Tales of the Mouse, Part 2

[annathepiper]

This being part 2 of our Disneyland trip: what happened on Friday the 10th! Main highlight: California Adventure!

Several of y’all out there very strongly advocating going over into California Adventure, and I assure you that that was absolutely on our agenda. We made that the overall point of Friday the 10th.

First up was Muppets 3D, which was pretty much mandatory because, well, Muppets. How could we not? So we popped in there and were mightily entertained by the room with all of the “pre-show” activity going on, which involved a lot of cutely labeled props as well as various video screens with amusing Muppet footage playing on it. Mostly stuff involving Scooter testing each screen and trotting around between them, but some chortle-worthy stuff involving the penguins going into the theater to rehearse for the orchestra. Hee.

But really, the main event was of course going into HOLY CRAP MUPPET THEATER. They did an excellent job building the place, and it was very, very much like walking into the set of the Muppet Show, complete with a balcony on the side for animatronic Statler and Waldorf. The penguins down front in the orchestra pit, also a Win. My 3D glasses were a little wonky but otherwise the whole show worked well, and there was a lot of humor involving a 3D creation of Muppet Labs escaping into the theater at large.

There were giggles on the way out as well, with the Muppet-themed movie posters they had hanging up for us to look at. Lawrence of Amphibia. Har!

After that we went over to Soarin’ Over California, which was also awesome. In no small part because of the intro video that shows while you’re in line being done by Patrick Warburton, who pretty much makes everything Funny; the man could be reading bus routes and be hilarious. The ride itself though was a lot of fun, and I was relieved and pleased that it did not actually make me motion sick. The various scents they queued up to add realism were a nice touch, although I spotted a flaw on the screen that kind of pulled me out of the experience a little. So did the fact that the scenes they showed you had no real transition between them; it was just “oh hey Golden Gate Bridge!” and then *pop!* “oh hey orange fields!” and then *pop!* “oh hey mountains!” It would have been a little neater if they’d done a smooth flow between the various locations.

Once that was done we popped back over into the main Disneyland park to get to the Blue Bayou for our lunch reservations. We were pleased that the service there was still splendid, and although they changed the breading on the Monte Cristo sandwich, it was still very, very tasty. solarbird and I split one between us, with each of us having our own side dishes, which was about the exact right amount of lunch. We figured that if we’d tried to eat a whole sandwich each, it very likely would have killed us!

Back then over into California Adventure, and the California Screamin’ rollercoaster. OMG big, big fun. One of the very few things I miss about the Midwest is the Kings Island amusement park, which is chock fulla rollercoasters. We don’t have anything remotely comparable in Washington state, since the climate here is generally not good for rollercoasters and big rides. So it was absolutely fantastic to get on a rollercoaster, and this one was a good one. Very good countdown to a hard punch of a launch, and the drops and the loop-de-loop were suitably scream-inducing. I squealed like a kid the whole time and bounced around repeatedly afterwards chirping “ROLLERCOASTER!”

Mulholland Madness was also more or less rollercoastery but not nearly as awesome. It got pretty much trumped by our going over to the Tower of Terror, which is set up with the theme of a Twilight Zone episode about a hotel that gets struck by lightning and OHNOEZ! You’re in the elevator and OHNOEZ! SUDDEN DROP! spazzkat is not a fan of the OHNOEZ! Sudden Drop! style of ride, but Dara and I had great fun with this and more squealing like a little kid was done. I apparently had my eyes closed tight when they took us up to snap our pictures at the top of the Tower, just before dropping us hard. Har.

After that we did the Screamin’ rollercoaster a second time, since it was Just That Awesome, and a Monsters Inc. ride with the schtick of you going through Monstropolis while the CDA is on the hunt for Sulley and Boo. Speaking of Sulley, we did spot somebody in a Sulley costume with folks lined up for pictures and autographs, and that was kind of neat; later, while we were at the Tower of Terror, we saw the same costumed person slumping off into a “Cast Members Only” area. Whoever they were, they looked tired!

But it’s worth also noting that the whole afternoon had a Pixar-y feel to it. We were lucky enough to catch the Pixar parade that they do in California Adventure, and that was great fun. They had floats for just about all of the Pixar movies, except WALL-E and Up, and many of the appropriate characters were represented very well. There was lots of amusement with people squirting sprays of water onto the crowd–though Dara kept making faces every time they nailed her.

Back again over to the Disneyland park for another crack at both Pirates and Haunted Mansion, and then Thunder Mountain for more rollercoastery goodness. We found out though that the BBQ place we wanted to eat at only did reservations after a certain time in the evening, so we made reservations for Saturday night instead and wound up eating elsewhere.

I learned much to my annoyance though that my hiking boots were up to tromping around Disneyland only up to a point. My feet started getting very sore after a while and I had to bail while Dara and Paul stayed to watch the Electric Light parade, because I just desperately had to get my shoes off.

Still though, an overall day of California Adventure and Pixar-y Win! Part 3 and Saturday and Sunday tomorrow.

Mirrored from annathepiper.org.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

the man could be reading bus routes and be hilarious.
*that* line in itself is funny! :)

I like rollercoasters as long as you can strap in well. I do NOT like the sort that deliberately rattle you around in the seat...

[annathepiper]

Yeah, some of the other rollercoaster-flavored attractions do a lot of flinging you around, and that's a bit hard on me. But California Screamin' was great with that, too. Nice over-the-head harness to keep you secure.

And hee, now take "the man could be reading bus routes and be hilarious" and imagine it in Warburton's voice. ;)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

*googles* *discovers YouTube of the M&M's commercial* Impressive.

Although I still like James Earl Jones (rumble!) and Patrick Stewart better for The Voice... the M&M's thingy was a really good riff on Clint. Maybe better than Clint. :)

(Somebody else that was good maybe not so much for vocal quality as for *delivery* was William F. Buckley. He had a sense of... timing.. and especially when there was video, his face was so expressive. Eyebrows to rival Mr. Spock. :)

[annathepiper]

You're missing the point of Warburton, which is to say, just about all of the roles he's played have been hysterical. It's not just the quality of his voice, it's the quality of his Funny. But that's okay, if you haven't seen him you haven't seen him. If you get a chance though you should check him out in the sadly short-lived live-action Tick. He was perfect for the role.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

*thinks about the voice and the face for a second and a half*

Yes, yes he would be. *SPOON!*

[denelian.livejournal.com]

there are real honest-to-gods rollercoasters at DL now? where were they when *I* was going to DL? (16 years ago was my last time...)

and, just a note - if you get a chance, try Cedar Point instead of King's Island - it's even *better*!

[annathepiper]

Yep, the California Adventure section they set up across the way from Disneyland proper is a more traditional-style amusement park. Screamin' is its star rollercoaster, and there's a big ol' Ferris Wheel that we didn't get on, as well as the Mulholland ride and the Tower of Terror.

I dunno, Kings Island had an awfully high bar of Awesome, though I grant I haven't set foot in the place in nearly twenty years! But I have fond memories of it. ;) Where is Cedar Point?

[denelian.livejournal.com]

well, if you consider king's island to be in Cincinati, then Cedar Point is sort of near Cleaveland. they are the two Ohio parks - and yeah, weird that ohio has two when indiana has none lol


i now actually WANT to go to DL again...!

[annathepiper]

When did Cedar Point get built? I don't think I ever heard of it when I was a kid.

[denelian.livejournal.com]

um... i am not sure, but i think it was in the 60s? i know that lots of people who are around my age (32) went there as little kids - so the latest it could have been built is the later half of the 70s...

it's actually in Sandusky, Ohio, and does a TON of advertising in mulitple states and likes to brag about how it always has the "highest rated rollercoasters in the US"... *shrug* they are better than the Kings Island rides :)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Disney *World* has had'em for years... Space Mountain, an Indiana-Jones-themed mine train ride, and one other whose flavor escapes me.... this was.... 1988? Heck, they had Space Mountain in ... oh, jeez. 1974? What was fun about the '74 incarnation was they turned the lights all the way off. When I went back in '88 you could just sorta dimly see the track maybe... but that wasn't as much fun for me. Being firmly strapped in, the sensory dep actually added to the experience.

[annathepiper]

With the exception of Space Mountain, though, I wouldn't call any of those rides rollercoasters. Rollercoaster-like, sure, but not proper rollercoasters.

And to be fair, Disneyland also has had Space Mountain for years, not to mention the mighty awesomeness that is Jones. But California Screamin' is an actual proper, traditional rollercoaster. :)

[denelian.livejournal.com]

yes! not real rollarcoasters! space mountain and the mantahorn were the closest DL came... so... jealous...! do they have the same rides in DW? DW is much closer to me than DL. and if i go to DL i'll have to take my mom which equals negative fun (because she, specifically. she won't ride anything good, she tries to keep *me* from riding anything good, all she wants to do is SHOP, if she had her way thats all that would happen in the park - she would take every opportunity to tell me that i look like a slut, not because of my clothes, but because i have large breasts and haven't had a breast reduction; she would take every opportunity to introduce my boyfriend has her *future son-in-law* see how not-prejudiced she is by *letting* her eldest daughter who us 32 date, live with, and some day marry a black a man? so - Disney WORLD doesn't have my mother, you see... :D )

[annathepiper]

Many rides are shared in common between Disneyland and Disney World, yes, although specific details may vary between the two. spazzkat, the Disney geek of our household, can give us chapter and verse on oh say, the differences between the two versions of the Haunted Mansion. :)

If you're closer to Disney World then I'd say go to Disney World. It ain't like you'll get less fun for your money!

[denelian.livejournal.com]

one of these days, i shall - because i want to go to Epcott center...

i just went to DL every year with the music department and Marched Through Disneyland. every year. and 3 of those years, then had to do a quick change to *dance* w/ Starship (my highschools singing/dancing group). so DL is happy memories of the parts of Junior High and High school that didn't suck lol

[wrog]

[info]spazzkat, the Disney geek of our household, can give us chapter and verse on oh say, the differences between the two versions of the Haunted Mansion. :)

the one the weirded me out was going to Six Flags in California (Valencia, just north of LA) and then about a month later going to Six Flags in New Jersey (just outside of Trenton),

and they both had the exact same Batman ride -- same dingy-Gotham-subway layout and props along the line to get on...
... except that in California the place was always in bright sunlight, desert air, and the rides were all well maintained,
... whereas in NJ we had clouds, humidity, and the park itself had clearly fallen on hard times (actual rusted beams, peeling paint, and other evidence of deferred maintainance (which was rather depressing given that I'd been to that park when it first opened back in 1982 or so).

Suffice it to say the NJ version of the Batman ride was authentic perhaps beyond the intent of the designers.

[annathepiper]

Har! I can see that!

I think I went to Six Flags Over Georgia once when I was a kid, but I have no memory whatsoever of the place. I've never been to one as an adult.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

One of the very few things I miss about the Midwest is the Kings Island amusement park, which is chock fulla rollercoasters.

OMG OMG!! I was just telling someone this week about how much I miss Kings Island. (I'm from Indianapolis originally.) Our parents took us there every year from about age 7 on, and when I turned 16 and could drive we drove out there several times a summer. The Beast never failed to be a blast. And of course there was also Six Flags in Gurnee, St. Louis or Louisville, and then Cedar Point in northern Ohio. ::happy roller-coaster sigh::

And the Muppet Theater sounds a lot like the show in MGM Studios in Orlando. That and the AT-AT/Star Wars ride were the highlight of my trip to Disney World.

[annathepiper]

Kings Island and the Beast are one of the bright spots of my childhood, yeah. :) I always used to snicker about how they had a kid's version, too: the Beastie!

[kieri.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Ooh!

Okay, so Cedar Point is kind of like the _crazy omg capital of RollerCoasterDom_. Apparently. My husband is from Ohio and actively sulks any time anyone mentions going to Cedar Point without him.

I also loved California Screamin' and rode it like 4 times while I was there - we ended up basically sending someone over to get fast passes, then puttering around D-land until it was time to use them, ran over, rode the coaster, got more fast passes, killed some more time, repeat. :P

With Regard To Patrick Warburton:

If you have never seen "The Venture Brothers", I am pretty sure it is right up your proverbial alley. Warburton does the voice of Brock Sampson, uberbodyguard extraordinaire. I -highly- recommend netflixing or renting the first season, and stick with it, it's pretty much the most awesome 30 minutes of satirical cartoon made in the last decade. :P

[annathepiper]

Oh yes, we are very much fans of the Venture Brothers in our house. <3 And ahh, thanks for the data on Cedar Point!

We got valuable data about how to best take advantage of the FastPasses and used that to great advantage on Day 3. I'll post more about that tonight!

[wrog]

the theme of a Twilight Zone episode about a hotel that gets struck by lightning

I'll have to admit that was really smooth editing job on all of those Rod Serling clips.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, they did a great job with that. :) As well as with the library room that led into the actual ride-y part of the ride. Dara quite liked that they had a Mah Jongg tile set on the desk.