My Top 3 Attractions in Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure Entrance

I am planning on continuing my series of posts about our Disneyland trips. But since tonight was the last session of our birthing class, I need to have another short post. So tonight I am going to write about my top three favorite attractions in Disney California Adventure, which I am going to shorten to DCA. (A quick note before I get started: I said attractions and not rides for a reason. My definition of a “ride” is an attraction that has a vehicle that moves. All other types are attractions.) So let’s start at the bottom and  work our way up, shall we?

 Number 3: Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D

Jim Henson Muppet Vision 3D

Located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in DCA, the idea behind this attraction is that you, the guest, are visiting the Muppet Labs, with the tour being provided by Kermit the Frog. He is there to introduce you to their version of 3D film, Muppet Vision. While in the lab of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, they introduce you to their creation, Waldo, the Spirit of 3D. After a brief demonstration of Waldo’s abilities, they attempt to shut him off. Of course, things go wrong. Meanwhile, Bean Bunny repeatedly attempts to help spice up Miss Piggy‘s musical number. His help is not welcomed. He decides to run away and is joined by Waldo. Everything wraps up in  what should have been a “glorious 3-hour finale” that gets reduced to a minute and half. The entire affair is heckled from the balcony by an animatronics Waldorf and Statler.

Earlier this year, they replaced the old version of the film with a new digital copy. I wish I could say that I immediately noticed the difference but then again, my eyes don’t process 3D very well. There is a bunch of trivia associated with Muppet Vision but two pieces are my favorite to share. During the finale scene, there are some dolls that appear singing, “It’s A Small World“. Those are actual Small World dolls. The other is that the (Spoiler Alert) computer-generated version of Mickey Mouse that Waldo transforms into is the first CGI Mickey ever presented.

For most attractions, the best part of is the attraction itself. But for this one, the pre-show is just as entertaining as (if not more so) the film itself. My absolute favorite part of the the pre-show has to be Sam the Eagle telling Gonzo, “Stop this foolishness this instant.” Gonzo’s reply: “What foolishness would you like to see?” That level of wit makes this, for me, the best of the the three 3-D films at the Disneyland Resort (and that includes the Captain EO Tribute.)

Number 2: California Screamin’

California Screamin'

 

The ride attempts to mimic the wooden roller-coasters that were popular at beachfront amusement parks of the past. However, the track itself is steel. California Screamin’ last year was refurbished to remove the Mickey Mouse logo that framed the inversion and was replaced with the current sunburst and Paradise Pier combo. Recently, the scream tubes, which were installed to meet Anaheim’s noise regulations, have been re-painted to a lighter shade of blue.

This ride alone is worth a trip to DCA. I have had so many good memories riding it. From planning our poses for the camera to riding it during the fireworks show, this attraction never disappoints. We even have fun just watching people be shocked by the take-off. However, one time in particular stands out. During Thanksgiving weekend in 2004, Curtis, Victor, Jennifer and I rode while it was raining. I’ll never forget how much we laughed, singing the Reliant K song, “Thundercats”, even while being pelted by stinging rain.

Number 1: Toy Story Midway Mania

Toy Story Midway Mania

This is without a doubt my favorite attraction in DCA and a top contender for best ride in either park. You know you are approaching it when you hear the voice of Mr. Potato Head wafting over the top of the background music. The huge animatronics version of Potato Head welcomes you to the ride. You get inside your cart, put on your 3-D glasses, and grab your spring-action shooter. You are whisked inside the show building, which “transforms” you to toy size. You play against your ride partner in six games based on popular midway games. After the games, the scores are tabulated and you, if you are me, complain about Jenn beating you again.

This ride is one of the newest attractions in DCA. Based on the popular Toy Story films, it takes the shooter mechanic from Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and adds 3D. It aiming mechanic takes some getting used but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredibly accurate (despite what Paul says). In honor of the newest Toy Story movie, Toy Story 3, they removed the game based on Little Bo Peep, and a new one based around Rex and Trixie.

This ride is, without question, the best at DCA. The line, although long at times, really moves quickly and the ride itself is amazing. Jenn and I tried this for the for first time on our New Year’s Eve ’09 trip and we rode it many more times during that trip. But be warned, you need to work on your upper body strength for this ride. The spring-action shooters give your biceps a workout! So make sure you are in shape (or be semi-ambidextrous like me.)

So there you have it: my top three favorite attractions in Disney California Adventure. If I only rode those three, I would consider my trip complete. Normally I don’t do this, but I have to ask you, gentle reader, what are your favorite three? Let me know in the comments. And if you haven’t, well, what are you waiting for. Get down there today!

Stinky Fat Kids

Normally Wednesdays are my comic book post day. However, due to the Labor Day holiday, new comics will not come in until tomorrow. So I am going to switch the posts around. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the new comics that I bought this week. Today, however, I am going write about Disneyland. In particular, our least favorite Disneyland trip.

It had been over a year since our honeymoon. For the first month that we were home, I would tell Jenn every night that I would want to move to Los Angeles. Honestly, girls, if your mom would have agreed to it, you would have been born in Anaheim. But that wasn’t meant to be. Instead, I focused on our new life together. 2003 was the perfect year for me to do so. I loved everything about that year. From one of the best summers I have ever had to my epic 25-hour 25th birthday party, everything was perfect. But all good things must come to end.

The fall of 2004, for reasons I don’t want to talk about right now, was a very hard time for Jenn and I. We needed something to lift our spirits. That something was our place. Disneyland. So in October, we decided that we would go to the resort over Thanksgiving break. But this time we would not go alone.

As I told you in my first Disneyland Post, (http://twintanilla.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/the-greatest-week-of-my-life/), Disneyland had been a place that I had been to many times as a child. The majority of those times were with my brother. He always made the trips interesting. Whether it was his refusal to move around the park without stroller (even though he was way past stroller age) or his seemingly constant mission to find new ways to cause my dad to lose his temper in the Happiest Place on Earth, a trip to Disneyland with Victor was always interesting.

When I returned to the resort on our honeymoon, as I said before, it was the best week of my life. But it felt odd to be there without Victor. So many of my Disneyland memories at that point had included him. It was such a strong feeling that I ended up calling him a couple days into the trip. I wanted to tell him about all the stuff that changed since we were kids. But telling him wasn’t enough. I wanted to show him. So Jenn and I decided to invite him to join us.

One thing I have learned over the years is that heading to a theme park with an odd number of people is not nearly as much fun as even. At the very least, someone will always have to ride alone. Knowing this, we knew we needed another person to bring along with us. At the time the choice was easy. I had been mentoring a student in the youth group named Curtis. At the time, people said he was like our surrogate son. Jenn and I asked him if he wanted to go. He jumped at the chance.

With the group in place, we prepared to take off. The plan was to leave after Jenn and I got off work on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Curtis and Victor would meet us in the parking lot of our work. (At the time, your mom and I worked at the same place.) That day, as most days when we are waiting to leave on a trip, dragged on forever. The time finally came for us all to load up and take off. We took off, eager to get to Disneyland as fast as possible. We were finally moving…until we hit Sacramento.

You see, the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Apparently, that is a well-known fact. It wasn’t so well-known to the four of us. Jenn’s road rage kicked in when it took us an hour and a half to leave Sacramento. And it did not get much better the rest of the way down Interstate 5. We tried to make the best of it. Jenn and I played the game I told you about last week. The highlight was finding a mini-van with a television in the back. As we followed behind it, I noticed that the kids in the back seat were playing a video game. Lo and behold, they were playing Mario Kart: Double Dash! This was at the peak of our obsession with the game. We were so jazzed to see it, Jenn ended up following them for quite a few miles.

Finally, we pulled into the parking lot of the same hotel Jenn and I stayed in during our honeymoon. It was after 1 in the morning and the four of us were exhausted. As we walked into the lobby to check in, all any of us could think of was collapsing into bed so we could get an early start the next day. Jenn gave the check-in person our name and as soon as she verified who we were, she then asked us for us our credit card to pay for the room. Jenn looked at her, confused. “We already paid for the room last month”, she said.

What we didn’t realize was that reserving a hotel room with a credit card did not mean that the room was paid for . It only meant that the room was reserved. Which wouldn’t be a big deal…except that we did not realize that and did not have enough money on the card to pay for the room. (Our credit limit was very small back then.) Slowly the realization hit us. We didn’t have a place to stay for the night. Jenn furiously slammed her fist on the counter and yelled, “What’!” At that exact moment, the power went out.

It turns out the hotel suffered a power outage. That turned out to be a blessing, because the hotel management allowed us to stay in the room one night so we could figure out what we were going to do. They, obviously, had bigger fish to fry. We went upstairs to our room and began to make some phone calls. The final plan ended up being that, in the morning, Jenn’s mom would use Curtis’ mom’s fax machine to send us a copy of her credit card so we could pay for the room. We would pay her back when we returned. With the plan settled in my mind, I drifted off to sleep. Jenn, however, did not feel at peace until we paid for the room that morning.

The next day turned out to be a lot of fun. DCA, or Disney’s California Adventure as it was known then, did not have the quantity or quality of attractions that is does today. Coupled with the fact that it was Thanksgiving day, it meant that there was no one in the park. It ended culminating up with Victor and Curtis riding California Screamin’ seven times in a row.It was a much needed respite from the stress of the day before.

 As fun as our first day at the Resort was, the second was not. As it turned out, while Thanksgiving was a day with one of the lowest attendance counts, the day after has one of the highest. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve 2008 that I have seen that many people in Disneyland. It was wall-to-wall people. It was only the System (my way of maneuvering the park) that kept us moving from ride to ride. Of course, once we hit the black hole of Disneyland, Fantasyland, the day began to drag. To top it off, it began to rain.

That was the final middle finger given to us on that trip. The final day was relatively uneventful, other than for Victor. Prior to the trip, he had promised Brandi that he would spend Thanksgiving with her family. Obviously he broke that promise. He attempted to call as we waited in line for Peter Pan. She, however, was in no mood to listen. To this day, she still holds that trip over his head. The coup de grace for Victor was that, after spending the day in a Disneyland rain storm, he ended up getting sick. (This would begin a running theme of Victor being sick on our Disneyland trips.) He couldn’t even get any rest because Curtis woke him up early that morning by telling him, “Stinky fat kids were stealing all of our rides.”

As you can see, Murphy’s law was in full effect. But I have to say, no matter how bad the trip went, I didn’t lose my love for my home. As I see it, the worst day in Disneyland is better than not having gone at all. The magic was not lost. In fact, looking back, that trip may have done as much to seal it as the perfect one from the year before. From that point forward, I knew that nothing could change my love of the ’Land. There was only one other time that it even came close. But that is a story for another time.

Life is a Highway

Tonight, Jenn and I headed to our first night of birthing classes. It was…interesting. I am thinking about going more in-depth  about the class later this week. However,  the class took a lot longer than I was anticipating. As such, I now have a very short time to make my post for today. So I am going to be  taking a something I wrote for a Disneyland Trip Newsletter I made in preparation for the New Year’s 2o1o trip and adding to it for tonight’s post. In later posts, I’ll be talking about some of the things I have enjoyed during our past trips. Today, I am going to write about a part that doesn’t get much thought. The ride down.

I have been asked multiple times why I don’t save time and fly to Los Angeles. One of the major reasons I do not drive is because simply, I enjoy the drive. I don’t find it boring or even particularly long. Plus I have many memories from different aspects of the trip.

One that stands out to me is a memory from our April 2008 trip with Victor and Brandi. We were pretty stoked because this was going to be the first time it was going to be just the four of us on vacation. There was some additional excitement in the air as we had decided on a whim to leave a day early. So we piled into our Jeep and were on our way down Interstate 5. Unfortunately, we didn’t know that there was nighttime construction. So, even though we made good time down most of I5, after we left Harris Ranch, there was an hour-long delay as we crawled through what felt like 10 miles of road. Initially we were all still pretty jazzed, but as the minutes stretched on, Jennifer ended up succumbing to the frustration. Victor, on the other hand, succumbed to sleep. So it made for a funny moment once we were past the construction, as Victor woke up and said, “That wasn’t that bad.” Needless to say, Jenn lost it.

Even though I have some more intricate memories, I also have some simple ones. Jenn and I have developed a little mini-game that we like to play. Every time we pass one of the mileage signs on the side of the road, we figure out how long it will be until we reach the resort. (Yes, Jenn and I know we are such nerds that we make up math games to entertain us.) The game is fun, though, because it becomes a countdown for when we will reach Disneyland. As each mile ticks away, we get more and more eager to “get home”.

However that is not the only game we play. Back in April 2009, Curtis, Brandon, Jennifer, and I each picked a few songs and we tried to guess who picked what song. It not only helped pass the time but it was interesting to see the different musical styles each of us enjoyed…even though we all agreed we didn’t like Curtis’s style.

We played the game again for the New Year’s 2010 trip. I asked Brandon, Victor, Brandi, Paul and Jessica to each give me 10 songs to build our trip playlist. After gathering the songs from each person, I realized that we needed to add more songs so we wouldn’t run out before we reached the Grapevine. Luckily, Jenn and I had built a library of trip songs from the multiple trips we have made. A good portion of songs we have were picked based on the ones we enjoyed playing on Rock Band. So I made the CDs (16 in all), not realizing that there was a disporportionate amount of Rock Band songs. As the seven of us played the game and tried to guess the person who picked the song, the cry of “Not Rock Band again!” quickly became a catchphrase of the trip. (It was so ingrained in us that when one of the songs played as part of the background loop for Sunshine Plaza in Disney California Adventure, we all yelled it.)

So why do I like to drive rather than fly? Yes I could save time but for me the trip is not about saving time. It’s about using each moment to make a new memory. And if the drive gives me more time to make memories, then I would take it over a flight every time.