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February 20, 2007

Gav n' Lane's California Adventure

Elaine and I spent this past weekend (with chunks of Thursday and Friday thrown in for good measure) getting in touch with our inner 5-year-olds by goofing off at The Happiest Place On Earth.

(Yes, I'm talkin' about Disneyland.)

We're home now - and wiped out from the nonstop craziness - so I wanted to recap some of the highlights and goodness from the trip. To wit:

• We hooked up with some great friends while down in Los Angeles - Heidi, Tony and Andrea, Gina and Bryan, as well as Kim and Steve. Disneyland with good friends is waaaaay more fun than you think. Suddenly, long lines aren't a very big deal - you just stand around and crack inappropriate jokes all day long.
• If you're gonna fly to Disneyland, avoid LAX and fly in to Orange County (John Wayne Airport - SNA). It's only about 13 miles from the parks, which means that it's both faster and cheaper to get to/from your hotel by shuttle (and you don't have to deal as much with Los Angeles' famously bad traffic). SNA is also a smaller, less insane airport than LAX, which makes everything nicer - security screenings are quicker, the lounge is less packed, and so on.
• (Yes, John Wayne Airport has a Starbucks. It's not that small.)
• Unlike Walt Disney World, there's no real advantage to staying at a Disney hotel in Anaheim. I've stayed at both the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel over the years, and, while nice, neither offers enough "oomph" to make them worth the extra money. This time around, we booked rooms at the Best Western Anaheim, right across Harbor Boulevard from the parks. It's a 5-minute walk, and the rates are substantially lower - $89 for Thursday, and $119 a night for the weekend, vs. $349 a night for the Grand Californian. Yes, the rooms aren't as nice as the higher-end hotels, but, seriously -- how much time do you spend in your hotel room when you're at Disneyland?
• Theme parkin' is tiring. We got back to the hotel late on Friday night and practically collapsed into bed. After some talking and reckoning with our friends the next morning, we figured that, in general, people walk about a mile every hour in a park - waiting in lines, strolling between attractions, and so forth. If that's true, Friday was basically a half-marathon walk. (No wonder I was so beat!)
• I got Elaine a copy of the "Unofficial Guide To Disneyland, 2007" as a Christmas present, and I have to say: the book is good. We used it to plan visits to attractions we might not have otherwise checked out, and weren't disappointed. If you're going to the parks for the first time (or the first time in a while), be sure to pick up a copy.
• I've commented before that California Adventure is a half-day park - it's got a handful of good attractions (to wit: California Screamin', Tower of Terror, and the exceptional Soarin' Over California), but the rest of the park feels like a fruit salad of attractions from other parks, tossed together by hurried Disney Imagineers who wanted to get the thing built on the cheap. That said, I must confess that we spent virtually all of our Friday at California Adventure and had a fabulous time. Part of this was our commitment to trying just about everything we could - "Screamin'" and "Soarin'", of course, but also stage shows like "Aladdin" new stuff like "Monsters, Inc." and original attractions I've never paid much attention to like "Golden Dreams". In total, it made for a great, great day of walking, laughing, and thrills. DCA was pretty busy, too (and remained so all weekend), which is an encouraging sign that the park might, at long last, be finding its groove. Good on ya, DCA.
• In-N-Out Burger is a fast-food delight. Elaine and I had been meaning to try them (they're a California chain) when we were at Marnie's wedding, but couldn't find a locale. This time, Tony took us to one in Fullerton, and we got a couple double-doubles, animal style. Mmmmmmmmmm.
• The "Rockin'" conversions of Space Mountain and California Screamin' are cool, but nothing much to write home about. Of the two, Space Mountain is more dramatic, with different effects and a more-synchronized soundtrack. They're worth checking out, but I wish Disney had decided to make the "Rockin'" conversions a night-time thing; I missed the "regular" Space Mountain on more than one occasion.
• Pirates Of The Caribbean recently got a refurbishment. It's gained some new effects (including a cool mist effect with Davy Jones) and Captain Jack Sparrow now makes an appearance at a few places in the ride. The touches are light, and fairly nice. Old-timers won't be offended; newcomers to the ride will feel a sense of harmony with the films.
• Daring Fireball readers are everywhere. I got a "nice shirt!" comment on Main Street, USA while strolling in my DF Tee. The Cult Of Gruber is growing!
• The Disneyland fireworks show is not to be missed under any circumstances.
• We spent our Sunday morning taking a guided tour of Disneyland. Called the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour, it never goes backstage, but instead shows off various locations in the park that Walt was personally involved with building, or that had personal significance to him. I didn't learn a whole lot (most of the Disney trivia was stuff I already knew), but it was killer to get in to Club 33 and great to see the park through fresh eyes. The tour is $59 per person, and lunch is included. If you have the time, I'd recommend it.

If you're interested, my Flickr photostream is available. (And, yes, I really am trying to turn Elaine into the most-photographed woman in the world, this side of Princess Diana.)

Posted by Gavin Shearer at February 20, 2007 10:32 PM. Posted to Disney | Travel.

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