Chris' Disney Blog

Is there a better nightcap?

2008-10-29T23:15:00.002-06:00

Remember Dreams Come True Fireworks, Disneyland Resort
Originally uploaded by Mastery of Maps

Would you go to Disneyland if there were no fireworks? I would. That fact makes fireworks that much more special to me.

People will save a place hours ahead of time to try and be right in front of the castle. Admit it. You stop whatever you are doing and watch. If you are at your hotel and you hear the boom you go outside to look.

In my opinion there could not be a better thank you from Disney to the park guests. They already have you there. You turned over your money and you spent your day racing from ride to ride. There is no need to give you more. Unless you are Disney. It is just one of the many reasons that Disney is at a different level than all other theme parks.

To Disney I say thank you.

Walt Disney World: Vacation Complete!

2008-10-27T12:12:00.002-06:00

We made it. A trip that was in the planning for over a year has been completed. We stayed at Walt Disney World for eight nights and still left there wondering how we could have missed so much.

Our tour begins here in this gallery... We had been planning on going to Walt Disney World for Christmas 2008. This time of year was not cheap to say the least. When Disney made the announcement that they would offer the dining plan for free in September we moved our reservation. We booked Disney's Pop Century Resort for September 1 - 9. The room was small but it was a bed at night and we were not planning on spending much time there. We did pay for the preferred room so we would be close to the food court and easily able to refill our resort mugs. The theme is pretty in your face at this hotel but it worked. Our kids enjoyed the pool and we enjoyed the price.

We had planned and tried to predict what park we would spend the day at months in advance so we could carefully book our dining reservations. What did we learn on this trip? We don't know jack about planning a trip to Walt Disney World.

From day one we felt like we were behind schedule and running from dining reservation to Fantasmic to Animal Kingdom. While we were planning our dining we were not taking into account the sheer amount of time that it takes to eat at the restaurants. We had not planned enough time into our days to rest.

You can't do it all... As much as we wanted to, we could not fit everything into an eight day vacation. That was our goal. We had not been there with children before this vacation but we had taken our kids to Disneyland many, many times. We thought that they were used to a Disney trip and they would be able to go like the Energizer Bunny. The reality is that we go to Disneyland so often that we take every day there at a more relaxed pace. We don't rush and we never make it a point to race from attraction to attraction. When Disneyland is too crowded we head to DCA or the hotel. We don't plan on rest at Disneyland, it just happens.

Get smart... We paid for the water park and more option for our park tickets. We went to one water park. At over $50 to purchase the option and $40 to buy a one day admission to a water park. Do the math and we gave Disney $10 for nothing. I guess I was having such a good time down there that I felt like I owed them more. I can't say that I didn't get good use out of mine though. I went to the Adventurer's Club one night by myself. That means that my ticket came out with about a $10 savings. My wife's lost $10 and my son lost $16. They don't discount the children's water park and more addition to the ticket. We were going to go to the water park more than once and my wife and I were going to go to the Adventurer's Club together. We didn't. Goes back to the last paragraph I guess.

There was never a truly relaxed day for us. We used this vacation as a learning experience for next time and will be taking the lessons learned and having a much better vacation next year when we go back to Disney World.

Over the next couple weeks there will be a few dining reviews and some more information on a few of the tips we have collected to make your vacation easier.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party vs. Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party

2008-10-24T06:56:00.000-06:00

Photo by Andy Castro

Halloween at Disney is one of the very special times of year that the parks are decorated and there is a festive mood in the air. At Disneyland HalloweenTime has come to rival Christmas with the number of decorations and holiday overlays. On both coasts Halloween means separate ticket Halloween parties.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom and Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure are both available on select nights in September and October. For the first time this year I had the opportunity to attend both parties. We visited Walt Disney World in early September and attended the very first party on September 5th. Then just last Friday, October 17th we went to the Disneyland Resort and trick-or-treated our way around Disney's California Adventure. Both were very fun and a great way to spend an evening at a Disney resort, but there are some differences between them.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party sets the mood from the second you walk through the gates into the Magic Kingdom. The normal music is replaced with spooky music from the Haunted Mansion and the Nightmare Before Christmas. There is fog rising in front of the train station and you enter through the dark tunnel where you are handed your trick-or-treat bag. There are several special events that take place through the night and a special map to help you find all of the candy stations and times for the parade and fireworks.

Photo by Tancread

The Boo to You Parade is up there as one of my very favorite parades at a Disney park. They start the parade with the Headless Horseman riding down Main Street. A few minutes later the parade follows. There were floats for the Country Bears, Mickey and Minnie, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many others. The two that stood above the other in my mind were the Haunted Mansion and the Villains floats. When the Haunted Mansion float is approaching the Caretaker and his dog walk past. The three Hitchhiking Ghosts are dancing on their float and there is a group of gravediggers that follow. The dance they perform with their shovels is fun and surprising if you aren't expecting it. You can't find more villains in one spot than in this parade. It ends with Goofy's Candy Company bringing candy to all of the parade viewers.

Photo by yourFAVORITEmartian

HalloWishes was very impressive and it is nice that they have a special fireworks show just for the Halloween party. They set off fireworks to Halloween music and end with a Halloween karaoke. The music from the end was not up to what I had expected but not a disappointment either. The Villains show on the Castle stage was fun and something different to see.

We spent the bulk of our time taking our kids from candy station to candy station. We left the party with more candy than anybody should eat in a year. We did not spend very much time on attractions since we could do that any other time and this night was all about the special events. We made an obvious exception for the Haunted Mansion. The storyteller out front was spooky and there were many people that stopped in the queue to watch her. She did a perfect job of setting the mood for the attraction.

Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party at Disney's California Adventure received a name change in the last year. Previous parties were known as Mickey's Halloween Treat.

You enter Disney's California Adventure and are greeted by a dance party in the Sunshine Plaza. There are projections of spider webs and witches all over the park. There were probably just as many candy stations in DCA as there were in the Magic Kingdom. The Sorcerer's Workshop in the Animation Building, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and the trail that meanders through the Grizzly River Run were all loaded with candy.

Character Cavalcade 2006 - Photo by Me

The party was changed little from last year to the current year. A notable exception being the Character Cavalcade. While the Character Cavalcade is still not a true parade it is a huge improvement of the past year's "parade." In the past Mickey and Minnie were dragged around on a trailer with other characters following. This was done at the party was ending to try and get you out the gates. Now they had a float and signs announcing what you were watching. There were three or four songs and all of the characters got into the act. This was done an hour before the end of the party and gave you plenty of time to get in a few more rides, a little more candy, or dance with your favorite character.

Character Cavalcade 2008

It is very hard to compare the two parties since Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party is still very new. The parade and the fireworks were the biggest difference I saw. The lack of these will not deter me from attending Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party. There may be a simple explanation for the difference in the parties. You get what you pay for. Our tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party were over $50 per person. The Anaheim party was under $30. Wouldn't you expect to get less when you look at the difference? I would gladly hand another $20 to Disney if they gave us a full parade and special fireworks at the Halloween party.

I would attend both again and I will recommend both to friends. I look forward to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party next year and with a little luck another trip to Walt Disney World and Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party.

Photo by drewdomkus

Reimagineering Disney's California Adventure: Blue Sky Cellar

2008-10-21T13:10:00.009-06:00

As most anybody that would read this already knows, a preview center has opened up in Disney's California Adventure highlighting some of the coming changes to the park. I happened to be at Disneyland this past weekend during the Annual Passholder preview of the preview center. For the first time since these changes were announced over a year ago we have something to look forward to other than wild web rumors.

As the name may imply the Blue Sky Cellar is located in the Golden Vine Winery area at California Adventure. The Seasons of the Vine movie had been playing sporadically at best for quite some time so I don't think it will be missed.

Approaching the Cellar there are three billboards on the side of the building giving you a sneak peak at Buena Vista Street, Carsland, and Paradise Pier. Buena Vista Street is what they will be naming the entrance to California Adventure. The turnstiles will be housed under gates that look to be clones of the entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. Other than the unimpressive cloned gates the rest of the street is a substantial upgrade over the existing park entrance. If the concepts become reality there will be a Red Car Trolley that transports you to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Curbs and Sidewalks, and the Carthay Circle Theatre instead of a giant golden sun. The concept art of Carsland was impressive in scope and detail. Many of the residents of Radiator Springs will be represented in the park and the Radiator Springs Racers is looking more and more impressive with every glimpse.

The entrance to the Cellar is right across the patio from the Wine Country Trattoria. Walking in I was excited just by the sign over the door. You enter and turn to your right and there is a picture of the man that started it all. After walking past Walt you pass what look like cork boards with notes and pictures tacked all over them. These boards highlight the Silly Symphony Swings, The Little Mermaid attraction, Disney's World of Color, and Toy Story Midway Mania. It is more concept art and small bits of information on the coming attractions.

The center of the rooms contains the models of Paradise Pier and the new Midway Games. There were also two drafting tables that had an overhead view of Paradise Pier and art from Midway Mania. There were interactive trivia games built into wine barrels on the wall in this section too.
Down two stairs was a small theater that played a short movie giving a brief, but insightful view of changes that are coming. The short clips from Disney's World of Color have me very excited to see more. They gave you more information on every attraction that has been announced for the park. They obviously do not go into great detail but they do manage to whet your appetite for more. Next to the theater is an enlarged copy of the concept map. You could potentially stare at this one item for hours trying to find small details. Right before you exit there is a small model and some concept art of the Red Car Trolley. Just adding the trolley will be a nice addition to the park and give it some of the kinetic energy that it is missing.

After a year of rumors and speculation there is finally something you can see. Construction has yet to start but just seeing the concepts is very exciting to a geek like me. They will be changing the exhibits from time to time so we should have something new to gawk at sometime next year. With expansion plans coming to a halt around the Disney Universe it is great that the DCA makeover is still moving forward. I for one will be waiting with anticipation for the walls that signal progress.

Can you find me?

2007-09-17T23:56:00.000-06:00

Many people pass through New Orleans Square on any given day. All make sure to visit Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Many will eat at the Blue Bayou, French Market, or Cafe Orleans. How many of these thousands of people stop to visit my one of my favorite food stands in any Disney park in the world.

The Mint Julep Bar has been ingrained in my memory since I was a child as a fun place to stop for a treat. My parents would make a point at least once a trip to buy fritters from this little stand. In the years that have passed since it has remained a family tradition and is now a tradition with my own family.

Mint Juleps are a favorite of mine. You can get them at other locations in New Orleans Square but they just seem to taste better when they come from the Mint Julep Bar. The Cinnamon Crisp is another excellent choice. Funnel cakes are another popular item from this bar. You will find many that say there isn't a good cup of coffee in Disneyland but I have always liked the espresso here.

The menu may be limited but that is part of the charm. This little out of the way stand on the backside of the French Market is a special find for anybody that finds themselves next to the New Orleans Square Train Station and thirst for a unique beverage.

DCA vs. A Parking Lot

2007-09-12T23:36:00.000-06:00

If you spend any time at all checking Disney message boards, and if you are reading this you do, you have seen threads started by Disney Fundamentalists announcing they would rather have a parking lot than Disney's California Adventure. Do these people truly wish that DCA had never been built? I think we should try to find some reasons why they would believe this.

The parking lot was closer than the current parking garage. It was cheaper to park your car for the day in the parking lot than it is for a one day admission to DCA. You never ever saw a Pixar character in the parking lot. They had the great segment in the Monorail spiel about finding your car as you passed by the parking lot. Those are about all the pro's I can think of for leaving the parking lot in place. (I am not saying I agree with any of them I was just trying to look at this from the view of a DCA hater.)

I tend to view California Adventure more as an undiscovered gem in the Disney universe. I am not saying that this park compares on any level with the masterpiece across the esplanade, but it still a special place. If the Animation Building did not contain any of the shows that it currently hosts I would still visit. The lobby is spectacular. All the classic movies and songs make this a great place to sit and dream.

Even if it isn't as good as the older version at Disney MGM Studios, Oops, Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a wonderfully themed attraction that provides an engaging story and thrills that make you scream. The best part of this attraction is that in Florida you always have a line and in DCA you can almost always walk on. I have only once had a line over 30 minutes staring at me when I walked through the gates.

Soarin' Over California is amazing! I don't think that I have to provide any further explanation to support that statement. If I must I will say that Disney built a very unique attraction that almost, but not quite, makes up for the removal of the CircleVision 360 from Tomorrowland. On both coasts this attraction packs them in.

If you want detailed theming, a thrill, and a little soak, Grizzly River Run is just past Soarin'. It is safe to say that this is the best river rapids ride I have ever seen. It is fun to ride and it is fun to watch. This was a great addition to the Disneyland Resort.

I have only touched on four small areas/attractions in DCA and I already feel that the pro's for DCA far outweigh the pro's for the parking lot. I think the fan community can give it a rest. DCA is here to stay and will be improving for the better. It may not be the perfect theme park but, come on, it is better than a parking lot.

Walt Disney World: The Countdown Begins

2007-09-11T23:38:00.000-06:00

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be both exciting and frustrating. There are so many attractions, shows, and restaurants to visit and experience that you can have a hard time prioritizing. You can find something new every time you visit. I just found out about a snack bar in Adventureland today that I had never noticed in any of my prior visits. I can't wait to get out there again and try an Citrus Swirl.

Walt Disney World doesn't make it easy on vacation planners either. With 19 resorts to pick from just narrowing down the hotel can be quite challenging. Don't even get me started on the restaurants. Every trip you leave wishing you had tried just one more place.

We are currently planning the next trip and we are doing our best to keep the families of authors of Walt Disney travel books well fed. As we purchase more and more I am finding myself more and more confused. Do we take a longer trip and stay at a value or moderate resort or shorter trip and a deluxe resort? Where do we make our ADR's? Do we get the standard dining plan or the deluxe? When do the questions stop?

The closer we get to booking a vacation the more questions and little must "do's" we have added to our list. We haven't been to Walt Disney World since our honeymoon in 2003. We just kind of threw that trip together at the last minute. This is a very different story this time around. By the time we take the trip I am sure that we will have down to the minute itineraries that have potty breaks scheduled. Maybe that is a little extreme. This is absolutely going to be the best planned trip we have ever taken though.

Our trip is still pretty far away but we are excited for the time to come and confused on where to stay, eat, and play.

Reimagineering Disney's California Adventure: Movie Tie-Ins

2007-09-09T23:04:00.000-06:00

Two of the big new rumors circulating on the web about the upcoming changes to Disney's California Adventure are new attractions based on movies. Why should this be? Have the imagineers run out of original ideas? Why does every new attraction need to have a movie tie-in?

Florida can still get the occasional attraction without a movie tie-in. Expedition Everest and Mission: Space were both original stories. When was the last time that the Disneyland Resort received an attraction with an original story? Soarin' would probably have to be the winner and it doesn't really have a story. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Mike and Sulley to the Rescue are just the latest in this trend.

If DCA receives a Little Mermaid attraction and a Ratatouille themed roller coaster they could very easily change the name of the park. Not to the rumored Walt Disney's California Adventure but to Disney's Shameless Self Promotional Adventure. DSSPA doesn't quite have the same ring as DCA but it would be a closer representation of the truth. Having a roller coaster themed to Ratatouille won't draw people to the park. Having a great coaster will. California Screamin' has a line everyday. It is a fun coaster to ride. They don't need to put a rat on a ride to try and dress it up they just need to make the ride so that it would be great on its own.

The Little Mermaid attraction is a little different story. Ariel has been waiting almost 20 years for a chance to get her own attraction. So, while I think there should be a Little Mermaid ride I think it should be in Fantasyland not in the San Francisco section of DCA.

Pirates of the Caribbean was a great attraction before the blockbuster movies were ever even thought about. The Haunted Mansion is still an all time favorite in spite of the horrible movie that was made based on it. Why is this? How can these attractions stand the test of time and be as popular today as they were when they opened 40 years ago? The simple answer is story and depth. Both of these attractions overload you with details. You can't ride them once and even dream about seeing them all. You also have an original experience that doesn't try to cram a story down your throat as much as it lets you experience the story for yourself.

Has this line of thinking forever disappeared at WDI? As new imagineers are hired are they led into a little room where they are brainwashed and tattooed with the words corporate synergy? I believe that there is still free thought and creativity in Glendale. I just hope that they are allowed to show it. Oh, and they should leave the rats in the sewer where they belong.

Frontierland: Update

2007-09-08T10:47:00.000-06:00

Ask and ye shall receive. Not even 24 hours after I posted about the neglect that Frontierland has received for the past two decades Honor Hunter has reported a Frontierland rumor.

Tony Baxter and Walt Disney Imagineering are working on a Wild West show that would tie in with the Lone Ranger move that could see theaters in 2010. While I would be happy for anything that made a little better use of the space I am hoping that this is not going to be a wild west stunt show like Universal Studios Hollywood has had for years. Disneyland has hosted some very impressive stage performances over the years and it would be a shame if they hosted a show in Frontierland that doesn't live up to the reputation that Aladdin has set for theme park shows.

Disney's Ghost Town

2007-09-06T23:38:00.000-06:00

When you enter Frontierland who doesn't feel like a cowboy? You pass through the fort entrance and visit another time and place. Too bad there isn't a little more to it.

Big Thunder Mountain, Mark Twain Steamboat and what? The Frontierland Shootin' Exposition? Why are there constant rumors about Tomorrowland and needing to add attractions when Frontierland hasn't had an addition since 1979? It is hard to count the Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island as an update to Frontierland when it makes the island more a part of New Orleans Square than anything else.

It is not like there isn't plenty of room to place a new attraction. Festival of Fools arena hasn't been used in years for anything but private events. Big Thunder Ranch will be open again next month for HalloweenTime and then it will go back into hiding. Why not use this space for something that can be open all year and give people a reason to use the trail between Frontierland and Fantasyland for something other than a place to puff a cigarette.

Disneyland is in a great place for a Frontierland attraction with Tony Baxter as the head Imagineer over the park. As the person most responsible for both Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain he has proven that he can design great attractions that fit well into Frontierland. He should cement his status as a future Disney Legend and give us an attraction or two in Frontierland.

What would you like to see in Frontierland? Would you prefer a thrill ride, a dark ride, a movie tie in, an original story, or a grand pageant like Pirates of the Caribbean? I don't think a Disney park will ever see the Western River Expedition but it would be great to get something similar to that. I would hope for a water based attraction loaded with animatronics. Something that tells the history of the west or like Pirates just moves you from scene to scene depicting life in the old west. Another ride capable of eating 3000 people per hour would make the busy days of summer a lot more bearable.

While rumors continue to swirl about a new E-ticket for Tomorrowland I will continue to hope for a west side addition. Maybe someday the dreams will become reality and Frontierland will finally get the attention it deserves.

Earthquake? Are we at Universal Studios?

2007-09-05T07:19:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been in Disneyland during an earthquake? After Sunday I can answer yes to that question. From the time of the quake, 10:29 AM, and the fact that we were in line for Small World at 10:45 AM I know I could have felt it. I just didn't.

We exited Small World and headed down to the rest of Fantasyland and noticed that Matterhorn was closed. Since the crowds were out of control on the Fantasyland dark rides we headed straight on through and around the Big Thunder Trail. At the end of the trail we noticed that Big Thunder was closed too. Our next choice was Pirates. This was also closed.

Sine there was no escaping the heat at Disneyland we were going to head over to Disney's California Adventure and our lunch reservation at the Wine Country Trattoria. We stopped at the Main Street Wait Time kiosk and this was when we were told that there had been an earthquake. It was good to know that Disney takes safety seriously and closed the attractions to make sure that everything was working properly. I would have never had a clue that there was an earthquake if I had not been told. I would have just found it very odd that every attraction that we tried to ride was closed.

Here is a link to the LA Times article on the earthquake.

Reimagineering Disney's California Adventure: Part Deux

2007-08-31T00:11:00.000-06:00

Recently, as more and more information becomes available I have decided that there are some good and some bad rumors circulating the web. I still look forward to improvements that are coming to Disney's California Adventure, but I am not sure that all of these will make it off the drawing board.

Al Lutz at MiceAge.com posted an article yesterday outlining some of the rumors he is hearing. Most of his report details some very exciting changes that could be coming to the park. One of these seems almost silly. The Route 66 section of Paradise Pier will be ripped out. Mulholland Madness will be making an exit from the park along with the McDonalds, and Pizza Oom Mow Mow. Replacing the food in the area would be a Victorian Beer Garden. This would be a very nice change. Replacing Mulholland Madness will be a Ratatouille themed roller coaster. Everything I have seen about Crush's Coaster from the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris makes me think that they can do a very good Pixar themed coaster I just don't know if Ratatouille is the right movie. Are you going to board little rat cars and race through the sewers of France? How does that fit in California? Is there a large French population in Bakersfield that I am unaware of? As with all other projects that could potentially be included in the DCA overhaul I will reserve final judgment until it is announced and WDI shares some details of the attraction.

Another rumored attraction that I am having a small problem with is the Little Mermaid Omnimover. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a Little Mermaid attraction. A major presence in the park is at least 15 years overdue for Ariel. I just don't know how this will fit into the San Francisco section of the California park. If the exit will be the the Dome from Golden Dreams how does that fit with the Little Mermaid? On second thought I should probably forget everything I just said about the Little Mermaid and be happy that they are going to include Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle in the parks. I am also excited for another omnimover. The Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster are both great uses of this ride system. Hopefully the Little Mermaid will be too.

Early 90's model of Discovery Bay

There are a couple items mentioned in the article that have me very excited. A preview center would be built in the San Francisco row houses that currently house nothing or almost nothing as there are some bathrooms on one side. This would be a showcase for all the additions and changes coming to the Disneyland Resort. How great will it be to see models and concept art of the next great E-ticket coming to the parks? I remember seeing models for Discovery Bay and WestCOT when I was younger and these models never came to be. How excited are we all be when they are displaying models for projects that we know will be coming in the near future?

Another change for the better is the enclosure of the Hyperion Theater waiting area. I haven't been to see the Aladdin musical in a couple years because I hate waiting out in the heat. With a refresh of the exterior of this theater it will become a more special venue than it already is. When I heard about the enclosed waiting area it gave me an idea for a new location for the Disney Gallery. The Hyperion Theater is a very tall building. The waiting area would not even come half way up the building when it is enclosed. You could put a second story on the waiting area to become the new Disney Gallery. I don't know if this would actually work or not but I think that having the great art above the great theater would add something to this section of the park.

Once the rehab is complete on the Hollywood Pictures Backlot it will look like 1930's Hollywood. I don't remember Monsters Inc. in 1930's Hollywood. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were around in the 1930's. Mickey's Philharmagic is another rumored addition to the park and I will be waiting in line for it. It is one of my very favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. I think it is an excellent 3D show. The only problem is that it would replace another great 3D experience, Muppetvision. It would go down the drain and disappear from the west coast. If only Muppetvision didn't have Waldo it would be absolutely classic. Now I will only be partially sad to see it go and look forward to Philharmagic.

There are still so many rumors floating about Disney's California Adventure that this post could continue indefinitely. For now we will stop right here and pick up again soon. The next few years are going to be very exciting for DCA and the Disneyland Resort.

If you would like to read Al's article in its entirety please click here.

Top 4: Eateries of Disneyland Resort

2007-08-28T22:58:00.000-06:00

This is a little bit of a cop out I know, but here are my top four restaurants at Disneyland Resort.

Number 4 - Redd Rocket's Pizza Port - Even during peak times you can quickly get in and out with your food. There are lots of tables and they turn over fast so seating isn't an issue here either. They serve pizza, pasta, and salads. All three are very good. Their pizza slices are quite large and better than your average theme park serves. My personal favorite is the Count Down Chicken Fusilli with a garlic and Parmesan cheese sauce.

Number 3 - Wine Country Trattoria - Full service restaurants are few and far between at the Disneyland Resort. The Trattoria is located along the performance corridor in Disney's California Adventure and has a prime viewing spot for parades. During the day you can sit on their patio and just people watch. The Pizzeta salad, Meatball sandwich, and Chicken panini are all family favorites here. The lasagna is very good but the pieces are so small they are not worth the price.

Number 2 - Goofy's Kitchen - You knew there would be at least one character meal on the list, right? Goofy's is a fun interactive environment for kids. They invite children down to bang on pots and pans and dance every half hour or so. The food is good but not great. It is a great place to have a wide variety of characters visit your table. Plus, they have Peanut Butter & Jelly pizza for breakfast.

Number 1 - Cafe Orleans - This wouldn't have been a top 10 a year ago. I have been very impressed with the remodel. Since this is now the second home of the Monte Cristo and outdoor seating it has become a must visit on almost every trip. Their pommes frites are the best fries in the Disneyland Resort. I love the beignets too. It might just be because they are shaped like Mickey heads.

Short and sweet. Post a comment with your favorites. It is great to hear what other think.

Can you pick just one?

2007-08-27T12:29:00.000-06:00

How do you pick one favorite Disney attraction? John Frost of The Disney Blog posed this question to his readers and it has me stumped. I have had so many favorites over the years it is hard to narrow it down to just one.

When I first visited Disneyland in the early eighties I couldn't get enough of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. To this day it is my favorite dark ride. I knew it was on a track but I was five and I wanted to feel like I was driving. My two favorite parts of this were driving through the fireplace (I swear there used to be steam so it looked like you went through smoke) and visiting hell. I still make sure I ride this every trip.

During the early nineties I was very into Star Wars and this translated to riding Star Tours non stop. I would get off walk through the store and back around into the queue. For fifteen years I have been hoping for a new Star Tours movie so I hope the rumors of Star Tours 2.0 are true.

I waited in a three and a half hour line in 1995 to ride the Indiana Jones Adventure for the first time. We got in line in Frontierland, went out onto Main Street, down into Adventureland, all through the outside queue and finally to the temple. Little did we know that this was only the beginning. They made the wait fun with ancient writings on the temple walls and decoders so you could translate. When we finally rode for the first time this blew me away. I could not believe how impressive this attraction was. There was so much to see that I know I missed a lot that first ride. Thankfully I have been able to ride it many, many more times to take it all in.

In 1998 I visited Walt Disney World for the first time. I had never been on an attraction like Tower of Terror. I did not know many people that had been to Walt Disney World so I did not know what to expect. When the elevator left the shaft for the first time I was in awe. That was amazing then and it is amazing now. I very much wish that Tower of Terror in Disney's California Adventure was built the same way but I love it anyway.

During that first visit to Walt Disney World I was also able to experience the Carousel of Progress for the fist time. I hadn't been in a show like that since America Sings closed more than ten years earlier. I had forgotten how fun they were. This show was one that my dad remembered from his first visit to Disneyland so that made it a little more special to me.

If you put me on the spot now I would probably respond with the stock answer of Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion. They are both classic and make New Orleans Square my favorite "land" in Disneyland. I don't know that either of them are my absolute favorite though. I miss the Peoplemover and I would jump for joy if they brought it back, but I don't think that would be my favorite either. There are many shows and attractions that I love and yet I have to pick one favorite. Then it came to me.

At Disneyland I love that the monorail gives an aerial tour of Tomorrowland that you used to get on the Peoplemover then you wrap around the Matterhorn and take a peek at Fantasyland before you reach the station. When you are at Walt Disney World it may be viewed more as transportation than an attraction but it is still amazing. The Magic Kingdom monorail takes you around Seven Seas Lagoon and through three of the hotels. The Epcot line runs through the park and around Spaceship Earth before they drop you off giving a wonderful view of Future World and offering a small preview of the World Showcase. The trains themselves are sleek, beautiful works of art. Futuristic looking yet they are here today for your use. You are able to sit down and relax and enjoy the views. The monorail is my favorite Disney attraction.

Stop at this Dining Intersection

2007-08-26T14:56:00.000-06:00

Often when friends are planning trips to Disneyland Resort they will ask me for recommendations on everything from hotels to tickets to restaurants. The restaurants are always my favorite to discuss. Disneyland and the resort as a whole offer a great variety and while the prices are higher than you would pay at a local eatery you are at Disney and that is worth a premium to me. Many of my favorite restaurants are located at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World.

When at Disneyland there is a concentration of great food right where New Orleans Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland meet. River Belle Terrace, Bengal BBQ, Royal Street Veranda, Cafe Orleans, and Blue Bayou make up the fab 5 of west side Disneyland dining. With the exception of Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou they all have pretty distinct menus and all of them are special for different reasons.

When I think of breakfast at Disneyland I think of Mickey Mouse pancakes at the River Belle Terrace. I grew up eating on the patio overlooking the Rivers of America whenever the park opened early enough for us to eat breakfast there. Due to the great location right between Adventureland and the Rivers of America, dining there had a great soundtrack of Mark Twain's whistle and the Swiskapolka coming from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. The soundtrack has changed a little over the years but the food is still some of my favorite and breakfast is still a must. I have graduated from the Mickey Mouse pancakes but it still gives me a smile every time I see one on the griddle.

Bengal Barbeque is a restaurant that has not been among my favorites for long. It was only a year ago that I finally ate there. Now I can't get enough. There is often a line and the service isn't that quick but they are well worth the wait. The skewers are excellent and I love a tiger tail. This is a very unique eatery for a theme park.

Tucked away, under the balcony of the former Disney Gallery, is a small counter serving Gumbo and Clam Chowder. At the Royal Street Veranda you can usually walk up and grab a bite to eat unless you wait until Fantasmic is about to start. Both the Gumbo and the Chowder are served in bread bowls and the service is very quick. I find myself eating here more during the cooler months but every time I walk past I think about the Steak Gumbo.

I have always enjoyed Cafe Orleans. Since their makeover into a full service restaurant a little over a year ago I enjoy it all the more. This is the location of my favorite appetizer and dessert in the resort. The Pommes Frites are are french fries with parmasean cheese and garlic. Every time we sit down here we order them. The Mickey Beignets make this restaurant worthy of a visit every trip. On top of all this they are now the second home of the Monte Cristo sandwich. How do you improve a ham and cheese sandwich? You batter it and deep fry it of course. The Cafe Orleans, like the River Belle Terrace, has a great patio looking out to the Rivers of America.

The Blue Bayou is probably the most unique dining experience in a Disney park. How many restaurants are located inside an attraction? This was the original Disneyland home of the Monte Cristo and you can get them to this day. During the Pirates of the Caribbean rehab last year they made several changes to the menu. They are trying to go a little more upscale while still offering a menu that your average person will love. After you enter the restaurant and are seated you may be indoors but it sure feels like you are sitting on the back patio of a southern plantation house. Every few seconds a boat will slip into the darkness. It has been copied in Tokyo and Paris and the Mexican pavilion at Epcot tries to imitate but there can be only one Blue Bayou.

While the original intention when writing this was not a restaurant review I can't help but run on about some of my favorites in the Disney universe. If this was expanded to cover all of Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Adventureland I could probably go on even longer. When you find yourself hungry on the west side of Disneyland you know that good food can't be far away.

Disneyland Hotel and Beyond!

2007-08-25T08:40:00.000-06:00

All the debate between Disney, SunCal, & Anaheim regarding the trailer park on Haster and Katella lately has had me thinking about the best use for the land. Not just that land, but also some of the parking that Disney has around their hotels. I am by no means an expert but that hasn't stopped me from spouting off about anything else.

Disneyland Hotel - Disneyland Resort
Image (C) Larry Pieniazek

When you visit Walt Disney World you have so many hotels choose from it can be difficult to pick just one. Often you will see people switch hotels mid-trip just to experience another of their excellent offerings. Disneyland Resort doesn't offer the same experience.

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel - Disneyland Resort
Image (C) Ellen Levy Finch

Disneyland Resort currently offers three hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian, and Paradise Pier. Of these three only the Grand Californian was built from the ground up by Disney and their Imagineers. Disneyland Hotel has a very rich history starting with a friendship between Walt Disney and Jack Wrather and the hotel has evolved over the years taking on more and more of the Disney persona. Paradise Pier was bought by Disney in 1995 from Pan Pacific and they slapped a coat of paint on it, changed the names of the restaurants, and called it good. While both of these hotels are very nice and I enjoy staying at them neither of them has the same feel as the Grand Californian or the richly themed hotels of the Walt Disney World Resort.

I would like to see Disney offer more hotels designed and build by Walt Disney Imagineering. They have demonstrated that they know how to build magnificent hotels at many price levels. In Florida they have everything from the Grand Floridian with a starting room rate around $300 per night to the All Star Resorts with starting rates under $100 per night. You feel like a part of the magic no matter how much you can afford for your vacation.

If they are going to continue the California theme why not build a hotel themed to San Francisco? If they would like more hotels in the area for more tourists couldn't they build a hotel similar in price to the All Star and Pop Century resorts from Walt Disney World? They don't have the room in Anaheim to build the spread out, sprawling resorts that they have in Florida but it should be possible to build a more affordable hotel in one of the parking lots surrounding Paradise Pier Hotel.

Disney's Hollywood Hotel - Hong Kong Disneyland
Image (C) Walt Disney Company

At Hong Kong Disneyland they have Disney's Hollywood Hotel and at Disneyland Resort Paris they have Disney's Hotel New York. If they offered a hotel like one of these or Hotel San Francisco they could convert the Paradise Pier to their value resort. I would prefer to stay in a Disney hotel when I visit Disneyland and having a value hotel would allow me to do that every time instead of just for special occasions like I do now.

To Fastpass or Not to Fastpass, That is the Title

2007-08-23T23:50:00.000-06:00

Fastpass. This one word can cause a lot of emotion in the Disney Park fan community. When I first learned of this system I thought it was the greatest idea I had ever heard. You would only have to wait for 10-15 minutes and then the E-ticket of your dreams is all yours. There have also been a few downsides to skipping the wait.

When it comes to Space Mountain I can't imagine that I would like to wait outside during the hot summer months. It would be crazy to stand in line for an hour or two when you can grab a fastpass then sit down, have some lunch, and cool off. After an hour or three you come back, walk up the ramp and into the building.

At the same time that Space Mountain is a great time saver the fastpass has ruined half the fun of Indiana Jones Adventure. You miss out on most of the greatest queue in a US Disney park. When you run to the safety movie room you don't really take in all the little details that are packed in this queue. The decoder card that used to be passed out to you made the time a lot easier to deal with. Now you wouldn't even have a chance to look at the glyphs let alone translate them.

Big Thunder Mountain is still a different situation. The standby line could have a 20 minute wait and people are still getting fastpasses. There is no real reason to have fastpass here. So maybe there would be a 20 to 30 minute wait. Who can't wait that long?

I have heard people moaning about both the fastpass system in general and the lack of fastpass on certain attractions. You often hear Matterhorn, Peter Pan, and Dumbo mentioned as attractions that should be fastpass enabled. I have even seen posts mentioning Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours as possible attractions.

I laugh every time I see Star Tours since it used to have fastpass but they took all the machines out when it didn't prove worthwhile. Pirates of the Caribbean is probably the fastest moving line in the park. If you had to deal with taking fastpasses and separating the queue would only slow the entire attraction down.

Peter Pan and Dumbo have issues that can't be solved by fastpass. They need to increase capacity for those attractions before they could even consider an option like this.

I think that Disneyland would be just fine without fastpass and you would still enjoy yourself. As long as it is still there I am going to continue using it though.

Disney vs. SunCal, Part 3

2007-08-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

As many people have already heard the referendum proposed by Disney, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, and Save Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR) has been approved to be put to the voters on June 3rd. This is the California state primary election and will cost the city $250,000. In an earlier post I was upset that Disney was wasting Anaheim's money on the referendum and after doing a lot of thinking I changed my mind.

Now when I look at the fact that the Anaheim City council could have reversed their previous decision, that went against the resort district, and ended this mess once and for all I am disgusted by their actions. Disney is not wasting the city's money. They are. The Disneyland Resort is going to continue to grow. Whether that means a third gate or just increased attendance at Disney's California Adventure, but sooner or later they will need hotels and there will be a perfect piece of property devoted to low-income housing and condos. How affordable would the housing be? Your guess is as good as mine since they won't release any of those numbers. Why can't SunCal find property elsewhere to develop? I believe that this was the whole purpose of the Platinum Triangle project.

On another interesting note...Anaheim City Councilwoman Lorri Galloway held a meeting to attempt to reach a compromise and then repeal her previous vote. Her request to Disney was to lead a fund-raising drive to contribute $25 million to low-income housing over the next five years (extortion). She also wanted Disney to negotiate with three developers to remove their properties from the Resort District so they could build housing (This is what Disney was trying to avoid). Her only request for SunCal was fewer homes on the property (more campaign contributions). All in all this sounds like a very good compromise. I can't see why Disney didn't jump all over the offer (Can anyone tell me how to express extreme sarcasm in writing?).

The Anaheim City council has the chance to right their wrongs and instead chose to drag out the process and keep bowing to SunCal who will be in and out of the city in the amount of time that it takes to complete the project. Why can't they show Disney, who has been and will be in Anaheim for the long haul, some loyalty? So this will be out of the news and the casual observers minds for the next several months but Disney and SOAR will be hard at work convincing the people of Anaheim that this will be in their best interest.

Individually themed lands...Not for merchandise

2007-08-21T16:47:00.000-06:00

I spent a lot of time in Disneyland during the 80's and 90's. Almost every family vacation was spent visiting Mickey and friends. On our one big trip every year my parents would give my brothers and I an allowance of $100 to shop for souvenirs. Each trip I would buy a plush, a hat, a shirt, and a gun. Not much of it was spent on Main Street. The Pioneer Mercantile received a lot of money from my parents back then. Now they don't receive much from me. The only reason for this is because they don't have anything that I can't get at the Emporium.

I still can't figure out why anybody would buy a plush that they sell at the Emporium or World of Disney anywhere else in the park. I would rather not carry around a stuffed Pooh Bear all day if I don't have to. You used to buy frontier themed merchandise in Frontierland. You would make purchases earlier in the day because you didn't know if you would be back by this store and you knew that you wouldn't be able to get this item anywhere else.

The Pioneer Mercantile that I remember sold western themed clothing and toys, coonskin hats, wooden toy guns, and had a shooting arcade on the southern wall. You didn't have anything with pirates or princesses.

The South Seas Traders in Adventureland used to have exotic themed merchandise. Pieces of Eight in New Orleans Square was the only store in the park that sold pirate merchandise. Can you guess what the One-of-a-Kind shop next door sold? The Disney Gallery was lost just this month. The Villains Shop in Fantasyland was where I got my first Jack Skellington hat. This was before the goth craze that has made Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise available in its very own store in Disneyland and at ever Hot Topic in the country. If you wanted a hat you visited the Mad Hatter in Fantasyland or Main Street or Hatmosphere in Tomorrowland. Now every store in the park has a hat selection and it is the same at every store.

This is not to say that I don’t still enjoy the shopping in the park. Disneyana is still a unique shopping experience. While there is too much Pirate merchandise in the parks, Pieces of Eight is still a fun store with the courtyard between the original store and the recent expansion. For the fanboy in me I love the Star Wars portion of the Star Trader as you exit Star Tours.

On the other side of the esplanade at Disney’s California Adventure I love taking my son to Engine Ears Toys. My wife and I could spend hours in the Animation Building and upon exiting, Off the Page. This is similar to Disneyana but different enough to make it worth visiting every trip. I am also a sucker for Rushin’ River Outfitters. They are getting more and more generic but it might just be the environment that they offer you the same generic merchandise that I find appealing. My other favorite from DCA is Tower Hotel Gifts. Many people hate when attractions exit to a gift shop but in this case I love it. It gives you an air conditioned waiting place while we swap kids and it may be a little corny but I love all the Hollywood Tower Hotel merchandise.

Obviously we all want the Disneyland merchandise. That is why it is sold in so many stores. I am not a purist that thinks that everything should remain untouched. I would just like a little individuality as well. Make some stuffed critters only available in Critter Country and keep the Princesses in Fantasyland. Now that the Pirate craze seems to be dying some maybe they can move back to New Orleans Square.

If Disney gave me a unique place to shop in every land they would get more money from me. Every time you turned the corner you would have a chance to find something new. I don’t know if everybody agrees with me on this, but I think that some merchandise diversity would make for more fun at the parks.

O, CircleVision where art thou?

2007-08-20T23:22:00.000-06:00

I was reading a press release today from the Canadian Tourism Commission regarding the updates to the CircleVision movie for the Canada Pavilion at Epcot and it made me sad to realize something. There are no longer any CircleVision movies in Disneyland. Not just in that one park but in the entire resort. It is true that they are dwindling at Walt Disney World too, but they still have two.

Tomorrowland used to be home to two fantastic CircleVision movies. You could visit the Wonders of China and American Journeys. You were able to see one movie in the morning and one in the evening. As a child one of my personal favorite features of this attraction was going to the row that had the translation telephones and listening to the narration in different languages. Too bad none of it stuck.

In the waiting room to enter the theater you rarely found a crowd. There was usually a seat available and you could watch the preshow video in a nice air conditioned room. Every few seconds if you looked up and behind the Peoplemover would pass by. This was an appropriate waiting area for the show you were about to see.

As you entered the CircleVision 360 theater you were surrounded by screens. When the movies would start you would be focused on one screen in the front of the theater then as the screens filled in you were immersed in the environment. It felt like you were riding a wagon over a covered bridge in America or floating down the Yangtze River in China. On more than one occasion I had to reach out and grab the lean rail to keep my balance since my senses had been fooled.

Both American Journeys and Wonders of China gave you a broad overview of the scenery of the two countries. They found some of the most beautiful and special places that either country had to offer. There is nothing quite like the experience of watching 360 degrees of beautiful scenery to make you feel like you are there.

In 1997 the CircleVision 360 theater was closed to make way for the Rocket Rod queue. The Rocket Rods opened on May 22, 1998 and closed permanently in September of 2000. This attraction never lived up to expectations with frequent break downs and the fact that you had to slow down at every corner due to lack of banking. It was disturbing that one of the truly unique experiences in the parks was downgraded to a queue. At least this would give Imagineers another chance at righting the wrong that was the Rocket Rods.

Buzz Lightyear Asto Blasters opened in the building on March 17, 2005. While this interactive attraction is fun and I enjoy competing with friends and family for the best score, it has never had that special feeling of a great attraction to me.

Now for anyone wanting to have the CircleVision experience you will have to trek across the country to Walt Disney World and visit Epcot. There you will find two CircleVision movies playing daily. In the China Pavilion you can see Reflections of China and in the Canada Pavilion you will get to see O, Canada. O, Canada has recently had 65% of the film updated and added narration by Martin Short. This update will be debuting soon at Epcot.

I for one can not wait to visit Epcot again and take in the whole experience of these two beautiful countries in CircleVision 360. Seeing these countries in a CircleVision theater is something that all should experience. It embodies the edutainment that Disney and Epcot are famous for.

Disney's California Adventure is about to undergo a major transformation. This would be a great time to bring back the CircleVision 360 theater to California. I think Soarin' is already offers incredible visuals of the varied landscape of California so a new CircleVision movie could explore the details of the Golden State. I personally would love to see American Journeys or Reflections of China back in Disneyland's neighbor across the esplanade. I know that CircleVision is not a new concept, but it would be great to see it in DCA. If it is even on a drawing board in Glendale consider this my vote for the inclusion of a new 360 theater somewhere in the Disneyland Resort.

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” - Walt Disney

Reimagineering Disney's California Adventure

2007-08-17T23:11:00.000-06:00

Is there anything that is more exciting to a Disney Park nut than new construction in the parks. construction walls? You have the excitement of new attractions that nobody has ever experienced. The first construction walls that I really remember were for Splash Mountain. Over the course of a couple years as we would visit and watch the progress they made I couldn't wait to get on that ride.

For the last year every time I would visit I would look at the wall around the lagoon and wonder what it was going to be like to ride the submarines again. I think the expectations may have got the better of me since I was not that thrilled with the new ride. Maybe I will love it when the line is under an hour.

Now when you visit Disney's California Adventure they have a big section of Paradise Pier walled off for construction of the Toy Story Mania attraction. I hear this 3-D shooter attraction will be similar to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters only more interactive. Since this has been under construction I find it harder to enjoy California Screamin' because I spend so much of the ride just trying to get a glimpse of the construction. I truly can't wait until this opens so we can see what the imagineers were able to come up with this time.

This is going to be a very exciting time for everyone, like me, that likes to see construction walls. As DCA prepares for a major rehab, refresh, and re-theming the walls will start going up sometime in October and they will be up in one area or another for the next several years. I have heard estimates anywhere from five to ten years. In my book that means several years of anticipation.

I would go into detail on all of the rumored changes to DCA but if you are reading this then you probably know them already. If you are in need of more details I would suggest reading Al Lutz's article on MiceAge.com or one of the posts by Honor Hunter on his Blue Sky Disney blog. Needless to say there are rumors of the whole park being changed and rethemed and several E-ticket attractions being added to the roster. There is so much unconfirmed information out there right now that if even half of the reported changes come true it will make DCA a special place. I am not among the masses of people that hate DCA. I really like it so this makes me a little odd as a Disney fan. I have always felt that DCA is small and could use some growth and that the western side of Paradise Pier needed serious work. I am sure that both of these issues will be addressed behind construction walls during the years to come.

If Disney is absolutely committed to fixing DCA then who knows what we may end up with? There isn't the space for a grand overhaul of the entire park and turning it into Epcot West or Tokyo DisneySea East, but they will surprise most, delight many, and disappoint a few. I believe that I will be surprised and delighted. Take DCA, throw a billion dollars at it and see what you end up with.

If you would like to keep updated on all of the latest rumor and rumblings regarding DCA I recommend the following sites:

Miceage
Blue Sky Disney
Jim Hill Media
Mouse Planet

Disney's Hollywood Studios

2007-08-15T21:23:00.000-06:00

In 1989 as I watched Disney Channel specials on the new Disney MGM Studios that had just opened at Walt Disney World I was jealous. I had never been to the vacation capital of the world. By 1989 I was an old pro at Disneyland and I could not believe all the lucky people that got to go to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Center, and Disney MGM Studios.

It wasn't until 1998 that I made my first trip to Walt Disney World. My parents took us there as a high school graduation present to me. I remember the first time I entered the Magic Kingdom I was awestruck by the castle. My first visit to Epcot had me running from pavilion to pavilion wishing I had got there a few years earlier to see the World of Motion and the original Universe of Energy. When I approached the turnstiles at Disney MGM the first time I just kept wondering why they had the MGM name on there at all.

Disney has been a major player in the movie industry since the 1930's. At the time Disney MGM Studios opened MGM was just a shadow of their former might and glory. Why did they bring the name of an aging, almost out of business studio on to open their new theme park? I have always felt that they should have just name it Disney Studios or Walt Disney Studios. Now, had they not brought in MGM there probably would be a very different Great Movie Ride if it existed at all. I love the Great Movie Ride but I think they could have used Disney movies and licensed other movies to be included without bringing the MGM name into the picture.

I will probably be in the minority but I say good riddance to the MGM name. I am also glad they did not change the name to Disney-Pixar Studios too. I like the name Disney's Hollywood Studios. I would still prefer Walt Disney Studios for the name like they have in Paris. Hollywood Studios will work just fine though. I just never felt right saying, "I'll meet you at MGM."

Now that MGM is out of the way I say bring on Lucasland and Pixar Place. I can't wait to see what changes are in store for Disney's Hollywood Studios besides the name change. I think that this could be an exciting time for this park. It wouldn't take much to turn this park around. I don't even mind the hat. It is out of place but it isn't that bad.

Big Thunder Mesa

2007-08-15T13:04:00.000-06:00

One of my earliest memories of Disneyland is being bribed to ride Big Thunder Mountain with my mom. I was four and scared out of my mind. My parents bought me a leather vest with a sheriff star and matching chaps. I know I didn't want to get on that day even after they had bribed me but now you can't keep me away.

Big Thunder is the first roller coaster that I ever rode. I believe for that reason it hold a special place with me. I can't help but think I missed out on though. I grew up watching old Disneyland specials on the Disney Channel and I always wished I could have ridden a donkey or taken the Mine Train through Natures Wonderland. When you hear that the Big Thunder concept came from a runaway train that was going to be housed on the show building for Western River Expedition you have to wonder what might have been. Yet this attraction will always be a classic.

Big Thunder takes you to another time. At Disneyland while you are in the queue you can hear the town in the buildings above you. Having the train wrap around the queue only serves to help make you feel separated from the rest of the park. I would like to know who doesn't smile when they are told to hang on to their hats and glasses. You whisk around goats, under waterfalls, and through collapsing caverns. You do all of this under a spectacular mountain and in an area in the middle of the park.

Frontierland doesn't have many attractions. At this time I think it may be down to just Big Thunder and the Mark Twain (I don't count the Shooting Arcade). It is still one of my very favorite areas of Disneyland. You can escape the crowds of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland right here. And while you are visiting the old west what could be better than a train ride through a mountain?

If everything I have learned researching Thunder Mesa and Western River Expedition are true then I would have loved to see this attraction come to life. I can hold out hope that they will bring back the huge experience rides like Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. If they ever decide to use the Big Thunder Ranch for something other than private parties I would love to see a grand attraction there. The old west has so many stories and tall tales you could have blast visiting the old cowboys.

I have heard rumors of an E-ticket attraction being planned for Disney's California Adventure that would be similar to the Western River Expedition. I don't really believe them but that can't stop me from dreaming. I don't know if I am the only person that would be thrilled with more animatronics, but I think they are a huge part of what sets Disney apart from other theme parks. I believe this would make a great addition to Disney's California Adventure. Other than Hopper in It's Tough to Be a Bug, they don't really have any animatronics in the whole park. It would be great to see more over there. I would hope that $1,000,000,000 will buy a couple in the next few years. With a little luck we will get to board a boat and take a river ride through western mining towns. With a lot of luck we will get to board a boat and take a long river ride through western mining towns.

As the Subs Turn

2007-08-11T00:32:00.000-06:00

Today was my first day at Disneyland since May 2. I haven't seen Pirates Lair yet and I had not seen Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. I have been looking forward to the subs since I knew that they were being brought back. When I was younger I used to look forward to that ride more than any other and at one time I thought you really were diving under water. The Submarine Voyage may not have been futuristic but they fit Tomorrowland like a glove.

While I waited in the queue today I watched the subs circle the lagoon and really got a kick out of the seagulls on the buoy. We moved our way up closer and closer to the front of the line and we were getting more and more excited. Finally it was our turn to be boarded. I made my way down the spiral staircase for the first time in 10 years. I sat down in the seat that used to feel a lot bigger. Then we waited. Finally we pulled out into the lagoon and I remembered why I loved the attraction so many years ago. It was just fun to be able to feel like you were in a submarine below the surface.

Then we entered the show building. I wasn't disappointed but it sure didn't live up to my expectations. The animations were exceptional. The effects did leave quite a bit to be desired. I would have thought there would have been more for the kind of money that you hear went into this.

In a perfect world there would have been a better blend of the animated effects and the physical props. When the angler fish attacks them it would have been much more impressive if it would have moved. No wonder the two little fish can get away. He just sits there and sits there and sits there. I can only wish that the jellyfish in the ocean were engineered by Disney. If they all had poles coming out of the top of them then we would probably see them before they stung us and I wouldn't have had to endure the ridiculous questions that I did when I was stung by a jellyfish (i.e. Did you have somebody pee on you? NO!).

It also could be made a little more clear that a whale is swallowing you. I knew it was happening but it wasn't very easy to follow. I know that my son didn't catch that particular point in the story and he would be in the target audience.

I am happy that the subs are back and I love to the kinetic energy that having them run again brings to Tomorrowland. I will visit them again when the line dies back down to a reasonable amount of time too. I was just left wanting more. Here is hoping that Tony Baxter, Bob Weiss, and all the Imagineers responsible for Disneyland Resort will really be able to go full force into their upcoming projects.

Disney vs. SunCal, Take II

2007-08-08T13:05:00.000-06:00

I have previously posted about the ongoing debate between Disney and SunCal. I have always been a supporter of property owners rights. I will always have a problem being told what I can or can't build on something I own. At the same time I can see the reasons for zoning laws and I can understand why Disney is upset. After a little more research I think it is time for me to flip-flop. Thank god I'm not running for president.

When Anaheim created the Resort District they made a deal. They are now backing out of the deal most likely for campaign contributions. Disney isn't the only company upset by this. They are just the biggest and most vocal. The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce is also supporting the Save Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR) campaign. So many business owners in Anaheim are against this development being built in Anaheim.

The fact that SOAR was able to collect so many signatures should prove that most of the citizens of Anaheim are against the project. Maybe the city council should wake up and respect the wishes of the people who elected them.

Disney has been cast as a villain for seemingly wanting to squash low income housing. Has anybody heard SunCal's definition of low income? If the condo units they are building sell for $800,000 to $1,000,000, I don't know if these numbers are realistic or not, what would they be able to call low income? A unit for half price would be $400,000 to $500,000. Do you think your average Disney cast member could afford that? I can't afford that and I know that I make more than the average cast member.

If SunCal would put in writing their definition of low income housing and it truly was an amount that cast members and others working in the resort district could afford I might be flip-flopping again. Until they prove that people that live and work in Anaheim could afford the housing I think they should back off throwing around the words low and income.

I have seen numbers thrown around stating that Anaheim won't need more hotel rooms until 2020 or somewhere around there. At the same time I keep hearing that Disney's Anaheim hotels are running somewhere in the 90% to 95% occupancy range. So while hotel rooms in general may not have immediate need for expansion Disney could build more hotels. If they build a value resort similar to the All-Stars or Pop Century in Walt Disney World I would guess that they would fill many, many more rooms on a nightly basis.

Disney does not own the land that is being proposed for the SunCal project so they won't be building any hotels on it right away. If they are serious about opening a third park in Anaheim I think they should purchase the land and when they start building the third park build a hotel right across the street. I don't know if this is an option for Disney but it would stop the headlines and, as much as I hate to say this, the trailer park could stay until they get serious about the third park and a new hotel.

I do think that SunCal could be more open in this, but I also think that Disney may be headed down a slippery slope if/when the council sends their measure to a ballot. There is also a proposal to have all zoning decisions put before a public vote. I know that I am not educated enough to make zoning decisions so I would say that most of the general public isn't either. Maybe it won't matter. Most decisions in politics are swayed by the person with the most money so now instead of giving the money to politicians the money can be given to ad agencies and TV stations to sway the general public. I would prefer that Disney control the zoning of Disney parks though so I hope this other measure does not come to be.