Virtual Disneyland Trip - Part 2 - The Drive

Finally, the simple thought that "in about 8 hours, I'm going to be in Disneyland" becomes a reality. We got everything ready yesterday so it takes all of about 15 minutes to toss everything in the back of the Explorer. Now we used to leave at around 6 a.m. if not before but we hit a snag a few trips back. The drive from suburban Sacramento to Disneyland takes about six and a half hours stopping only for gas, bathroom breaks, and something to eat from a drive-thru along the way. No dilly-dallying from the DisneylandTraveler. That gets us to Disneyland around 12:30 or so. Technically the check-in time for all hotels is 3 p.m. What if the room isn't ready? At the Candy Cane Inn, where we plan to stay on this imaginary trip, it only happened to us once. That was enough. Of course, the CCI has no problem with you leaving your car, head to the park, and come back and check in later but the thought of going to the park still knowing that the check-in and unpacking part is still ahead of me doesn't sit well. Maybe I'm just a big baby. So now we leave between 7 and 8 getting to the hotel about 2:30 or so. Even if the room isn't ready, it will be shortly. I digressed a bit here.

Before leaving civilization, we make sure we have a full gas tank because once we hit I5, the gas gougers take over adding another 50 cents or so a gallon to the already ridiculous price of gas these days. We stop and take on only enough fuel to get us comfortably through the L.A. traffic and into Anaheim where gas returns to its normal high price.

The drive on I5 - well as they say "sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug". It's boring, absolutely nothing to see except billboards from farmers complaining that politicians have diverted all their water to Southern California so city people can water their lawns but at least on the way down you are full excitement, hope, and anticipation. Once you hit the I5 grapevine before L.A. then anticipation really builds but pay attention to the road. We've hit rain, high winds, snow, and wildfires going over that mountain, not to mention a fare share of absolutely insane drivers. Then you hit the L.A freeways. Sometimes you get a little lucky, sometimes you don't, but even on lucky days, on a Sunday afternoon, somewhere on that freeway, you WILL come to a dead stop. Brutal. But you arrive to the ultimate destination. It may be tough to read all the signs through all the bug goo on your windshield, but you know you have arrived.

So the Candy Cane Inn sits on Harbor Blvd. right behind the Tower of Terror (and right next to Carland interestingly enough). Why the Candy Cane Inn out of all the hotel/motel/inn choices around the Disneyland? We've tried others but the CCI is simply the best. It's grounds are impeccably cared for; they pride themselves on great customer service; the rooms are very clean rooms; the free continental breakfast is better than most; and even though its a fairly short walk to the Disneyland gates, they have their own private shuttle. It costs a bit more that other "Good Neighbor" hotels but its well worth it. Don't take my word on it. Read the reviews on tripadvisor.com

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have gotten wise in our old age so we request a first floor room and if your lucky, they'll be a parking place right outside your door. If it took 15 minutes to through everything in back of the Explorer leaving in the morning, it will take about 20 minutes to get everything out and unpacked. From the time I first open that hotel room door, I know I'll be in Disneyland in probably less than a hour.

So we're unpacked and heading to the park. Many people have their traditions when they first enter Disneyland, going through a certain tunnel, heading for a certain ride, etc. I don't think we really have one. A lot depends on how hungry we are after the long drive but assuming we grabbed a quick bite from our assorted snacks back at the hotel the typical thing me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler to do is get on the train at the Main St. Station. We'll make the "grand circle tour" just kicking back and soaking in the Disneyland vibe. After the trip all the way around the park, we'll continue on to New Orleans Square and get on Pirates. Its just what we do. After that Mrs. DisneylandTraveler will begin to bother me about Indiana Jones but since its the afternoon, the stand-bye line is too long and I don't feel like messing with a fastpass. We'll go to the Haunted Mansion as the second thing we do and if the timing is right, we'll walk over the Golden Horseshoe to see Billy Hill. The Hillbillies show is over, there may be time for once around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain and then its time to start thinking about dinner. We probably haven't made a reservation at one of the table service dining places on our arrival day but if we go over to the Big Thunder Bar-B-Q, you seldom need one. There may be a 20 or 30 minute wait. The food is good and since its all-you-can-eat, if you want more, they'll bring it. Its not fancy but we like Big Thunder and have never been disappointed.

After dinner, the effects of the long drive begin to kick in, and at 7:30 or so, I've had it. Find a nice place to watch the fireworks and that pretty much finishes off a very long day. Back to the hotel, a couple of Advil and a beer, and I'll see you in the morning.

Fifty-Six

Disneyland opened 56 years ago today with this simple dedication speech from Walt Disney. In a ceremony around the flagpole today at 2:30, Mickey and friends will replay the speech. It will be heard throughout the park. Speaking for the fans, we say "Thank You" for all the memories through the years.

On a personal note, the DisneylandTraveler himself turns 56 in about 11 days. Much of my life can be traced through visits to Walt's park.

Below is the dedication plaque as it sits today beneath the flagpole.

Farewell Golden Gate | Welcome to DCA

Finally. As was mentioned in a previous post, I'm a native San Franciscan, born and raised. There is only one Golden Gate Bridge. We don't want any stinkin' replicas. Starting tomorrow, the ridiculous looking GGB miniature that sat near the entrance of Disney California Adventure comes down (well actually, gets replaced since it does function as part of the monorail track). The real Golden Gate Bridge serves as probably the most recognizable SF icon, grand and magnificent looking. The thing that sat in DCA was an abomination. Good riddance.

On a related note, props to Disney for also giving a makeover to the replica they had of SF's Palace of Fine Arts. Rather than demolish it, it was creatively used in the architecture of the Little Mermaid fide building. Looks nice. You're Disney - be original - no copies of landmarks are needed (Carthay Circle Theater?). There is only one of these:

And on a final note, here is a YouTube video done by the great Disneyland videographer Asianjma123  on the new entrance to DCA. The new gates opened yesterday, the video was shot last night. While the new gates are hardly original (the same design is used at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida) it is a 100% improvement over what was there before.

D23 and the Almighty Comic-Con

While Disney prepares for next month's D23 Expo, 130,000 people will be descending on San Diego this week for the truly great Comic-Con. You see, Comic-Con is the convention and exposition that Disney's D23 Expo only wishes it could be. Comic-Con is such a fan experience that Disney sent people down there to see just how they do it. The Anaheim Convention & Visitors Bureau tried to steal it away fro San Diego. Film and TV studios fall over themselves trying to promote their latest efforts to the masses at Comic-Con. Nobody walks away from the Comic-Con experience without thinking "that was one great time".

In the meantime, I've heard very little build up to this year's D23 Expo as the concept of the D23 exclusive fan club seems to be running out of steam and quickly. It was just the wrong idea at the wrong time. Comic-Con promotes "experience", D23 comes off as another Disney money grab. D23 might have worked in the the late 90's or early 2000's when people really did have some disposable income. For most people, money is tight and the D23 concept of paying Disney an annual membership fee for the rights to pay them more money for "D23 exclusives" is tough to swallow. Just ask Netflix about what happens when people see an opportunistic money grab - "cancel my membership" was a popular phrase in Netflix accounting computers after they increased their subscriptions fees this past week. Will this be the last D23 Expo? If the sustainable numbers aren't there, then I would suspect it would be the last event for Anaheim. They may give it a try in WDW but the logistics just aren't as good back there because the "home office" just isn't up the road like it is in California. I tend to think D23 will morph itself into something else, something that opens up Disney to the masses outside who don't think about Disney and Mickey night and day. I keep hearing the word "Marvel" for some reason.

Virtual Disneyland Trip - Part 1 - Day Before

I woke up this morning and was thinking about what I wanted to write about first in this blog today. I've got all kinds of topics jotted down so stay tuned, this will be a busy place. Anyway, while I was thinking about what to write about, my brain drifted somewhere else as it has a tendency to do. The brain was saying "Crap, it's July, the weather isn't all that blasted hot, all the SoCal passholders have been vanquished from the park, wouldn't it be great to actually be going to Disneyland instead of just sitting around writing about it?". So then the blogger part of me says "That's it! (the blogger sounds a lot like Charlie Brown) why not write a day by day account of an imaginary trip to Disneyland". Sounds like a winner.

Well assumptions need to be made. Me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler live 434 miles away from Disneyland. We've flown. We've driven. The assumption is that we'll drive this trip. Flying is so much quicker but there is just something about driving that takes away some of the stress (until you hit the L.A. traffic). With driving, you are not limited. Pack a suitcase, if you run out of room, pack another one. Throw some stuff in Wal-Mart bags if you want. If you drive, you can bring a cooler full of water, soda, (beer), your own creamer for coffee, all kinds of items you can use during your trip and pack into that tiny hotel room refrigerator. You'll save some money too. Bring snacks, chips, cookies, things that will tide you over until you hit the Disneyland Park food machine that will suck cash out of your pocket faster than our vacuum sucks the cat hair off the carpet.

Yeah, this is the day to shop for food and beverage items, hit the ATM machine for the real cash you want to bring along, wash clothes, and pack them into a suitcase. We generally begin to pile items for our trip near the door that leads out to the garage. Come tomorrow morning, I'll just chuck them into the back of the Explorer.

Oh, I forgot to mention Mrs. DisneylandTraveler prefers to bring many or her clothes on hangers and instead of in a suitcase, they just lay flat in the back of the SUV (of course, we bring so much stuff, that the second row seats have to be folded down). She also needs to bring detergent and fabric softener because she'll do laundry at least once. Doesn't matter if it's a 4, 5, or 6 day trip, there will be a trip to the hotel laundry facility. Now the thought of wasting valuable park time to do laundry absolutely drives me nuts but I also know, after going through this ritual so many times, that there will be a time mid-week of this trip that we'll both want a break from the park back at the hotel so using this time for laundry isn't the worst thing. Forgot to mention in this imaginary virtual trip, we leave tomorrow (Sunday) and coming back next Saturday.

On the topic of electronics, we have laptops, digital cameras, video camera, cell phones, iPods, and they all come with assorted wires, cables, chargers, etc. Sometimes its hard to figure out what goes with what. On the last trip I got to where a put everything into labeled plastic freezer bags for each device to keep things straight, then everything goes into one backpack. Worked out great. We also take an extension cord and power strip because a hotel room just doesn't seem to have enough outlets. We also take a portable desk fan and a full size coffee maker. Yep, we go prepared (usually).

Another assumption we'll make on this trip is where we'll be staying at - a Disney property hotel or our favorite little hotel out on Harbor Blvd, the Candy Cane Inn. Every trip has to have some kind of budget so over the years Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and me have come to the conclusion that we'd much rather spend our budget money in the parks with nice dining options and money for shopping rather than a high priced room that we generally spend little time in. So for this trip we're opting for the Candy Cane Inn. We usually leave Disney hotels for special occasions or when we travel with groups and the expense can be shared a bit more.

Well, I need to start getting ready. It's almost time to leave even if it is only in my imagination.

Winnie the Pooh and You

I have to admit that after I heard last year that Disney's next fully animated film, after the great Princess and the Frog in 2009, was going to be a new Winnie the Pooh, I kind of thought - "Huh? What? Why? With such a rich library of characters, why go back to Pooh?". From the early reviews of the new Winnie the Pooh movie released today, we kind of know why. Disney had an idea and knew what to do with it.

So maybe the target audience of the movie is directed at the ages 3 through 6 crowd but if parents want to see their children with warm smiles and bright eyes, then this movie is for all of them. Beautifully drawn and musically scored, the movie sticks to its story without any unnecessary padding and comes in at a very short 65 minutes which may be the perfect running time for small children.

Yeah, the comedian in me would have loved to post to this blog a title that says "Pooh Stinks" but its just not true. Even without small kids, I'm tempted to go out and see the movie myself. Me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler have ridden the Winnie the Pooh dark ride at Disneyland just by ourselves plenty of times. I rather enjoy it as the ride unfortunately gets a bad wrap mostly because it sits by itself (other than Splash Mountain). Put that ride in Fantasyland and it would be a hit.

In a complicated, cynacal world maybe Winnie the Pooh and friends are characters we all need to reflect on a bit more. We would be better people for it.

I'm at work right now. First thing I'm going to do when I get home is search my iTunes library and track down Kenny Loggins great House at Pooh Corner and begin to remember what it was like to be 6 years old again.

J.Depp - A Disney Company Man

So in the first decade of the 21st century, actor extraordinaire Johnny Depp makes 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer that rake in about 2 billion dollars in ticket sales and launch the character of Captain Jack Sparrow. That's right - billion. In 2010, and in the interest of fairness, Depp starred in the Disney produced version of director Tim Burton's maniacal Alice in Wonderland, this time playing a very creepy Mad Hatter. And so the new Alice hauls in another, somewhat surprisingly, billion dollars in ticket sales and further pads Disney profits. Add 'em up and we're now up to 3 billion in ticket sales.

You can't keep a good profit machine down so in 2011, Depp returns in the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean and to date it too, not surprisingly, has brought in a billion dollars in world wide ticket sales. We're now up to 4 billion dollars (roughly the cost of what Disney spent to buy Marvel).

Oh we're not through, Depp returns in 2012 in the Disney / Bruckheimer big screen version of The Lone Ranger with Depp playing Tonto (he is on the small side to be a Lone Ranger). Will it make a billion dollars? Don't bet against it. This Captain Jack Sparrow gig is a pretty good one so the story goes that Depp is in negotiation with Disney to make a fifth installent of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. As Martha Stewart would say, a billion dollars, "it's a good thing".

The money train doesn't stop there. I read today where Johnny Depp's own film production company is in negotiations with Disney for two new movies - a movie based on the Revolutionary War historical figure Paul Revere and movie the brings to the big screen the 70's cult TV hit - The Night Stalker.

This is all good for Disney. It must be good for Depp because has opportunities up the wazoo to do film projects. From every account I have read, Johnny Depp is one friendliest, kindest, approachable "stars" you will ever meet. In a strange kind of way, the corporate Disney and the unconventional, offbeat Depp seem to be a match made in Walt's heaven.