Back from the Happiest Place on Earth!

geeman · 11-02-2002

Hi All,
Just got back from a wonderful week in California. Disneyland was more than great- it was spectacular- no-- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Have lots to tell and lots of pics to sort through and (eventually) share, but I'm still catching up with arriving home.
Highlights:
Disneyland- So great to be in the land that Walt built. We had planned to go park hopping Tuesday but I didn't want to leave. Indiana Jones, Pirates, Alice, Mr. Toad, Autopia, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain all spring to mind as immediate favorites.
And the Nightmare Before Christmas inspired Haunted Mansion was a tasty Halloween treat. We rode it at least 4-5 times during the week. Very cleverly done. And very pretty.

The parks were EMPTY. Except for Tuesday, when they hosted a parade for the World Series Winning Angels, the place was rather barren. Oddly enough, after the ceremony, which engulfed Main Street with more people than I had seen all week, the crowds mysteriously vanished. Were these Annual Pass Holders, or do baseball fans have 50 dollars a pop to waste to watch a motorcade?

Waits were no longer than say, 10-15 minutes. We were able to eat where we wanted without making reservations.

Stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for the first 3 days. Wonderful. Thanks so much for recommending that one, Mickey.

Did LOTS of Walking. LOTS. But hey- it's Disneyland!

California Adventure -- I hate roller coasters, but how could I turn down a Mickey Mouse shaped one? I forced myself onto California Screaming - and had a BLAST! I loved Soaring over California, and "Golden Dreams". I loved the Animation Studio better than the one in Orlando.

My (adult) nephew and I attended 2 character breakfasts and did not feel out of place at all. In fact it brought tears to my eyes to see the "magic" happening in the eyes of the tiny children.

In short, it was a happy week, and the best birthday week I can ever remember!
I'll report more soon!

**BDavis932** · 11-02-2002

Glad to hear you had a "magical" trip! We are looking forward to all the details.

I would like to go visiting my California relatives in the next couple years, and will definatley incorporate several days at Disneyland, so don't spare any tips you may have!

Welcome back! Sounds like you had a super birthday!

jwdj4lfe · 11-03-2002

Glad to see u had such a "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" time Geeman!! lol. Cant wait to read your reports! I have never been to DL or DCA, but hope to make it there one day.
Joe:)

trishb · 11-03-2002

Can't wait to hear more! Didn't you just love California?

mmouse67l · 11-03-2002

Welcome back geeman!! We were there last Dec. and rode the HM with the Nightmare before Christmas theming and thought it was really cool also.

Cinderellafifi · 11-04-2002

Your trip sounds like so much fun! I am glad you glad you enjoyed it so much! Good for you for "forcing" yourself onto that Mickey rollar-coaster ! :laugh

PhantomBantam · 11-04-2002

Were any of the rides shut down because of the low attendance?

geeman · 11-04-2002

Hey all,
Thanks for the kind words!
I am working on getting the pictures together and I will have a more detailed report soon.
Meantime, in response to ride shut downs- they didn't seem to be caused by the low attendance. Park hours were 10-8 for Disneyland and 10-6 for California. These times worked out great, although an extra hour would have been good for either.
The only things I found shut were It's A Small World, which is being refurbished for Christmas (they announced it would reopen November 8th- though the colors were all gone and no watch faces were visible, the Columbia sailing ship (but I got close enough to get a good look at it), the Carousel, which stated it would reopen in the fall- but it is down to it's skeleton, so I don't think that is happening, and The Matterhorn, which is undergoing some reconstruction at the moment. (in fact during the Angels parade, there were workers up there at the summit waving their red sticks!).
There were also some mini closures due to the filming of the SPRING 2003 commercials, which I witnessed a bit of.

Over the course of the three days I was there, the park got progressively decorated for the Holiday season. I had sat up at Disney's "Apartment" view at New Orleans square on Monday, and by Tuesday, it was decorated with holly and wreaths!
The park may not have been badly empty, as it IS off-season, and no one seemed too concerned about it- It's just that I am used to the Florida crowds- and this was no where near as full as Orlando on an off day. That was my opinion.

Okay- let's see if I can get a trip report together while I work on the pictures.

:)

11-02-2002	#1 (permalink)
geeman Big Cheese Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in NYC Posts: 953	Back from the Happiest Place on Earth! Hi All, Just got back from a wonderful week in California. Disneyland was more than great- it was spectacular- no-- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Have lots to tell and lots of pics to sort through and (eventually) share, but I'm still catching up with arriving home. Highlights: Disneyland- So great to be in the land that Walt built. We had planned to go park hopping Tuesday but I didn't want to leave. Indiana Jones, Pirates, Alice, Mr. Toad, Autopia, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain all spring to mind as immediate favorites. And the Nightmare Before Christmas inspired Haunted Mansion was a tasty Halloween treat. We rode it at least 4-5 times during the week. Very cleverly done. And very pretty. The parks were EMPTY. Except for Tuesday, when they hosted a parade for the World Series Winning Angels, the place was rather barren. Oddly enough, after the ceremony, which engulfed Main Street with more people than I had seen all week, the crowds mysteriously vanished. Were these Annual Pass Holders, or do baseball fans have 50 dollars a pop to waste to watch a motorcade? Waits were no longer than say, 10-15 minutes. We were able to eat where we wanted without making reservations. Stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for the first 3 days. Wonderful. Thanks so much for recommending that one, Mickey. Did LOTS of Walking. LOTS. But hey- it's Disneyland! California Adventure -- I hate roller coasters, but how could I turn down a Mickey Mouse shaped one? I forced myself onto California Screaming - and had a BLAST! I loved Soaring over California, and "Golden Dreams". I loved the Animation Studio better than the one in Orlando. My (adult) nephew and I attended 2 character breakfasts and did not feel out of place at all. In fact it brought tears to my eyes to see the "magic" happening in the eyes of the tiny children. In short, it was a happy week, and the best birthday week I can ever remember! I'll report more soon! __________________ Geeman ****************************** YBC10/95, CS 8/00 AKL 5/02,DL Hotel 10/02, ASMusic 5/03,CBR 10/03,Disney Cruiseline 10/03, DD Hilton,CR, ASMusic 4/04; AKL 5/04;Pop Century 10/04,CBR 10/04,CR 10/04;DGC 10/04;SOG & PC 12/04;CBR 8/05, SOG 4-5/06 Geeman on the Web

11-02-2002	#2 (permalink)
BDavis932 A dream is a wish.... Join Date: May 2002 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,608	Glad to hear you had a "magical" trip! We are looking forward to all the details. I would like to go visiting my California relatives in the next couple years, and will definatley incorporate several days at Disneyland, so don't spare any tips you may have! Welcome back! Sounds like you had a super birthday! __________________ DVC/BUDGET TIPS MODERATOR ºoº DVC MEMBER at OKW since 2000 ºoº Love my Mom "Trailblazer" & My Dear Sister "A Goofy Family" 77 DL85 (offsite)94 AS Sports97 ASMusic99 AS Movies00 ASMovies02 OKW03 WLV 04 OKW05 SSR05 ASM06 AKL/OKW/CSR07 DHHIR6/08 AKLV12/08 SSR3/09 AKLV Next Trips: 6/2011 AKLV, 12/2011 BLT, 3/2012 AKLV Buzzers I've met: Gingita, DisneyTeacher, RCharmicheal My Disney Countdown Counting down to:* Quick trip the the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX 29 days 8 hours 59 minutes

11-03-2002	#3 (permalink)
jwdj4lfe Mouse Meister Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Orlando, Fl UCF Posts: 1,089	Glad to see u had such a "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" time Geeman!! lol. Cant wait to read your reports! I have never been to DL or DCA, but hope to make it there one day. Joe:) __________________ "Here is the world of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment...magic and make believe are reborn-and fairy tales come true"- Walt Disney Collector of WDW Resorts... Animal Kingdom Lodge, Contemporary, Port Orleans FQ, All Star Sports, Music and Movies,Pop Century, Fort Wilderness Campground and counting... GO KNIGHTS

11-03-2002	#4 (permalink)
trishb Mouse Meister Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,350	Can't wait to hear more! Didn't you just love California? __________________ Trish

11-03-2002	#5 (permalink)
mmouse67l Grand Magician Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Silverdale, WA Posts: 984	Welcome back geeman!! We were there last Dec. and rode the HM with the Nightmare before Christmas theming and thought it was really cool also. __________________ Official Defender of Swiss Family Treehouse

		MouseBuzz.com > Mouscellaneous > Trip Reports
Back from the Happiest Place on Earth!

11-04-2002	#6 (permalink)
Cinderellafifi Mouse Meister Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: S. Florida, Baby! Posts: 1,058	Your trip sounds like so much fun! I am glad you glad you enjoyed it so much! Good for you for "forcing" yourself onto that Mickey rollar-coaster ! :laugh __________________ A whole year without a Disney visit leads to a crabby family DC's Tinkerbell is a very special fairy! A dream is a wish your heart makes...

11-04-2002	#7 (permalink)
PhantomBantam Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 447	Were any of the rides shut down because of the low attendance? __________________ "...It was just an ordinary Space Mole Hill before Disney got a hold of it..." Go Gamecocks!

11-04-2002	#8 (permalink)
geeman Big Cheese Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in NYC Posts: 953	Hey all, Thanks for the kind words! I am working on getting the pictures together and I will have a more detailed report soon. Meantime, in response to ride shut downs- they didn't seem to be caused by the low attendance. Park hours were 10-8 for Disneyland and 10-6 for California. These times worked out great, although an extra hour would have been good for either. The only things I found shut were It's A Small World, which is being refurbished for Christmas (they announced it would reopen November 8th- though the colors were all gone and no watch faces were visible, the Columbia sailing ship (but I got close enough to get a good look at it), the Carousel, which stated it would reopen in the fall- but it is down to it's skeleton, so I don't think that is happening, and The Matterhorn, which is undergoing some reconstruction at the moment. (in fact during the Angels parade, there were workers up there at the summit waving their red sticks!). There were also some mini closures due to the filming of the SPRING 2003 commercials, which I witnessed a bit of. Over the course of the three days I was there, the park got progressively decorated for the Holiday season. I had sat up at Disney's "Apartment" view at New Orleans square on Monday, and by Tuesday, it was decorated with holly and wreaths! The park may not have been badly empty, as it IS off-season, and no one seemed too concerned about it- It's just that I am used to the Florida crowds- and this was no where near as full as Orlando on an off day. That was my opinion. Okay- let's see if I can get a trip report together while I work on the pictures. :) __________________ Geeman ****************************** YBC10/95, CS 8/00 AKL 5/02,DL Hotel 10/02, ASMusic 5/03,CBR 10/03,Disney Cruiseline 10/03, DD Hilton,CR, ASMusic 4/04; AKL 5/04;Pop Century 10/04,CBR 10/04,CR 10/04;DGC 10/04;SOG & PC 12/04;CBR 8/05, SOG 4-5/06 Geeman on the Web

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