Enchanted Tiki Room Brings Air Conditioned Relief on Hot Days

When temperatures jumped over the 100 degree mark in Disneyland a week or so ago, my first instinct was to say "no way man.... that's the last place I want to be." But sometimes luck gives you no choice in the a matter and people are left to their own preferences to play the beat the heat game. Where do I want to be if the temperature is insufferable in Disneyland? It's a no brainer. Nowhere in the park does the air conditioning work better that the Enchanted Tiki Room. Gobs of cooling air is needed to keep the animatronics in working order and the Tiki Room is kept cool enough that you could hang meat in there.

The only sad part is the show is a bit on the short side in which case, go back around and see it again. Even if you have seen it a hundred times, its still kind of cute. C'mon...... admit it, on a blistering hot day, who couldn't picture themselves sprawled out on one of those padded Tiki Room benches for a nice cooling nap?

The Wonderful Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel

Trader Sams - Disneyland Hotel

I was going though some photographs for a different post I was going to write when I came across this picture of the interior of Trader Sams at the Disneyland Hotel. I stopped and just had to smile. What a great place! Fun, relaxing, delicious drinks and appetizers, great staff, and loaded with atmosphere - it's the perfect adult break from your Disneyland day and a great replacement for the old Disneyland Hotel Lost Bar which was a fun place to begin with. I can't begin to tell you how much I look forward to going back to Trader Sams. Heck, it wouldn't be a bad place to be right now as Memorial Day weekend kicks into gear.

Welcome Summer - The Latest Disneyland Price Increases

That whizzing sound you heard last Sunday was Walt Disney spinning in his grave over the thought that a single day park hopper to his beloved theme park hit the $150 price mark with the latest round of Disney Parks admission price increases. For the last couple of years I've ranted and railed at the annual price increases but this year ...... I've just resigned myself to the fact that Disney raises prices before every summer season simply because they can get away with it.

I think my first Deluxe Annual Pass was around $239. As of last week, that same Annual Pass is now at $519. Ouch! - with that sound coming from my wallet and credit card pinching my rear end. But so it goes as they say.

So the price increases weren't anything jaw dropping, just enough to make you shake your head and question is is all worth it. Perhaps the biggest news out of last week's price increases was the suspension of the wildly popular Southern California Annal Pass. You can renew your SoCal AP but you are now unable to buy a new one. Speculation from numerous Internet sources that this may be the first step in eliminating the lower priced Southern California Annual Passes whose holders flood the parks with bodies while often not dropping a lot of dollars which Disney loves from tourists and park guests. As a non-local, anything to drop the crowds and making the Disney day more pleasurable is welcome.

Triple Digit Disneyland

An nbclosangelas.com photo

Do you know where Disneyland beats Walt Disney World almost every single time? Low humidity and generally better weather. Well that comparison can fly out the window as for several days this past week, the temperatures in Disneyland sat at around 100 degrees, give or take a degree or two. Now I'm a Disneyland fan but when temperatures hit triple digits - No Thank You. Disneyland is one of the last places I would want to be.

In the oppressive heat, tempers easily melt faster that your pineapple whip and enjoying yourself seems like a real effort as heat relief is the number one thing on your mind. But there's only so many times you can sit through the Tiki Birds singing in their beautifully air conditioned abode and eventually, you have to hit the Disneyland concrete jungle, absorbing heat like a sponge. If its a 100 degrees as the actual temperature, its probably more like a 110 inside the park as people still gather creating crowds and lines and generally sucking whatever air there is in the park right out.

And as you think about getting relief from somewhere, some place, you can think about the gem called Cars Land. Yep, Disney built a beautiful shade less replica of a desert town to enjoy sweltering weather.

The Tower of Terror - Anxiety Revisited

A couple of years back in a posting on another website, I wrote that I has officially retired from going on The Hollywood Tower of Terror. Anxiety had got the best of me. It wasn't the ride that got to me. From the time you strap in, the ride experience is what?....maybe 40 seconds long? It's easy to think that in less than a minute a relatively benign ride will have me walking towards the exit (which is a store of course with plenty of do-dads that tell you how you survived the Tower or Terror).

No it wasn't the ride, it was the waiting to get on the ride that eventually led to my retirement from the Tower of Terror. The little waiting room scene with Rod Serling on the TV added to the the rides immense theming and didn't bother me. The ghouls that made sure everyone got strapped in didn't bother me. What finally got to me was standing there waiting for the elevator doors to open. That was the moment that did me in.

I could feel my heart beat faster, the anxiety level rise. The waiting....however brief it was......got to me. The ride was only the finishing step to getting out of the place.

It's been 4 years now since I've been on the Tower of Terror and I'm fine with it having made the elevator plunge at least a dozen times in my lifetime. The only way I could see getting on the ride again would be to go with someone who wanted to spend the time waiting for the elevator doors to open talking about the weather or where we are going for dinner. Sometimes distractions from what is about to be are a good thing,

The Disneyland Traveler Explains

It's a little on the cool, breezy side here at home today. A perfect Disneyland day I would say. Hard to believe that in less than a week, the temperatures are going to be pushing triple digits. Not a perfect Disneyland day I would dare to say.

The Disneyland Traveler has taken some time off away from this blog for the last several weeks. Some of you who have followed The Disneyland Traveler Blog for some time understand the reason why there has been an absence of writing. For the casual or new reader of this blog, here is the explanation. About a year ago my father-in-law came to live with Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and myself. He suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, a disease that robs people of short term memory and progresses to worsening stages from there. He requires nearly constant attention. Needless to say, there really aren't any trips to Disneyland planned for the immediate future for us. There is little time to think Disney at all.

But I miss writing this blog. And while it may not be as prolific as it once was, many have encouraged me to continue writing it. I'll certainly give it my best shot. Thank you to all those who have emailed me and encouraged me to write. It means a lot. Most true Disney people are the best because they can find reasons to smile even when things seem a little hopeless.

Like Steamboat Willie handling that steering wheel, whistling a tune, the Disneyland Traveler continues on.

Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie - Disney Animation