my head hurts

[— kung fu jesus —]

am I banned?

[LostSoulMiata]

You have the 25hours under your belt, nope

[— kung fu jesus —]

is that what that bulge in my pants is?

[— Phatmiata —]

are you drinking at disneyland? Leave the mice alone!!

[— kung fu jesus —]

They serve alcohol at California Adventure. Plus it's not too far to walk from either park to 'Downtown Disney' where there are typical restaurants and such for a beer or something stiffer.

We went to Disneyland yesterday. Great weather. My wife and I bought each other 3-day park hopper tickets for Christmas. Neither of us have really been in the "holiday spirit", and we have never seen the park decorated for Christmas. It was definitely decorated very well, especially Main Street and the Orleans district.

The thing we didn't plan for was we went on the last day before the blackout for the SOCAL deluxe annual pass holders, so it was more crowed than we thought it would be. Still, we know the park and the Fast PAss system pretty well, so it wasn't too bad. We probably waited the longest at our first attraction (40 minutes?), which was the re-vamped "Star Tours". We last went in April, and that ride was really long overdue for a freshening. The new one is really pretty cool, new stuff to see, really well done animatronic C3PO inside and in each "craft". It now uses 3D glasses and the new material is very, VERY cool!

I am still wearing a knee brace, so it slowed me down a *little*, but not too bad. It was in the mid-60s and sunny so jeans and a light hoody were perfect til the sun went down.

I like Disney. I love the premise and especially the execution of details and themes. There are so many details and intricate themes, it still amazes me and I see something new every time. As a designer, I am utterly astounded how well-thought out and creative it is. I don't think you have to be a kid to enjoy it. I'm not a Disney fanatic, I don't own all the movies and have a shit-tonne of chotchkies in my home, in fact I have none at all. It is only 20-25 minutes away and always a good time.

Anyways, we broke the "Matternhorn Curse". The last two times Tina and I went to the park, we would wait in line to ride the Matterhorn and it was either non-operational, or would need servicing, increasing the wait time. They would make an announcement it would need X amount of time and we would just groan and move on to the next attraction. I can't blame the park. It's one of the older rides and the amount of traffic it sees, I'm not surprised.

This time, we jumped in line and by the length and from experience, we estimated a 45 minute wait. The line FLEW and we made in it the toboggan in about 25 minutes. We got the front car and rode tandem. It's awesome. Just as our sled pulled into the end, the announcement came over the speakers, "the Matterhorn will be down for 45 minutes..." We were high-5ing each other, laughing and the people waiting in line were glaring at us.

A few other "unusual" circumstances happened for us this time around. Our favorite ride at DL is Thunderhill Mountain. We happened to get the front car twice. Not many people know this, but if you ride that coaster during the fireworks happen, you get two spectacular views of them from unique perspectives. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean at night during the parades, because the line is quick and short. Since there isn't a Fast Pass for that ride, it's better to ride it at night when people are lining up for other activities. There are two lines; left and right. Most people go to the right. It's a psychological behavior...most people will keep to the right. I know this and I'm left-handed, so I usually keep left. The line on teh right was long enough to cause a 5 - 10 minute wait, so we ran right up to the front on the left. They load the boats by alternating between teh left and right lines. Because we were the only ones in the left line, we were the only people on our boat. The boats infront and behind us were loaded from the right line with 15 people each. THAT was pretty cool, never happened to us before! When it ends you come around and see the line on the right, which had grown even longer. So these loaded boats are coming towards teh end and here we come, the two of us in our own boat. People were gawking like we were rockstars or something. I couldn't stop laughing.

They decorate the Haunted Mansion for Christmas using "Nightmare Before Christmas" as the theme. It's the only time of the year they do this. Normally this ride is the same as it has always been and just as I remember it when I first rode it as an 8 year old. I like it, it's unique. However, the "Nightmare" special decorations are REALLY well done and transforms it into a completely different ride. I have never seen that movie, but it is just REALLY well done!

We accidentally got the last open table at an outdoor cafe to eat when the fireworks started. We had a great, unobstructed view. Fireworks coordinated to Tchaikovsky and other holiday classics (including Hanukkah) is really very impressive. The Disney evening entertainment at either of the two parks is REALLY cool. Last night they had machines making snow over the guests while they watched the Fantasma(?) show. Again, very cool.

I know people say those parks are expensive, and they can be, but they allow you bring your own food and bottled drinks. We packed a backpack with fleece jackets and other items and stored them in a locker. It's just easier that way.

So, we have 2 days left on our tickets. We will probably use them between January 2 - 13th, a characteristically SLOW time for the parks.

Personally, I like California Adventure. The rides are more fun and I "get" what they are doing. It's really a bit better for accommodating older guests. Tower of Terror, the big roller coaster (I can't remember the name of it), the Arcade boardwalk, it's just more fun to me. We will probably go there next. Usually when we go, we are there all_day. Usually 8 or 9 in the morning until close (midnight at Disneyland, 10pm at California Adventure).

[★ revlimiter ★]

Dammit. Now I wanna go to Disneyland again.

[—Bryan—]

I went to Disney World for Thanksgiving. First time in a Disney park since I went to Disneyland at about age 5. You're definitely right: you don't have to be a kid to appreciate that place. I find that I appreciate it for different reasons than a kid might: the food's not bad, the rides are fun, light/firework shows were awesome, and EVERYONE you run into that works there is friendly. Their skill at getting people from one place to another is honestly astounding when you compare other parks.

[FooSchnickens]

What's even more amazing is that the "park" that we all see is actually the second story of the facility. There's a whole subterranean network that connects the entire park together so that you never have to see anything unpleasant past a worker bee taking the trash bag out of a trash can (and even then I heard they're working on a central waste system that will eliminate that as well).

[—Bryan—]

One fact that really cracked me up about the place? Not a single high-school age kid in the joint. Not a one. Everyone looked like a college grad or older. A surprising number from the Wal-Mart Greeter demographic as well.

[— kung fu jesus —]

There are a LOT of colleges in the immediate area. They have a certain level of maturity a kid in high school wouldn't.

That said, I love it when certain "cast members" ,as they are called, get into character for their duty. The guy who ushers the guests into the vestibule of the haunted mansion, for instance, twirled his mustache while saying his bit. He was acting and it was a nice effect to the experience.

I don't think I have ever been treated remotely rude any of the times I've been.

I love seeing how excited the kids get when they meet the actors portraying Disney characters. Last night this little girl, about 7 or 8 was wearing an outfit that mimicked "Nightmare Before Christmas", Tina said the costume wasn't made of souvinirs and had to explain the movie to me, but when this girl saw the two main charcters walking around, she was just beaming while talking to them. It was cool to see that the actors weren't just paying lip service, but really did an impromptu skit with her.

The only disappointment was going to see the Asimo (the Honda robot) show and it had some last minute glitches and was cancelled.

When you get past the rides, there are also some AMAZING interactive stuff that kids and adults can do. There is one such attraction in California Adventure that shows how they make the animations, by hand and computer, and the history of it. It took some really cool ideas to make that attractive to kids, but as an adult, I loved it.

I think if I just wanted to ride coasters, I would do Knox Berry Farm or Magic Mountain, even Cedar Point. Disney just has more overall enjoyable stuff to do besides trying to separate you luch from your stomach. I think the price is worth it.

[—Bryan—]

Dude...they have Asimo out there?

[— kung fu jesus —]

Yeah! I was pretty stoked to see it, but they canceled the show we sat in for and forgot to go back for one of the others at a later time.

Honda has sponsored a large learning interactive center in the park. It's like a big interactive science exhibit for kids, but with a Disney flavor.

[phillyb]

tl dr

[— kung fu jesus —]

cliff notes: