we did as we really needed this off day to just kick back, relax, and take it easy.
- Mar 14, 2010
- 1,297
- 50
Another great one! :thumbs:
It's too bad you couldn't catch filming at the Studios. That's definitely something I'd love to do if I ever visit USH! I even tried to research it a bit, and didn't find much info. Now when you mention that the info you got was not all correct... :look: I worry. Hope I get to go to USH and see filming someday!
It's too bad you couldn't catch filming at the Studios. That's definitely something I'd love to do if I ever visit USH! I even tried to research it a bit, and didn't find much info. Now when you mention that the info you got was not all correct... :look: I worry. Hope I get to go to USH and see filming someday!
Yeah theres plenty of filming going on during the week but the tram won't get you anywhere close to it. I loved how active the Front lot and soundstages were during the week but it was dissapointing that with filming taking place on the backlot that you miss much of the tour. They do have a ticket outlet on the Upper lot where you can get tickets to shows being filmed during the week. This is something I would have loved to do. However with having a little one it was out of the question. Most TV shows won't let kids under 12 in to a filming. but it was kinda funny that our Tram Guide told us different filming was taking place then the sign in the front of the park said.
Day 6: Downtown Disney & Knott's Christmas Craft Village
Let me start off by saying that this recap of Day 6 may not have as much writing as the past days have. Since this was a down day that mostly focused on shopping I really don't have much detail to write about.
It was very nice to once again have a day to sleep in and not be in a rush to get to a Theme Park. As I mentioned before this day was originally planned to be our final Disney day. But do to how tired we had found ourselves and a chance of rain all day long we decided to make it an off day instead and do our final Disney day on Friday instead. We took our time getting ready for the day and ate a late breakfast before finally leaving for the day. Today would be a shopping day in addition to other take it easy type stuff.
We left the hotel at around 11:30am to drive over to Downtown Disney where we would be starting our day. Earlier in the week we got a coupon on the bottom of our reciept from the Bengle BBQ that would give us 20% off our entire purchase at the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney (as well as the Emporiam in Disneyland and Elias and Co. in DCA) but it had to be used by 1pm. So Downtown Disney was the first stop since we were pressed for time.
Parking was easy to find at Downtown Disney and your first 3 hours are free. After that though the rates for parking skyrocket to discourage people from parking there for the theme parks thinking they can trick the system. Yes Downtown Disney was a short walk from our hotel but since it wasn't the only thing we would be doing today we decided just to drive over.
We entered the area between the Rainforest Cafe and the ESPN Zone which put us exactly where we were at a few days earlier when we rode the monorail in to grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich. Which is all on the West end of the area next to the Disneyland Hotel.
Since were were on a time crunch to use that coupon we immediatly started walking to the east side of Downtown Disney to where the World of Disney store is located. As we were walking though Daniel got really excited as we walked past the Lego Store and he saw the giant display of legos depecting a scene from Toy Story. Which is his favorite movies. He thought it was pretty cool.
We soon got to the World of Disney store which is very big but still noticibly smaller then the Orlando version. As with all of our vacations we had a few things we would be specifically looking for in the store. Notibly being our Christmas Ornament and a Postcard. Being Christmas time at the Disneyland Resort there diffenitly wasn't any shortage on Christmas Ornaments here like there were at Universal, however the Postcard was very difficult to find. Especially one that only featured Disneyland or only DCA instead of the whole resort (much like we found earlier in the year at Walt Disney World). We were still able to find some cards that worked though.
We typically aren't big spenders on merchandise outside of our traditional purchases. But we did decide to splurge a bit more on this trip. Kiera got a new Minnie Mouse Keychain and I got a Lanyard to wear for work. Kiera also got some Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutters that we found difficult to find when we thru a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party for Daniels 1st Birthday back in September. But the biggest expense came when we decided it would be fun to all get shirts to wear tomorrow for our final day in Disneyland. I decided on a Tee Shirt while Daniel got a Zip Up jacket and Kiera a Pull over Hoodie. They didn't have the Hoodie in Kiera size though so she just settled for one a size larger in hopes that maybe another Disney store had it and we could exchange. We spent a lot of money at the World of Disney store but we also saved alot. I think our total purchase was just under $70. That coupon went a long ways so check your reciepts to see if you get one too.
Since we got done with the shopping we needed to first and foremost we now took our time exploring the rest of Downtown Disney as worked our way back towards the Disneyland Hotel. The World of Disney Store is located right across from the Tram drop off area and next to the Entry plaza for the Theme Parks. Its smaller then the WDW version but I thought it was unique in the that the Grand Californian Hotel is right above it. The store is on the first level with rooms above it which I don't know would make having those rooms bad or not. We stopped in and looked around the Quicksilver store but found mostly everything to be pricey. Daniel did enjoy the fish tank though.
With a whole day to kill we decided to check out some of the Disneyland Resort Hotels as well. So when we got to the Downtown Disney enterance to the Grand Californian we decided to check it out. We havn't had the chance to explore any of the WDW Resort hotels so I won't be able to make any comparisons of them between the resorts but I thought the Grand Californian was pretty amazing. The Lobby will leave you in awe the first time you see it. It diffenitly puts the grand in its name. During Christmas time you can sometimes find Santa sitting at the Lobby tree and having photopass on this trip we really hoped we would See Santa today but he wasn't out at the time we were here.
We ventured outside and walked around some of the other public areas of the Hotel. Out by the pool area and even up to where the enterance to California Adventure is located at. For being practically inside a theme park we were really suprised by how quant and quite the Outdoor areas actually were. It was so relaxing and beautiful. Of course it would be an amazing experiance to stay here. Especially with a park view. However with very expensive nightly rates i'm sure thats something that will never happen. Still its worth checking out if your at the resort.
After checking out all the public areas of the Grand Californian we made our way back out to Downtown Disney and continued on our way. We next stopped in to the Ride Makerz and Build a Bear stores. I've always thought Ride Makerz seemed pretty cool. Especially since i'm into building and modifing cars myself. But again the prices seem to be so expensive that I couldn't justify actually building one. Although the slammed Mater kit seemed pretty cool. We just browsed thru Build A Bear and thought the Disney themed costumes were cute. It made us wonder if they would fit Daniels Duffy bear but we never bought one to try out.
The next store we stopped by was D-Street which is a lot bigger in California then it is in Florida. This is the shop that sells the Vinylmations which I find to be pretty cool. I hoped I would be able to find some more Tron ones to finish my set but I think they have been discontinued. Unlike Florida that only sells the Vinylmations though the Anaheim shop had all sorts of geek type loves such as a lot of Marvel and Star Wars merchandise.
We had finally made our way back to the Lego store which is always worth a look as they always have some of the coolest displays made out of Legos. Inside the store you'll find Lego mockups of the Hulk, Aladdin and Jasmin flying on the Magic Carpet, and Gandolff from the Lord of the Rings. That store was recently remodeled so it has a very similar feel to the Orlando version. Even down to the Disney displays outside featuring Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and Sleeping Beauty.
Passing the Monorail station we were back at where we started from. Earl of Sandwich looked so good again and not packed at all but we wouldn't be eating there again this day. For the Holiday season and to promote the new Tinkerbell movie Disney constructed an ice rink in Downtown Disney. Although we never saw many people using it. Probably because the prices to do so were about 3 times the amount it is back home. They also had a "Christmas Village" set up but it was so poorly done that it wasn't even worth looking at.
At the end of Downtown Disney sits the Disneyland Hotel. So thats where we would go next. It was mentioned to us that the Fantasia Store at the Disneyland Hotel might have the Hoodie Kiera bought in the size she really wanted so we would at least be checking that out while we were here. Compared to the Downtown Disney stores the Fantasia store was dead. We were the only ones in there. But sure enough they did have the Hoodie in Kieras size so she exchanged the one we bought earlier for that one.
Since we were at the hotel we decided to look around it a bit. The Fantasia store is located inside the Fantasy Tower and also the Main lobby for the hotel is located here. Although the Disneyland Hotel might not be as classy or elegant as the Grand Californian I think I prefer it more. It seems more fun and Disney-esc to me. The hotel was recently remodeled and I loved all the retro decor and vintage Disneyland photos and art all around the Hotel. Theres even old ride vehicles.
We hoped that since we missed Santa at the Grand Californian that he would be here but he was also gone. Although I think the Disneyland Hotel had the best set up to meet Santa Claus out of the Hotels.
Before returning to Downtown Disney we walked thru the outdoor areas of the Disneyland Hotel but we never did go in the Frontier or Adventure Towers. The hotel grounds look great since the hotels remodel. I think the vintage Monorail Slides are a very nice addition to the pool area but overall i'm kind of dissapointed that they removed the Neverland pool that had such a unique Peter Pan overlay to it. Now its just a basic pool. The old Waterfalls are gone and in there place is a guyser that is a call back to the old Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland which was located where Big Thunder Mountain now sits. The Disneyland Hotel is also home to the Terrice and Trader Sams which I hear is a pretty fun experiance that we never got the chance to go to.
After walking around the Disneyland Hotel and back out to Downtown Disney we decided our time there was done. We had seen everything we wanted to see and walked thru some of the Hotels. The only Hotel we didn't go to was the Paradise Pier Hotel which is the cheapest of the 3 Disneyland hotels. It was just a short walk down the street form the Disneyland Hotel but we never made it down to it. The Ice Rink was more busy now though.
This was the first that we acually spent a lot of time at the Disneyland Resorts Downtown Disney. When we've gone to Orlando Downtown Disney is always a must visit no matter if we are going to WDW or not. Compared to the Florida version we have to say that the Florida Downtown Disney is much better then the Disneyland version (i've only known Floridas without the clubs). I like how its much larger and seems to have much more stuff going on and more unique dining opperunities. What I do like though about the California Downtown Disney is its close proximity to the parks and hotels. Once again the same reason why we love the Universal Orlando resort is because everything in the resort is within walking distance. Of course I still think Universal's Citywalks are done better.
We spent almost 3 hours in Downtown Disney by the time we finally left so we were getting pretty hungry. For lunch we decided on a California Must Go to In-N-Out Burger. Yes we have these back home in Utah now. But theres just something that didn't seem right about going to Southern California and not going to eat at In-N-Out. Plus I think it still taists slightly better then the ones we have back home. If you want some good fast food make sure you check out In-N-Out burger and get your burger and fries Animal Style.
Since we still had half the day left we decided to fall back on doing something that we looked in to but didn't give much thought to doing. We would go to Knotts Berry Farm. But not to go on any rides or attractions. During the Holiday Season they do a Christmas Craft Fair in the Ghost Town section of the park that is open for free to the public. Thats right FREE. From Mon-Thrusday you can get in to the Christmas Craft Village for no cost. Just don't plan on sneaking on any rides or to other sections of the park as they had many employees stationed at all rides and other section enterances checking if you were a paying guest or not.
We parked in the Knotts Marketplace parking which just like Downtown Disney gives you I think 3 hours of free parking. To get to the Christmas Craft Village you enter the park thru the Marketplace area instead of thru the main park gates. There were plenty of signs directing us to where we need to go. Walking in was very easy as there was an open gate and we were in the Ghost Town. The Ghost Town at Knotts might be the only area of the park that one ups Disneyland as the Ghost Town is much better themed then Frontierland. You actually feel like your walking thru the old west in a small town. Of course though all this amazing theming is thrown out the window when you see Roller Coaster supports intruding on the themeing as Knotts has just thrown there Coasters wherever they can find room not giving much thought to how it effects the theming of an area. Knotts has some great coasters but it really keeps getting built on top of each other.
Theres a building at the Craft Village called Santas Toy Barn where you can buy toys and also meet Santa himself. So we took Daniel to see Santa once again in hopes that he would eventually warm up to the big guy. He at this point was getting better but once he was put on Santas lap he wasn't having it. He wanted down right away. Of course he loved that candy cane he gets afterwards though.
During the Christmas season they also have demostrations taking place in the Craft Village such as a Chainsaw wood carver and some guys Doing Glass Sculputures the old way by blowing the glass. We never saw the Wood Carver demonstration but the Glass blowing seemed to be really cool.
We stopped by one of the shops and picked us up a little holiday snack. Some home made fudge. This is something we usually get during the Holidays that we hadn't yet so why not today. We ended up getting some Mint fudge and it was very delicious. And cheap too.
Although we couldn't go into the rest of the park you could see many of Knotts thrill rides towering in the distance such as the Silver Bullet, Windseeker, Excelerator, Extreme Scream, and so forth. Also some of Knotts classic attractions like the Calico Mine Train and Timber Mountain log ride were right next to the main plaza. Had we stayed in the park long enough we would have been able to see there nightly Christmas tree lighting in the main plaza as well as the Peanuts Gang Christmas parade but without rides to go on we couldn't find anything to keep us in the park longer then we were.
After making the full loop around the Ghost Town and looking at all the shops we wanted to we decided to call it a day and leave Knotts. The Christmas Craft Village was cool in the fact that it was free and you could enjoy some aspects of the park free of charge. Plus there were some unique gift ideas there. But it doesn't replace spending a whole day at Knotts. Knotts Berry Farm is a park that still really needs to find itself and balance out its themeing and Thrill Rides. I do wish we could have gone to the full park as there are some really great rides at Knotts but we couldn't justify the extra cost. If your in the area during the Holidays and are looking for something to do then check out the Christmas Craft Village as it really is a fun way to kill some time. Also check out the Marketplace shops on your way out.
Back at the Hotel we took advantage of the early evening and went again to the Hotel pool and Jacuzzi to relax. We weren't the only ones swimming though as there was another family swimming in the pool at this time. It was nice to relax in the hot tub after an easy day not trying to fit the parks in to one day.
For dinner tonight we decided to stay close to the hotel and keep it simple so we just went to a Panda Express that was down the street about a mile. The food is always good and filling. We ended up spending the remaining time of the day in our hotel room where we just watched some tv and went to bed early. We moved our final Disney day back 1 day so that we could have this rest day and avoid some forecasted rain. Although it was very nice to have the easy day and we were able to do things we couldn't otherwise (like visiting Knotts) it ended up not raining today. Instead the rain was now forecasted for Friday when we would be in the parks. I guess we could hope that the rain would miss us once again. Only time would tell.
Untill then we needed to get some sleep and rest up for our busy day tomorrow. We were about to do something we have never done before. We were gonna spend all day in the Disneyland Resort parks. 8am until Midnight. The 16 hour day that we originally didn't plan on doing would soon be upon us.
Let me start off by saying that this recap of Day 6 may not have as much writing as the past days have. Since this was a down day that mostly focused on shopping I really don't have much detail to write about.
It was very nice to once again have a day to sleep in and not be in a rush to get to a Theme Park. As I mentioned before this day was originally planned to be our final Disney day. But do to how tired we had found ourselves and a chance of rain all day long we decided to make it an off day instead and do our final Disney day on Friday instead. We took our time getting ready for the day and ate a late breakfast before finally leaving for the day. Today would be a shopping day in addition to other take it easy type stuff.
We left the hotel at around 11:30am to drive over to Downtown Disney where we would be starting our day. Earlier in the week we got a coupon on the bottom of our reciept from the Bengle BBQ that would give us 20% off our entire purchase at the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney (as well as the Emporiam in Disneyland and Elias and Co. in DCA) but it had to be used by 1pm. So Downtown Disney was the first stop since we were pressed for time.
Parking was easy to find at Downtown Disney and your first 3 hours are free. After that though the rates for parking skyrocket to discourage people from parking there for the theme parks thinking they can trick the system. Yes Downtown Disney was a short walk from our hotel but since it wasn't the only thing we would be doing today we decided just to drive over.
We entered the area between the Rainforest Cafe and the ESPN Zone which put us exactly where we were at a few days earlier when we rode the monorail in to grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich. Which is all on the West end of the area next to the Disneyland Hotel.
Since were were on a time crunch to use that coupon we immediatly started walking to the east side of Downtown Disney to where the World of Disney store is located. As we were walking though Daniel got really excited as we walked past the Lego Store and he saw the giant display of legos depecting a scene from Toy Story. Which is his favorite movies. He thought it was pretty cool.
We soon got to the World of Disney store which is very big but still noticibly smaller then the Orlando version. As with all of our vacations we had a few things we would be specifically looking for in the store. Notibly being our Christmas Ornament and a Postcard. Being Christmas time at the Disneyland Resort there diffenitly wasn't any shortage on Christmas Ornaments here like there were at Universal, however the Postcard was very difficult to find. Especially one that only featured Disneyland or only DCA instead of the whole resort (much like we found earlier in the year at Walt Disney World). We were still able to find some cards that worked though.
We typically aren't big spenders on merchandise outside of our traditional purchases. But we did decide to splurge a bit more on this trip. Kiera got a new Minnie Mouse Keychain and I got a Lanyard to wear for work. Kiera also got some Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutters that we found difficult to find when we thru a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party for Daniels 1st Birthday back in September. But the biggest expense came when we decided it would be fun to all get shirts to wear tomorrow for our final day in Disneyland. I decided on a Tee Shirt while Daniel got a Zip Up jacket and Kiera a Pull over Hoodie. They didn't have the Hoodie in Kiera size though so she just settled for one a size larger in hopes that maybe another Disney store had it and we could exchange. We spent a lot of money at the World of Disney store but we also saved alot. I think our total purchase was just under $70. That coupon went a long ways so check your reciepts to see if you get one too.
Since we got done with the shopping we needed to first and foremost we now took our time exploring the rest of Downtown Disney as worked our way back towards the Disneyland Hotel. The World of Disney Store is located right across from the Tram drop off area and next to the Entry plaza for the Theme Parks. Its smaller then the WDW version but I thought it was unique in the that the Grand Californian Hotel is right above it. The store is on the first level with rooms above it which I don't know would make having those rooms bad or not. We stopped in and looked around the Quicksilver store but found mostly everything to be pricey. Daniel did enjoy the fish tank though.
With a whole day to kill we decided to check out some of the Disneyland Resort Hotels as well. So when we got to the Downtown Disney enterance to the Grand Californian we decided to check it out. We havn't had the chance to explore any of the WDW Resort hotels so I won't be able to make any comparisons of them between the resorts but I thought the Grand Californian was pretty amazing. The Lobby will leave you in awe the first time you see it. It diffenitly puts the grand in its name. During Christmas time you can sometimes find Santa sitting at the Lobby tree and having photopass on this trip we really hoped we would See Santa today but he wasn't out at the time we were here.
We ventured outside and walked around some of the other public areas of the Hotel. Out by the pool area and even up to where the enterance to California Adventure is located at. For being practically inside a theme park we were really suprised by how quant and quite the Outdoor areas actually were. It was so relaxing and beautiful. Of course it would be an amazing experiance to stay here. Especially with a park view. However with very expensive nightly rates i'm sure thats something that will never happen. Still its worth checking out if your at the resort.
After checking out all the public areas of the Grand Californian we made our way back out to Downtown Disney and continued on our way. We next stopped in to the Ride Makerz and Build a Bear stores. I've always thought Ride Makerz seemed pretty cool. Especially since i'm into building and modifing cars myself. But again the prices seem to be so expensive that I couldn't justify actually building one. Although the slammed Mater kit seemed pretty cool. We just browsed thru Build A Bear and thought the Disney themed costumes were cute. It made us wonder if they would fit Daniels Duffy bear but we never bought one to try out.
The next store we stopped by was D-Street which is a lot bigger in California then it is in Florida. This is the shop that sells the Vinylmations which I find to be pretty cool. I hoped I would be able to find some more Tron ones to finish my set but I think they have been discontinued. Unlike Florida that only sells the Vinylmations though the Anaheim shop had all sorts of geek type loves such as a lot of Marvel and Star Wars merchandise.
We had finally made our way back to the Lego store which is always worth a look as they always have some of the coolest displays made out of Legos. Inside the store you'll find Lego mockups of the Hulk, Aladdin and Jasmin flying on the Magic Carpet, and Gandolff from the Lord of the Rings. That store was recently remodeled so it has a very similar feel to the Orlando version. Even down to the Disney displays outside featuring Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and Sleeping Beauty.
Passing the Monorail station we were back at where we started from. Earl of Sandwich looked so good again and not packed at all but we wouldn't be eating there again this day. For the Holiday season and to promote the new Tinkerbell movie Disney constructed an ice rink in Downtown Disney. Although we never saw many people using it. Probably because the prices to do so were about 3 times the amount it is back home. They also had a "Christmas Village" set up but it was so poorly done that it wasn't even worth looking at.
At the end of Downtown Disney sits the Disneyland Hotel. So thats where we would go next. It was mentioned to us that the Fantasia Store at the Disneyland Hotel might have the Hoodie Kiera bought in the size she really wanted so we would at least be checking that out while we were here. Compared to the Downtown Disney stores the Fantasia store was dead. We were the only ones in there. But sure enough they did have the Hoodie in Kieras size so she exchanged the one we bought earlier for that one.
Since we were at the hotel we decided to look around it a bit. The Fantasia store is located inside the Fantasy Tower and also the Main lobby for the hotel is located here. Although the Disneyland Hotel might not be as classy or elegant as the Grand Californian I think I prefer it more. It seems more fun and Disney-esc to me. The hotel was recently remodeled and I loved all the retro decor and vintage Disneyland photos and art all around the Hotel. Theres even old ride vehicles.
We hoped that since we missed Santa at the Grand Californian that he would be here but he was also gone. Although I think the Disneyland Hotel had the best set up to meet Santa Claus out of the Hotels.
Before returning to Downtown Disney we walked thru the outdoor areas of the Disneyland Hotel but we never did go in the Frontier or Adventure Towers. The hotel grounds look great since the hotels remodel. I think the vintage Monorail Slides are a very nice addition to the pool area but overall i'm kind of dissapointed that they removed the Neverland pool that had such a unique Peter Pan overlay to it. Now its just a basic pool. The old Waterfalls are gone and in there place is a guyser that is a call back to the old Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland which was located where Big Thunder Mountain now sits. The Disneyland Hotel is also home to the Terrice and Trader Sams which I hear is a pretty fun experiance that we never got the chance to go to.
After walking around the Disneyland Hotel and back out to Downtown Disney we decided our time there was done. We had seen everything we wanted to see and walked thru some of the Hotels. The only Hotel we didn't go to was the Paradise Pier Hotel which is the cheapest of the 3 Disneyland hotels. It was just a short walk down the street form the Disneyland Hotel but we never made it down to it. The Ice Rink was more busy now though.
This was the first that we acually spent a lot of time at the Disneyland Resorts Downtown Disney. When we've gone to Orlando Downtown Disney is always a must visit no matter if we are going to WDW or not. Compared to the Florida version we have to say that the Florida Downtown Disney is much better then the Disneyland version (i've only known Floridas without the clubs). I like how its much larger and seems to have much more stuff going on and more unique dining opperunities. What I do like though about the California Downtown Disney is its close proximity to the parks and hotels. Once again the same reason why we love the Universal Orlando resort is because everything in the resort is within walking distance. Of course I still think Universal's Citywalks are done better.
We spent almost 3 hours in Downtown Disney by the time we finally left so we were getting pretty hungry. For lunch we decided on a California Must Go to In-N-Out Burger. Yes we have these back home in Utah now. But theres just something that didn't seem right about going to Southern California and not going to eat at In-N-Out. Plus I think it still taists slightly better then the ones we have back home. If you want some good fast food make sure you check out In-N-Out burger and get your burger and fries Animal Style.
Since we still had half the day left we decided to fall back on doing something that we looked in to but didn't give much thought to doing. We would go to Knotts Berry Farm. But not to go on any rides or attractions. During the Holiday Season they do a Christmas Craft Fair in the Ghost Town section of the park that is open for free to the public. Thats right FREE. From Mon-Thrusday you can get in to the Christmas Craft Village for no cost. Just don't plan on sneaking on any rides or to other sections of the park as they had many employees stationed at all rides and other section enterances checking if you were a paying guest or not.
We parked in the Knotts Marketplace parking which just like Downtown Disney gives you I think 3 hours of free parking. To get to the Christmas Craft Village you enter the park thru the Marketplace area instead of thru the main park gates. There were plenty of signs directing us to where we need to go. Walking in was very easy as there was an open gate and we were in the Ghost Town. The Ghost Town at Knotts might be the only area of the park that one ups Disneyland as the Ghost Town is much better themed then Frontierland. You actually feel like your walking thru the old west in a small town. Of course though all this amazing theming is thrown out the window when you see Roller Coaster supports intruding on the themeing as Knotts has just thrown there Coasters wherever they can find room not giving much thought to how it effects the theming of an area. Knotts has some great coasters but it really keeps getting built on top of each other.
Theres a building at the Craft Village called Santas Toy Barn where you can buy toys and also meet Santa himself. So we took Daniel to see Santa once again in hopes that he would eventually warm up to the big guy. He at this point was getting better but once he was put on Santas lap he wasn't having it. He wanted down right away. Of course he loved that candy cane he gets afterwards though.
During the Christmas season they also have demostrations taking place in the Craft Village such as a Chainsaw wood carver and some guys Doing Glass Sculputures the old way by blowing the glass. We never saw the Wood Carver demonstration but the Glass blowing seemed to be really cool.
We stopped by one of the shops and picked us up a little holiday snack. Some home made fudge. This is something we usually get during the Holidays that we hadn't yet so why not today. We ended up getting some Mint fudge and it was very delicious. And cheap too.
Although we couldn't go into the rest of the park you could see many of Knotts thrill rides towering in the distance such as the Silver Bullet, Windseeker, Excelerator, Extreme Scream, and so forth. Also some of Knotts classic attractions like the Calico Mine Train and Timber Mountain log ride were right next to the main plaza. Had we stayed in the park long enough we would have been able to see there nightly Christmas tree lighting in the main plaza as well as the Peanuts Gang Christmas parade but without rides to go on we couldn't find anything to keep us in the park longer then we were.
After making the full loop around the Ghost Town and looking at all the shops we wanted to we decided to call it a day and leave Knotts. The Christmas Craft Village was cool in the fact that it was free and you could enjoy some aspects of the park free of charge. Plus there were some unique gift ideas there. But it doesn't replace spending a whole day at Knotts. Knotts Berry Farm is a park that still really needs to find itself and balance out its themeing and Thrill Rides. I do wish we could have gone to the full park as there are some really great rides at Knotts but we couldn't justify the extra cost. If your in the area during the Holidays and are looking for something to do then check out the Christmas Craft Village as it really is a fun way to kill some time. Also check out the Marketplace shops on your way out.
Back at the Hotel we took advantage of the early evening and went again to the Hotel pool and Jacuzzi to relax. We weren't the only ones swimming though as there was another family swimming in the pool at this time. It was nice to relax in the hot tub after an easy day not trying to fit the parks in to one day.
For dinner tonight we decided to stay close to the hotel and keep it simple so we just went to a Panda Express that was down the street about a mile. The food is always good and filling. We ended up spending the remaining time of the day in our hotel room where we just watched some tv and went to bed early. We moved our final Disney day back 1 day so that we could have this rest day and avoid some forecasted rain. Although it was very nice to have the easy day and we were able to do things we couldn't otherwise (like visiting Knotts) it ended up not raining today. Instead the rain was now forecasted for Friday when we would be in the parks. I guess we could hope that the rain would miss us once again. Only time would tell.
Untill then we needed to get some sleep and rest up for our busy day tomorrow. We were about to do something we have never done before. We were gonna spend all day in the Disneyland Resort parks. 8am until Midnight. The 16 hour day that we originally didn't plan on doing would soon be upon us.
Day 7, Part 1: Disneyland Resort
The big day was upon us. The 16 hour Disney day. The longest day we have ever spent in a theme park resort. As I mentioned before this day (Friday) was not originally intended to be a park day. Thursday was. However with rain forecasted on Thursday (which didn't happen) and long hours today (plus the added bonus of Fantasmic) we decided to switch our final park day to today. Of course it wouldn't all be a walk in the park though as rain was forecasted for today as well.
To make the most of our day we hoped to be at the parks again prior to opening. With a toddler though that means that goal didn't always happen. And such was the case today. Dispite being up at 6am again we didn't leave the hotel until almost 8am. The time that the parks would be opening today. We quickly got ready, ate breakfast, and thru on the Disneyland shirts that we bought for our family at Downtown Disney the previous day then We walked the nearly mile long walk from the hotel to the parks very quickly though and entered Disney California Adventure at about 8:15am.
We would be starting out our long day today in DCA because it was the park that we still had stuff to see in. Since we parkhopped over to Disneyland on our DCA day earlier in the week for a few hours we never got around to seeing everything we wanted to see. Upon entering the park we noticed that it felt significantly less packed then it did on Monday when we were here. Yes the park was already open when we arrived but we thought it would be much busier on a Friday. The mile long line for the Radiator Springs Racers fastpass line was just pass the Carthey Circle Theater when we arrived. The theater looked great this early in the morning.
Had we wanted to we could have hopped in the RSR fastpass line and got some Fastpasses for later in the day. But the fastpasses weren't our top priority today like it was on Monday. Although Radiator Springs Racers was. We thought the ride was great. The Best in DCA and one of the best Disney has put in any of its parks. But with how popular the ride is knew we would have to ride again early. So today we would attempt to ride it again via the Single Riders line.
As we stepped on to Route 66 and walked into Radiator Springs the lack of people echoed here as it did on Buena Vista Street. It was much less packed then it was on Monday. Had we wanted to at this time we could have walked on to Maters or Luigi's rides. The land looked great as well this early morning and with blue skys above we hopped for a great day ahead of us weather wise.
When we reached the entrance to RSR the standby wait was already up to 75 minutes but Single Riders only said about 5. I would go first so I entered the line and made my way towards the load area. I walked all the way to the ramps before I finally caught somebody else. There was no repeat of the first time we rode where the ride broke down and we waited over an hour for it to start back up and in just over 5 minutes time I was being loaded in to a vehicle.
No hicups so far as the ride started out. We passed the belt check and our scenic journey into ornament valley began. Something immdiatly seemed off though as the car kinda jerked a couple times. That was until it came to a complete stop right past the waterfall before entering the showbuilding. Although the views of the park were great from this area of the ride it wasn't great that we were stopped as RSR is known for frequently going down. We were stopped for about 4 minutes before the ride started moving again. I seriously started to think in that time that we would be evaced from the ride.
When the ride started back up we entered the show building and all the animatronics and effects seemed to be working fine. Well up until we got to the first Mator AA. The one that drives next to your vehicle until it eventually backs into a bush. Well it was nowhere to be found although the voice was though. When we reached that bush you could see the Tow truck stuck behind it. The 2nd animatronic worked though and we made it to the cow tipping scene until the ride once again stopped in its tracks. We saw the tipped tractors reset and then sat and waited for the ride to start again. Luckly this time we were only stopped for about a minute or so before the ride restarted.
For the most part the ride was smooth sailing from here. We rolled into Radiator Springs and this time the car drove in to Romoans Paint Shop (last time we got Luigi's) so I was happy to see both rooms. I think I liked Luigi's a little more though as the White wall tire effect is much better then the colored mist effect you get in Romoans to simulate the painting. When we pulled up to the starting line to race We were the only car there so for a moment I thought we would be the only ones. I quickly noticed that the Mouth projections on the Luigi Animatronic were also off to go along with the other ride problems. Soon another car pulled up though and our race began. This is the best portion of the ride as its so much fun especially with the racing aspect. I really wish it could be longer but I'll take what we can get. Again though the car I was in lost the race. We made a last scenic drive thru taillight caverns and then the ride was over.
Dispite the issues the ride was still a great ride and a lot of fun. I'm really glad we got to ride it once before though with a ride that was flawless as it really would have been dissapointing if this was our only ride on the thing. I'm sure hundreds of people a day have that experiance and with how long the line is for this ride they never get the chance to go on it again. Still RSR is a do not miss attraction and I can say that I think the Single Rider line first thing in the morning worked out much better and quicker then the Fastpass line did on Monday.
Upon exiting the ride I found Kiera and Daniel and switching off the child it was now Kieras turn to ride. She too entered the Single Riders line and into the attraction she went. While she rode I decided to take Daniel and go back to the RSR Fastpass distibution area in the off chance that Fastpasses were still avalible for later in the evening. Radiator Springs still didn't seem to be as packed as I thought it would be as we walked to the top of the street. As we were walking past the Cozy Cone Lightning McQueen was pulling out from his Meet and Greet so we stopped and watched. Daniel seemed pretty excited to see Lightning drive on past.
When I got to the RSR Fastpass Distribution area right outside of Bugs Land I wasn't just suprised the Fastpasses were still avalible. But I was also suprised that the time on them was at 1:55pm. I thought for sure anything left would be in the evening as I hoped to get a night ride on it. I pulled 2 fastpasses for Kiera and I to use later (since Single Rider would likely be much longer later tonight) and then walked back to Cars Land to meet up with Kiera.
Since I took many night photos of the new land our first night in the park I took the time walking back to take some daytime photos of the area. The attention to detail is so incredible. Seriously the best thing Disney has done in a long time. I still prefer the detail that you'll find at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but Cars Land will still leave you in awe.
I thought Kiera would be done by the time we got back to RSR but she wasn't. Apparently the ride had another minor break down so she still hadn't rode. So Daniel and I just waited around the attraction for her to finish. The Rockwork on the Cadillac Mountain Range is really what is so amazing about the land. I can't belive how realistic it looks. Eventually though Kiera did finish her ride but as with my ride the ride still wasn't at 100%. She mentioned Mater still wasn't working and her car raced alone instead of against someone else.
We rode Maters Junkyard Jamboree a few nights earlier when we were at DCA but we still hadn't rode Cars Land's 3rd ride. Luigi's Flying Tires. So thats where we went to next. The wait time was posted at 5 minutes so we figured it probably wouldn't get shorter then this. We got a Rider Swap card for Kiera which works just like Maters. I had to stand in the regular line until I rode. After I was done though Kiera could take the card and go thru the Alternate entrance with a much shorter wait. I was really impressed by the Que to Luigi's as you basically tour the tire showroom passing many of the tires he sells including is prized White Wall Tires. But Luigi is also a big Racing fan so you will find much memorabilia from F1 Racing and the World Grand Prix.
You exit the back of the shop and you are in a sort of Garden area where the "Festival of Floating Tires" is taking place. There are a few different design's cut into the bushes that are pretty cool. Eventually you reach a point where your devided into groups and then told how to make the tires move in the direction you want it to. Although the wait time said it was 5 minutes it was closer to 15 by the time I got to this point. Luigi's has an extremely low rider per hour capacity so be prepared to wait if you don't do it early.
After waiting your turn you're finally let us out onto the board to pick out our tires. I found one and quickly got belted in and was ready to ride. After collecting all the flags the air kicked on and our tires took flight. Many of you know this ride is a resurection of the old Flying Saucers Idea so I was really interested to see how it worked. Basically its like human Air Hockey. Just with about 20 extra pucks on the board. To make the Tires move you lean in the direction you want to go. But not too much or the tire will bottom out and make you loose momentum. After a couple minutes of leaning side to side it felt like I finally figured out how the Tire worked and was picking up some speed. Of course the ride cycle is only a couple minutes so by the time I figured it out the ride was over.
So how is Luigi's? Well the general concensious is that its the least favorite ride in Cars Land. And I think I would agree right now with that. Now I wouldn't say the ride is horrible and to skip it. You should try to ride it at least once as the ride is very unique and you won't find anything else like it anywhere. But right now I would say that Maters was the more fun ride. But I think that could change. If I rode Luigi's more and really got the hang of working the tire I think Luigi's has the potential to be the funner ride. Unfortunatly though you don't get enough time to really have the most fun you can on it. And with how slow loading the ride is its not something you'll want to stand in line twice for. So I like the ride. I just wish you had more time on it.
After my ride I exited and found Kiera and Daniel. She then entered the Alternate enterance and within 1 ride cycle she was in the next group to ride. As she waited to ride they brought Red the firetruck out who drove past us. Daniel got excited seeing him as well just like he did with Lightning earlier. Kiera was able to take a ride on the tires much quicker then I was and her thoughts were pretty much the same as mine regarding the ride. It would probably be a little funner if we could have gone on the ride together as well instead of switching off thru rider swap.
We had pretty much done everything now that we wanted to in Cars Land but there was still one more thing we wanted to do. We took Daniel to meet Lightning McQueen the other night. We still wanted to take him to meet Mater. So we swung over to the Cozy Cone Motel to see if he was out and to our luck he was. And the line was even shorter then it was for Lightning to meet him. We loved that during the Holiday Season that Mater had a Santa hat on. It seemed so fitting and was really cute. Daniel loved seeing Mater as we are pretty sure he is his favorite character from Cars.
One of our big goals for our final Disney day was to focus on taking Daniel to see Characters and also to find as many Photopass Photographers as we could. Especially since we were all wearing our Disneyland shirts. So we were excited to see after we were done meeting Mater that Red the Firetruck was still out and he also had a Photopass person with him. Although red wasn't decked out with anything Holiday themed like Mater he did play Christmas songs thru his horn. Parts of his body also moved and stuff which was pretty neat as well. We then went down to the Courthouse and got another picture there too as Daniel was asleep a few days earlier when we did.
After pictures we had finally seen everything in Cars Land so we moved on to another area of the park that we hadn't visited yet. A Bugs Land. This area is located right next to Cars Land and even has an enterance between the 2. Just head down cross street past Luigi's and you won't miss it. Theres even some route 66 style billboards telling you to stop by that is pretty unique.
Bugsland is a land that I have mixed feelings about. This was the first expansion of the struggling California Adventure Park when it first opened. One major complant about the new park was that there wasn't enough "Disney" and not enough things for kids and toddlers to do. So Disney's answer was a Bugs Land. Themeing wise I think the land is great. You really do feel like you've been shrunk down to bug size. I love the over grown grass and bushes and all the larger then life decor everywhere. They got the themeing right with this area. Thats for sure. They took what the imagineered with the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground in Orlando and made it much bigger. However the rides located in Bugs Land are what makes the area suffer the most. Instead of dropping in a couple original idea ride systems they went with all lightly themed off the shelf flat rides just like they did in Paradise Pier. The rides may be kid friendly but nothing about them scream Disney.
The first ride in the area that we rode was probably the most unique of all the Bugs Land rides. Its called Heimlichs Chew, Chew train. You climb on a train that looks like Heimlich the catapiller and he takes you on a ride past some of his favorite foods. You will pass Giant watermelon, Gram Crackers, and Candy Corn and one of the best parts of the ride is you can smell each of the foods you pass. This ride really could have been great and been basically an outdoor Dark Ride. But its short. Like way short. I was really suprised cause I remembered it being longer. Still its a cute little ride that had no wait to go on and kids seem to love it. It could have been better but its probably the best of the rides in the land. In my opinion anyways.
As we walked around the land we decided to skip out on 2 of the rides in the area. One of those rides is Francis' Ladybug Boogie which is basically a Teacup on a figure 8 track and the other is Tuck and Roll's Drive'em Buggies which are your run of the meal Bumper Cars. Which of course Daniel is still too small to go on. So we skipped these two rides as we went to our the next Bugs Land ride we would go on.
That next ride was Fliks Flyers. For being an off the shelf ride this one is actually themed alright. Its kinda like a swing ride as you get in a gondela that lifts you high into the air and then spins you around. The wait was basically a walk on and then our airborne adventure began. But Daniel did not like it. I don't know if was the spinning or being up high but it was not a ride that he cared for at all. He was very happy to get off of it.
As we exited the ride we noticed that Flik the Ant was out meeting guests right near us so we took Daniel to see him. We were suprised to find that Flik also had a Photopass Photographer with him. Daniel really didn't know what to think about Flik. He hasn't seen Bugs Life yet so he wasn't familiar with him and just didn't care much lol.
We had now done all the rides we cared to do in the Fliks Fun Fair section of the A Bugs Land. The rides are alright and kids won't care how themed they are. But for the most part its an area of the park that you can skip if you are pressed for time. Wether you decide to skip the rides or not though you should still at least take a stroll thru the area to check out the great themeing thats in place. Also look for the Toy Story reference as you walk into the area from its main enterance.
There is one more attraction thats part of A Bugs Land that is not contained within the Fliks Fun Fair area. Thats because this attraction is one of the originals to the park. Its the "Its Tough to be a Bug" 4d show. This show originally debuted as part of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando but was cloned to California for this parks opening. I unfortunatly will not be able to compare it to the Orlando version though as the attraction was closed when we were there. We just so happened to visiting WDW the week that the Branch fell off the Tree of Life causing the attraction to be closed and also all the paths around the tree.
This show was pretty much a walk on. We just had a one show wait. I love the que as you wind down the path making it feel like you going far underground. The show waiting area feels like a tunnel far below the earth with roots sticking thru the walls. Theres also some spoof posters of plays or musicals that the bugs are putting on. Since we didn't get to do this show in Florida it had been 4 years since I had seen it. And honestly I forgot how good and cute the show is. It was alot of fun. Even for Daniel who wasn't wearing any glasses. There are some darker more scary parts of the show that I thought would scare Daniel but he did just fine. Basically the bugs no that your human and are doing a show that teaches you about the different bugs and how hard it can be for them sometimes. The show is good fun and something that you should see if you havn't seen it before. 4 years ago I would have said that Shrek 4d at Universal was the better 4d show. But having done Shrek so many times now I think that Its Tough to be a Bug is probably the stronger attraction of the 2. Still though i'd have to say that Muppetvision 3d is my all time favorite 4d style show.
The big day was upon us. The 16 hour Disney day. The longest day we have ever spent in a theme park resort. As I mentioned before this day (Friday) was not originally intended to be a park day. Thursday was. However with rain forecasted on Thursday (which didn't happen) and long hours today (plus the added bonus of Fantasmic) we decided to switch our final park day to today. Of course it wouldn't all be a walk in the park though as rain was forecasted for today as well.
To make the most of our day we hoped to be at the parks again prior to opening. With a toddler though that means that goal didn't always happen. And such was the case today. Dispite being up at 6am again we didn't leave the hotel until almost 8am. The time that the parks would be opening today. We quickly got ready, ate breakfast, and thru on the Disneyland shirts that we bought for our family at Downtown Disney the previous day then We walked the nearly mile long walk from the hotel to the parks very quickly though and entered Disney California Adventure at about 8:15am.
We would be starting out our long day today in DCA because it was the park that we still had stuff to see in. Since we parkhopped over to Disneyland on our DCA day earlier in the week for a few hours we never got around to seeing everything we wanted to see. Upon entering the park we noticed that it felt significantly less packed then it did on Monday when we were here. Yes the park was already open when we arrived but we thought it would be much busier on a Friday. The mile long line for the Radiator Springs Racers fastpass line was just pass the Carthey Circle Theater when we arrived. The theater looked great this early in the morning.
Had we wanted to we could have hopped in the RSR fastpass line and got some Fastpasses for later in the day. But the fastpasses weren't our top priority today like it was on Monday. Although Radiator Springs Racers was. We thought the ride was great. The Best in DCA and one of the best Disney has put in any of its parks. But with how popular the ride is knew we would have to ride again early. So today we would attempt to ride it again via the Single Riders line.
As we stepped on to Route 66 and walked into Radiator Springs the lack of people echoed here as it did on Buena Vista Street. It was much less packed then it was on Monday. Had we wanted to at this time we could have walked on to Maters or Luigi's rides. The land looked great as well this early morning and with blue skys above we hopped for a great day ahead of us weather wise.
When we reached the entrance to RSR the standby wait was already up to 75 minutes but Single Riders only said about 5. I would go first so I entered the line and made my way towards the load area. I walked all the way to the ramps before I finally caught somebody else. There was no repeat of the first time we rode where the ride broke down and we waited over an hour for it to start back up and in just over 5 minutes time I was being loaded in to a vehicle.
No hicups so far as the ride started out. We passed the belt check and our scenic journey into ornament valley began. Something immdiatly seemed off though as the car kinda jerked a couple times. That was until it came to a complete stop right past the waterfall before entering the showbuilding. Although the views of the park were great from this area of the ride it wasn't great that we were stopped as RSR is known for frequently going down. We were stopped for about 4 minutes before the ride started moving again. I seriously started to think in that time that we would be evaced from the ride.
When the ride started back up we entered the show building and all the animatronics and effects seemed to be working fine. Well up until we got to the first Mator AA. The one that drives next to your vehicle until it eventually backs into a bush. Well it was nowhere to be found although the voice was though. When we reached that bush you could see the Tow truck stuck behind it. The 2nd animatronic worked though and we made it to the cow tipping scene until the ride once again stopped in its tracks. We saw the tipped tractors reset and then sat and waited for the ride to start again. Luckly this time we were only stopped for about a minute or so before the ride restarted.
For the most part the ride was smooth sailing from here. We rolled into Radiator Springs and this time the car drove in to Romoans Paint Shop (last time we got Luigi's) so I was happy to see both rooms. I think I liked Luigi's a little more though as the White wall tire effect is much better then the colored mist effect you get in Romoans to simulate the painting. When we pulled up to the starting line to race We were the only car there so for a moment I thought we would be the only ones. I quickly noticed that the Mouth projections on the Luigi Animatronic were also off to go along with the other ride problems. Soon another car pulled up though and our race began. This is the best portion of the ride as its so much fun especially with the racing aspect. I really wish it could be longer but I'll take what we can get. Again though the car I was in lost the race. We made a last scenic drive thru taillight caverns and then the ride was over.
Dispite the issues the ride was still a great ride and a lot of fun. I'm really glad we got to ride it once before though with a ride that was flawless as it really would have been dissapointing if this was our only ride on the thing. I'm sure hundreds of people a day have that experiance and with how long the line is for this ride they never get the chance to go on it again. Still RSR is a do not miss attraction and I can say that I think the Single Rider line first thing in the morning worked out much better and quicker then the Fastpass line did on Monday.
Upon exiting the ride I found Kiera and Daniel and switching off the child it was now Kieras turn to ride. She too entered the Single Riders line and into the attraction she went. While she rode I decided to take Daniel and go back to the RSR Fastpass distibution area in the off chance that Fastpasses were still avalible for later in the evening. Radiator Springs still didn't seem to be as packed as I thought it would be as we walked to the top of the street. As we were walking past the Cozy Cone Lightning McQueen was pulling out from his Meet and Greet so we stopped and watched. Daniel seemed pretty excited to see Lightning drive on past.
When I got to the RSR Fastpass Distribution area right outside of Bugs Land I wasn't just suprised the Fastpasses were still avalible. But I was also suprised that the time on them was at 1:55pm. I thought for sure anything left would be in the evening as I hoped to get a night ride on it. I pulled 2 fastpasses for Kiera and I to use later (since Single Rider would likely be much longer later tonight) and then walked back to Cars Land to meet up with Kiera.
Since I took many night photos of the new land our first night in the park I took the time walking back to take some daytime photos of the area. The attention to detail is so incredible. Seriously the best thing Disney has done in a long time. I still prefer the detail that you'll find at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but Cars Land will still leave you in awe.
I thought Kiera would be done by the time we got back to RSR but she wasn't. Apparently the ride had another minor break down so she still hadn't rode. So Daniel and I just waited around the attraction for her to finish. The Rockwork on the Cadillac Mountain Range is really what is so amazing about the land. I can't belive how realistic it looks. Eventually though Kiera did finish her ride but as with my ride the ride still wasn't at 100%. She mentioned Mater still wasn't working and her car raced alone instead of against someone else.
We rode Maters Junkyard Jamboree a few nights earlier when we were at DCA but we still hadn't rode Cars Land's 3rd ride. Luigi's Flying Tires. So thats where we went to next. The wait time was posted at 5 minutes so we figured it probably wouldn't get shorter then this. We got a Rider Swap card for Kiera which works just like Maters. I had to stand in the regular line until I rode. After I was done though Kiera could take the card and go thru the Alternate entrance with a much shorter wait. I was really impressed by the Que to Luigi's as you basically tour the tire showroom passing many of the tires he sells including is prized White Wall Tires. But Luigi is also a big Racing fan so you will find much memorabilia from F1 Racing and the World Grand Prix.
You exit the back of the shop and you are in a sort of Garden area where the "Festival of Floating Tires" is taking place. There are a few different design's cut into the bushes that are pretty cool. Eventually you reach a point where your devided into groups and then told how to make the tires move in the direction you want it to. Although the wait time said it was 5 minutes it was closer to 15 by the time I got to this point. Luigi's has an extremely low rider per hour capacity so be prepared to wait if you don't do it early.
After waiting your turn you're finally let us out onto the board to pick out our tires. I found one and quickly got belted in and was ready to ride. After collecting all the flags the air kicked on and our tires took flight. Many of you know this ride is a resurection of the old Flying Saucers Idea so I was really interested to see how it worked. Basically its like human Air Hockey. Just with about 20 extra pucks on the board. To make the Tires move you lean in the direction you want to go. But not too much or the tire will bottom out and make you loose momentum. After a couple minutes of leaning side to side it felt like I finally figured out how the Tire worked and was picking up some speed. Of course the ride cycle is only a couple minutes so by the time I figured it out the ride was over.
So how is Luigi's? Well the general concensious is that its the least favorite ride in Cars Land. And I think I would agree right now with that. Now I wouldn't say the ride is horrible and to skip it. You should try to ride it at least once as the ride is very unique and you won't find anything else like it anywhere. But right now I would say that Maters was the more fun ride. But I think that could change. If I rode Luigi's more and really got the hang of working the tire I think Luigi's has the potential to be the funner ride. Unfortunatly though you don't get enough time to really have the most fun you can on it. And with how slow loading the ride is its not something you'll want to stand in line twice for. So I like the ride. I just wish you had more time on it.
After my ride I exited and found Kiera and Daniel. She then entered the Alternate enterance and within 1 ride cycle she was in the next group to ride. As she waited to ride they brought Red the firetruck out who drove past us. Daniel got excited seeing him as well just like he did with Lightning earlier. Kiera was able to take a ride on the tires much quicker then I was and her thoughts were pretty much the same as mine regarding the ride. It would probably be a little funner if we could have gone on the ride together as well instead of switching off thru rider swap.
We had pretty much done everything now that we wanted to in Cars Land but there was still one more thing we wanted to do. We took Daniel to meet Lightning McQueen the other night. We still wanted to take him to meet Mater. So we swung over to the Cozy Cone Motel to see if he was out and to our luck he was. And the line was even shorter then it was for Lightning to meet him. We loved that during the Holiday Season that Mater had a Santa hat on. It seemed so fitting and was really cute. Daniel loved seeing Mater as we are pretty sure he is his favorite character from Cars.
One of our big goals for our final Disney day was to focus on taking Daniel to see Characters and also to find as many Photopass Photographers as we could. Especially since we were all wearing our Disneyland shirts. So we were excited to see after we were done meeting Mater that Red the Firetruck was still out and he also had a Photopass person with him. Although red wasn't decked out with anything Holiday themed like Mater he did play Christmas songs thru his horn. Parts of his body also moved and stuff which was pretty neat as well. We then went down to the Courthouse and got another picture there too as Daniel was asleep a few days earlier when we did.
After pictures we had finally seen everything in Cars Land so we moved on to another area of the park that we hadn't visited yet. A Bugs Land. This area is located right next to Cars Land and even has an enterance between the 2. Just head down cross street past Luigi's and you won't miss it. Theres even some route 66 style billboards telling you to stop by that is pretty unique.
Bugsland is a land that I have mixed feelings about. This was the first expansion of the struggling California Adventure Park when it first opened. One major complant about the new park was that there wasn't enough "Disney" and not enough things for kids and toddlers to do. So Disney's answer was a Bugs Land. Themeing wise I think the land is great. You really do feel like you've been shrunk down to bug size. I love the over grown grass and bushes and all the larger then life decor everywhere. They got the themeing right with this area. Thats for sure. They took what the imagineered with the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground in Orlando and made it much bigger. However the rides located in Bugs Land are what makes the area suffer the most. Instead of dropping in a couple original idea ride systems they went with all lightly themed off the shelf flat rides just like they did in Paradise Pier. The rides may be kid friendly but nothing about them scream Disney.
The first ride in the area that we rode was probably the most unique of all the Bugs Land rides. Its called Heimlichs Chew, Chew train. You climb on a train that looks like Heimlich the catapiller and he takes you on a ride past some of his favorite foods. You will pass Giant watermelon, Gram Crackers, and Candy Corn and one of the best parts of the ride is you can smell each of the foods you pass. This ride really could have been great and been basically an outdoor Dark Ride. But its short. Like way short. I was really suprised cause I remembered it being longer. Still its a cute little ride that had no wait to go on and kids seem to love it. It could have been better but its probably the best of the rides in the land. In my opinion anyways.
As we walked around the land we decided to skip out on 2 of the rides in the area. One of those rides is Francis' Ladybug Boogie which is basically a Teacup on a figure 8 track and the other is Tuck and Roll's Drive'em Buggies which are your run of the meal Bumper Cars. Which of course Daniel is still too small to go on. So we skipped these two rides as we went to our the next Bugs Land ride we would go on.
That next ride was Fliks Flyers. For being an off the shelf ride this one is actually themed alright. Its kinda like a swing ride as you get in a gondela that lifts you high into the air and then spins you around. The wait was basically a walk on and then our airborne adventure began. But Daniel did not like it. I don't know if was the spinning or being up high but it was not a ride that he cared for at all. He was very happy to get off of it.
As we exited the ride we noticed that Flik the Ant was out meeting guests right near us so we took Daniel to see him. We were suprised to find that Flik also had a Photopass Photographer with him. Daniel really didn't know what to think about Flik. He hasn't seen Bugs Life yet so he wasn't familiar with him and just didn't care much lol.
We had now done all the rides we cared to do in the Fliks Fun Fair section of the A Bugs Land. The rides are alright and kids won't care how themed they are. But for the most part its an area of the park that you can skip if you are pressed for time. Wether you decide to skip the rides or not though you should still at least take a stroll thru the area to check out the great themeing thats in place. Also look for the Toy Story reference as you walk into the area from its main enterance.
There is one more attraction thats part of A Bugs Land that is not contained within the Fliks Fun Fair area. Thats because this attraction is one of the originals to the park. Its the "Its Tough to be a Bug" 4d show. This show originally debuted as part of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando but was cloned to California for this parks opening. I unfortunatly will not be able to compare it to the Orlando version though as the attraction was closed when we were there. We just so happened to visiting WDW the week that the Branch fell off the Tree of Life causing the attraction to be closed and also all the paths around the tree.
This show was pretty much a walk on. We just had a one show wait. I love the que as you wind down the path making it feel like you going far underground. The show waiting area feels like a tunnel far below the earth with roots sticking thru the walls. Theres also some spoof posters of plays or musicals that the bugs are putting on. Since we didn't get to do this show in Florida it had been 4 years since I had seen it. And honestly I forgot how good and cute the show is. It was alot of fun. Even for Daniel who wasn't wearing any glasses. There are some darker more scary parts of the show that I thought would scare Daniel but he did just fine. Basically the bugs no that your human and are doing a show that teaches you about the different bugs and how hard it can be for them sometimes. The show is good fun and something that you should see if you havn't seen it before. 4 years ago I would have said that Shrek 4d at Universal was the better 4d show. But having done Shrek so many times now I think that Its Tough to be a Bug is probably the stronger attraction of the 2. Still though i'd have to say that Muppetvision 3d is my all time favorite 4d style show.
Thanks for another great report! And great pictures! :thumbs:
The whole Radiator Springs area looks really well done. Too bad about having so many issues on RSR and not even getting one ride at 100%
BTW, sounds like the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" 4D show is the same as the Orlando one. I agree it's a great show, and has some elements that set if off as better than Shrek 4D.
The whole Radiator Springs area looks really well done. Too bad about having so many issues on RSR and not even getting one ride at 100%
BTW, sounds like the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" 4D show is the same as the Orlando one. I agree it's a great show, and has some elements that set if off as better than Shrek 4D.
- Aug 20, 2009
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