Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 It's awfully doggone close: What the Fort? That is very doggone close! I never noticed it before. What a bunch of cheapskates. Did they just copy to dinosaurs from the World's Fair? But, then again, I probably have ridden Ellen's Energy Adventure maybe 6 times in my life, so no big deal to me. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 You are making me want to ditch my family and go to CaliLand without them. Maybe if they read this TR they will change their mind about the West Coast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 You are making me want to ditch my family and go to CaliLand without them. Maybe if they read this TR they will change their mind about the West Coast. Don't ditch the family. They need to come with you. But, wait until I'm done with this report before you decide. Even though Disneyland has a lot to like, when you put it all together, it's not as good as WDW. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Moving right along, we left off with me returning from Frontierland with some Big Thunder FP's to meet the twins at our agreed meeting place. There were a couple of people running though Frontierland, but I never did find out why: The Frontierland entrance from the hub area is pretty cool. It's like you are really entering a Fort. We don't have that at WDW (even at Fort Wilderness we are missing an actual Fort) : There's another cannon over there. They have all the nice stuff here: Here I am at the prearranged meeting place. We agreed to meet here at the Royal Theater to see a show that was recommended to the twins. This is technically part of Fantasyland, but the Disneyland Fantasyland kind of wraps around the castle. This area is approximately where the bridge to Liberty Square is in the Magic Kingdom at WDW, and it has a separate name: Fantasy Faire. In addition to the theater, they have a Rapunzel tower and a Princess Meet and Greet hall: Hey-there go a couple of Frontierland CM's cutting through Fantasyland on their way to work. Having Castmembers in costume walking through the wrong lands used to drive Walt crazy, and led to the utilidors being part of the plan for the MK: Even though Disneyland is a lot more crowded than the MK, there are sill open areas that are just pretty to look at. Like this waterway between the Fantasy Faire area and the Frontierland entry area: I got here before the twins, so I took a look around. There was a snack stand here selling something called Boyson Apple Freeze. Sounds suspiciously like LeFrou's Brew to me: The specialty of this stand was "twisted" treats. They looked pretty good to me: As I waited, a group of grown men in denim jackets showed up together. Their jackets said "Sons of Anakin" on the back: This is a phenomenon that I haven't mentioned yet. There are a bunch of "social clubs" at Disneyland. These are groups of people who form a club (or gang) and meet up and visit the parks together. I have never heard of such a thing at WDW. But, there are lots of such groups at Disneyland. These Sons of Anakin guys were one of the Disneyland gangs. The twins showed up, and we were admitted into the theater, which is covered, and offers bench seating in a semi-circle around a small stage. There is an open area in front of the stage where children are invited to come and sit. There were a couple of interesting girls in the row ahead of us wearing Olaf and Elsa hats: The Sons of Anakin also were seated in front of us. And, yes, that guy has a little Darth Vader doll on his shoulder: The shows they put on here in the Royal Theater are described as follows in the times guide: "Enter the Royal Theater, where your favorite Disney Princesses present their own stories with the help of Renaissance Vaudevillians, Mr. Smythe and Mr. Jones." Sounds horrible to me, but it ended up being a great show. The talent level of the actors here was through the roof. Here, one of the gentlemen is playing the role of Gaston, which necessitated him standing on some blocks of wood: Here's a look at the kids seated on the ground in front of the stage, and the performers distributing confetti during one of the scenes: This Fantasy Faire area is a new addition to Disneyland. It just opened in 2013. Here's a blog post that will tell you everything you care to know about it and what else there: http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/03/inside-fantasy-faire-as-disneyland-unfurls-new-princess-meet-and-greets-and-storytelling-surrounded-by-delightful-detail/ After the show, we had a short bit of time before our Big Thunder FP's would be good. The girls wanted to get a better look at a Snow White fountain we caught a glimpse of on a prior day, so we headed out to look at that. Our path took us past the castle, and I had to take another photo. Maybe this one would make it look bigger? Nope: This is the fountain we came to see. It's pretty nice: Right next to the fountain was the Evil Queen. There was just one group talking to her, so the girls waited and had a chat with her too. There's a photo of that meeting on one of the girls' phones, but I don't have it. The Evil Queen was great. She really, really disliked Snow White, and had the girls in stitches venting about her. After that, we looked up the pathway and saw Flynn Rider just hanging out all by himself. No Rapunzel. No Character Handler. Just Flynn. The girls wanted to meet him, so we did. Same deal with the Flynn photos, but I do have this blurry one: Then it was near time to head to Big Thunder, so we cut back through Fantasy Faire. They have a small Rapunzel tower here: And a Figaro the cat figure: There's an archway you walk through, and then there's a pathway that leads to a Mexican restaurant that is part of Frontierland: This is a quick serve place with a heavy Mexican theme: The menu is very hard core Mexican, but some of the dishes on there sound great: The seating area looks nice, and they use real plates and silverware here too: This is the walkway that we had just walked through to get from Fantasy Faire to here: The girls wanted to make a pit stop in the restroom here. I decided I could use this time to go and pop in over at the Golden Horseshoe. The times guide said there was a show called the "Laughing Stock Co." going on there, and I wanted to see a bit of it. So I told them to meet me there, and headed that way. On the way to the Golden Horseshoe, I saw something odd at the Mark Twain's dock: That is not the Mark Twain approaching the dock: That is the Columbia! And guests were aboard. There was going to need to be a change in our plans. But, I told the girls to meet me at the Golden Horseshoe, so I headed in there: The place was packed. They have a quick serve restaurant in here, and a continuous show going up on stage: I had arrived just as they were picking men out of the audience to come up on stage for a Dating Game type show. The men were blindfolded soon after this: Then, their potential date was brought out. Of course, it was a man in a dress. With a wig and 5 o'clock shadow. Always funny. The twins showed up right at this point, and as much as I wanted to stay and watch, they told me that they had seen the Columbia too, and it looked like they were getting ready to board guests. This sign on the dock tells a bit about the ship that this one was modeled after: Next up, we take another lap around Tom Sawyer Island. And we get another surprise. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Don't stop!!!! Ahhhhh the suspense is killing me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Don't stop!!!! Ahhhhh the suspense is killing me.Meeeeeee toooooooooo!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Golden Horseshoe. Do remember when the Diamond Horseshoe used to be a QS and they had a great little show there? Oh, wait. That's probably before your time ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Don't stop!!!! Ahhhhh the suspense is killing me. Meeeeeee toooooooooo!!!!!!! Sorry- but I was at the photo limit. The surprise may not be as big a deal to you as it was to us. You'll see it in the next update. Golden Horseshoe. Do remember when the Diamond Horseshoe used to be a QS and they had a great little show there? Oh, wait. That's probably before your time ... Sadly, I don't remember there being a show in the Diamond Horseshoe, but I have been in there a few times, and they still use it as a quick serve location during busy times. We had a discussion about it on this board a few years ago. It starts with this post in a 2012 trip report: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/5940-error-message-tcds-spring-break-2012-trip-report/?p=145112 If you read the next few posts after that, some Fiends came up with old photos and stories about the Diamond Horseshoe. Why does Disneyland keep theirs up and running with a show, and ours is just a place they open to serve sandwiches when it's busy? TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Sadly, I don't remember there being a show in the Diamond Horseshoe, but I have been in there a few times, and they still use it as a quick serve location during busy times. We had a discussion about it on this board a few years ago. It starts with this post in a 2012 trip report: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/5940-error-message-tcds-spring-break-2012-trip-report/?p=145112 Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRVEexmsvA0 Tri-Circle-D 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I remember the show. A lady took her mirror and bounced a light of my dad's shiny high forehead. I thought it was hilarious. My dad pretended he thought it was funny, but he sure fixed his comb over after that. wendinator 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotmamac aka Misty 11 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 I remember the Diamond Horseshoe Review. I was there in 1993. I think I posted pics on that other thread of TCD's. It was a fun little place. Sort of like Hoop De Doo Lite. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hotmamac aka Misty 11 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRVEexmsvA0That was so fun to watch! And exactly how I remember it. Thanks for finding that!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I remember as a kid my mom and dad make us go to "that" show. Funny how our tastes change as we get older. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I got way, way, way behind reading this. Shame on me. Let's see what I can remember... That SMB about the WOC. The concierge lounge looks cool. I bet they get tons of celebrities in the California one. Crazy about the similarities in the dino scenes. Good work, Troll. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Oh goodness... I haven't had a chance to catch up, but so glad that I did tonight! Having grown up going to DisneyLAND it is SO great seeing your pictures. So much of it is so familiar and brings back so many wonderful memories. The pictures of the Grand Canyon Diorama just about brought tears to my eyes. I can remember seeing this thing over and over again as I child my daughter's age and with people who are now in heaven. And the Golden Horseshoe, I remember one time in particular (a funny family story) with my little brother who was four at the time...and is now a grown man of 36 years old. Your trip report has been great for my heart, thank you :) The concierge Lounge... hmmm, free coffee and pastries. I really need to get in there Love the statue of Walt and Mickey. I wish we still lived in those innocent times. There were a couple of people running though Frontierland, but I never did find out why: Laughed out loud when I saw this picture and read your entry.... sometimes you are just too funny! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 When you said that there were folks running through Adventureland and also many "gangs" with matching shirts or jackets, I was wondering if it might be this http://www.mouseplanet.com/mouseadventure/ but it doesn't appear that there was an event that weekend. But the frequency of those events may explain the matching clothing. Those folks are hard core!! I participated in a "sampler" event they held at WDW and those quests are HARD!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Great update- looking forward to the Columbia. Aka the Killer Ship! The photo of the diorama of the Grand Canyon brings back great memories for me. When I was between second and third grade, my father decided to take the summer off and travel the country with the family. Took us out of school in May and we spent months driving around the whole country including doing a hike in the Grand Canyon from the south rim. Then we traveled on to SoCal to visit my uncle who took the family to Disneyland. Saw that same diorama and thought it was so cool and realistic. Good times. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 In a way, FF is a social club. Now we need jackets! LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRVEexmsvA0 That's an awesome video. Thanks for sharing it. The performers in that show are very good. So why don't we have a show like that still in the MK? It has to come down to money. Disney figured out they don't need to pay all of those talented folks to perform in order to get guests to come in and spend money on food. Pecos Bill's just down the street is always packed, and there's no entertainment provided there. More profit for Disney. It's cheaper for them to pack guests in at the other quick serve locations and leave this one dark for most of the year. I remember the show. A lady took her mirror and bounced a light of my dad's shiny high forehead. I thought it was hilarious. My dad pretended he thought it was funny, but he sure fixed his comb over after that. Great story. Your poor dad. It's hard to rock a comb-over. I remember the Diamond Horseshoe Review. I was there in 1993. I think I posted pics on that other thread of TCD's. It was a fun little place. Sort of like Hoop De Doo Lite. Yes- you did share your photos in that old TR. It sure did look like a fun little place. And it still is a fun little place at Disneyland. That was so fun to watch! And exactly how I remember it. Thanks for finding that!! Agreed. If anyone hasn't watched that video- you ought to. I liked the part where they picked up the fake mugs of beer. No effort was made to hide the fact that they were fake. I still think it's funny that they sang a song glorifying bellying up to a bar in a place that prohibits alcohol. I remember as a kid my mom and dad make us go to "that" show.Funny how our tastes change as we get older. Very true. I got way, way, way behind reading this. Shame on me. Let's see what I can remember... That SMB about the WOC. The concierge lounge looks cool. I bet they get tons of celebrities in the California one. Crazy about the similarities in the dino scenes. Good work, Troll. Glad that you're caught up. Let's see if you can keep up now. Oh goodness... I haven't had a chance to catch up, but so glad that I did tonight! Having grown up going to DisneyLAND it is SO great seeing your pictures. So much of it is so familiar and brings back so many wonderful memories. The pictures of the Grand Canyon Diorama just about brought tears to my eyes. I can remember seeing this thing over and over again as I child my daughter's age and with people who are now in heaven. And the Golden Horseshoe, I remember one time in particular (a funny family story) with my little brother who was four at the time...and is now a grown man of 36 years old. Your trip report has been great for my heart, thank you :) The concierge Lounge... hmmm, free coffee and pastries. I really need to get in there Love the statue of Walt and Mickey. I wish we still lived in those innocent times. That's neat that you have childhood memories from Disneyland. Don't book a concierge room for the "free" coffee and pastries. If you do the math, you're paying for the "free' stuff big time. When you said that there were folks running through Adventureland and also many "gangs" with matching shirts or jackets, I was wondering if it might be this http://www.mouseplanet.com/mouseadventure/ but it doesn't appear that there was an event that weekend. But the frequency of those events may explain the matching clothing. Those folks are hard core!! I participated in a "sampler" event they held at WDW and those quests are HARD!!! Hard Core is right. I don't think I would enjoy rushing through the parks for one of these events. At all. Great update- looking forward to the Columbia. Aka the Killer Ship! The photo of the diorama of the Grand Canyon brings back great memories for me. When I was between second and third grade, my father decided to take the summer off and travel the country with the family. Took us out of school in May and we spent months driving around the whole country including doing a hike in the Grand Canyon from the south rim. Then we traveled on to SoCal to visit my uncle who took the family to Disneyland. Saw that same diorama and thought it was so cool and realistic. Good times. I had never heard of the deaths attributed to the Columbia. If what I have since heard is true, that's tragic. That's a cool story- seeing the Grand Canyon diorama after seeing the real thing. In a way, FF is a social club. Now we need jackets! LOL I'll pass on wearing a denim jacket around the parks. They have some weird folks out there in SoCal. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I'll pass on wearing a denim jacket around the parks. They have some weird folks out there in SoCal. TCD Embroidered jorts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Embroidered jorts? Now you are speaking my language. Go Gata. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 We left off with us about to board the Columbia. There she is!: There is a lot that I didn't know about Disneyland, but I did know that they had this big ship, which guests could ride on. I remember seeing it in an old video showing the opening day of Disneyland, and for some reason, it always struck me as something really cool. I didn't know that it was used in the Fantasmic show or that guests were still allowed to ride it. Our park map said it only operated seasonally, which, in WDW, is code for something that doesn't operate very often or at all. We were able to board with the group that was there waiting, and here we are aboard: A CM begins the narration, but it is soon taken over by a taped presentation: I appreciated that the twins were up for a ride on the Columbia. It probably wasn't on either one of their to do lists: I didn't know that there were historical displays below deck, but there are. So, naturally, we had to go and see that. If you go, make sure to mind thy head: I love historical stuff like this. I love to imagine what life must have been like for the men who sailed around the world on the real Columbia. This is the kitchen: And the Captain's quarters: We spent a few minutes looking at the stuff they had on display below deck. The girls got tired of looking at it before I did, and headed up. I was still down there when I head one of them hollering for me to get up top pronto. There was something they wanted me to see! This: WHAT? They still use those canoes after all! I didn't know that either. That was the surprise I alluded to in the last update. They were taking guests out on the canoes, and there didn't appear to be any wait: I told the girls that we had to go. They were good sports about that too. I could hardly wait to finish our ride on the Columbia and get over there! But, first we had to finish our travels around Tom Sawyer's Island. This a big quick serve restaurant in Critter Country. I believe it's called the Hungry Bear. It looks popular: That's all I can tell you about the Hungry Bear. We never made it any closer to it than this. I have since learned that they are famous for a fried greet tomato sandwich, which I would have been game to try if I had known. Just as we sailed past the Hungry Bear, our captain announced that we should prepare ourselves for the firing of the cannon off the forward bow. Cannon? Firing? What? Guests were moving away as I tried to get as close as I could. And, sure enough, they shot off that cannon: I imagine that back in the day, we would have been shooting at some bloodthirsty savages, but today our target was some invisible pirates. It was cool to be able to stand here under one of the masts and appreciate how tall they are. Captain Hook and Peter Pan were up there in the riggings the other night when we saw Fantasmic: After the cannon shot, we passed by the assortment of plastic animals and Native Americans that we had seen earlier from aboard the Mark Twain. That didn't stop me from taking a few more pictures. So here's another plastic deer photo: And the plastic Chief: And the always popular plastic native American boy with plastic dog on a plastic log: Petroglyphs on a plastic rock: Over here, we have an avalanche which has taken out a train track. There used to be some kind of train ride in this area called the Rainbow Cavern Mine Train, and I wonder if this used to be part of that?: Here's some kind of plastic bird with a plastic bird nest on some kind of authentic prop: Hey- there's Big Thunder Mountain. We have FP's for it, remember?: Not to worry, it was now 12:25, and they were still good: The Mark Twain was just pulling away from the dock as we approached. So, they have them both going at the same time: As soon as we docked, we headed straight to Big Thunder, and within just a couple of minutes we were in our train and ready to go: It was here that we discovered something odd about Disneyland people: they are not big on Fastpasses. We zipped right through the FP line, because there was no one else with FP's entering when we did. The Standby wait time was 30 minutes, and the FP machines was spitting out FP's with a return time of less than 45 minutes. The California people don't mess with FP's. They just get in line. Parts of the Disneyland Big Thunder are the same as ours. Like possums, for example: But, they have a lot of dynamite on their ride. This goat isn't too smart: I mentioned earlier in this report how they have a cool special effect in the tunnel scene here. This is my attempt at getting a photo of it. Basically, we all get blown up in a big dynamite accident. How come they get all the nice stuff?: The Disneyland Big Thunder requires guests to walk a bit to exit the attraction. They have this area themed as well. Look- a frontier clothesline: And a Dance Hall that serves whiskey: After Big Thunder, I knew where I wanted to go. The Canoes! The twins weren't too thrilled with that idea. But, I said we could get Haunted Mansion FP's, and then go do the canoes, and then maybe ride Haunted Mansion again. That was the plan. So we headed that way. Another Jack and Sally walking around sighting (they're right behind that dummy with his backpack on backwards) : I weaved through the crowds to get our Haunted Mansion FP's.: The return time was only 45 minutes away. And the standby line was full. What is wrong with these Californians? Next up- we head to Davy Crockett's canoes. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 We don't need no stinkin' jackets! We have t-shirts! And sweatshirts! And hats! (And possibly other stuff, but that is all the FF gear I have.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 Wow! The Columbia is cool! And what's up with the people there not using FPs? Do they like standing in line? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I used to wear my backpack wrong at WDW when I brought it. It was easier to get at stuff and I knew I wasn't smacking into other people with it. They had canoes in WDW the same time we saw the show. I remember them letting us have at it at first and then finally showing us the right way to paddle. I didn't get to ride in the submarine, but I got to do the canoe. LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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