So last Thursday, my fiancee, Heather, and her parents (my soon-to-be in-laws), Jerry and Nancy, drove down to Disneyland from the Bay Area while I toiled away at work. I then caught a plane from San Jose down to John Wayne in Santa Ana (I think I was in the air for about 45 minutes, maybe 1:05 from gate to gate) and they picked me up.
We basically called it a night (we were all staying in the Disneyland Hotel, in the Bonita Tower (near the waterfalls)) to get ready for the next day.
Friday we spent the morning in Disneyland, doing the Fantasyland dark rides, with me running around grabbing FastPasses (boy will I miss the AAA Vacations "Super FastPass" when they discontinue it next year). We did Pirates, and Pooh, and for the first time I got to see the Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Let me just say this... I'm, by far, not the biggest The Nightmare Before Christmas fan. I think it's an ok movie with a couple good songs ("This is Halloween" and "Sandy Claws"). After seeing the Mansion done up in its Holiday garb, I can only hope that the rumors they are going to shutter the overlay after this holiday season are just that... rumors. The ride made me like the movie more. That's just weird, in my opinion, but it was SO FREAKIN' COOL.
Anyway.
We grabbed lunch at the little red wagon that sells those ridiculously good corn dogs just off of Main Street. We all went back to the hotel to relax after a couple more rides (Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Big Thunder), and then had dinner at Catal for my birthday (which is actually tomorrow)... possibly the best meal I've ever had. Not cheap, though... my father-in-law and I each had Caeser salads, the three of them all had filet mignon that came with this incredible twice-baked potato stuffed with short rib and truffle. I had the best seared ahi maybe ever, and we split two bottles of very good pinot grigio... a couple desserts later (creme brulee for each of them, a trio of coffee-flavored items for me (flan, bonbon, something else mocha valencia yummy)) and the bill came to over $200 for four people... so not cheap, but if you can afford it, you owe yourself a trip to Catal.
Later that night, back into the park to do more rides. Took lots of pictures of the festivities, and caught the fireworks show from the best seat in the house... aboard Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, of course!
The next morning we headed into California Adventure, but after just three attractions... Soarin', Monsters, Inc., and Muppet-Vision 3D... my father-in-law wasn't feeling well.
He'd be holed up for the rest of the weekend in his hotel room with the stomach flu. Luckily none of the rest of us caught it.
Heather and I did more around DCA, including watching the horrifically melodramatic Golden Dreams show for the first time. Ugh. Skip it. And this is coming from a proud Californian who loves his state's history... that show is just bad.
That night, back to DL for more rides, and we thought of catching Fantasmic!, but the crowds were nuts. It started to rain, and we wanted to find something to eat after riding some fastpass rides, but it was almost 10pm. We headed back towards the hotel and stopped at ESPN Zone for dinner... 30-60 minute wait, we were informed. Umm, no.
So we get back to the hotel and duck into Hook's Pointe for dinner.
Never, ever, ever do that. As good as Catal is, Hook's Pointe is that bad. Bland, extremely expensive and overcooked dishes. We blew threw $80 for two people without even trying, and the food was hideous.
Sunday morning, we back up and call down for express checkout, and leave our bags with my in-laws... Jerry's feeling a bit better by now, not well enough to go on rides... so Heather and I head over to DL and see the Small World Holiday, which I'd not seen before (and liked a lot), then Alice in Wonderland (her favorite) and Pirates one last time.
Then we decided to go on the Mark Twain, which I'd also never done. We waited, the only people on the dock, and when we got on the boat, the CM up in the wheelhouse invited us up. He talked to us the whole trip about DL and other general Disney stuff, going so far as to share my exasperation with the removal of Horizons from EPCOT, and I got some great pictures from angles you just can't duplicate elsewhere.
He gave us each little certificates signifying our trip in the wheelhouse, and we got to ring the steam horn a couple times each.
It was the last ride we did, and it was a great experience. We left Anaheim a little before 1pm, and after 7 hours, including a stop at Pea Soup Andersen's for a surprisingly-good reuben, we were home, and tired.
While I wish my in-laws could have spent more time with us, it was still a great time. Heather and I will be back to DL in May to kick-start our honeymoon (doing 4 days in the Magic Kingdom before 10 on Maui), then we're going to visit WDW again next December.
Life is pretty freakin' good.
Back from Holidaytime Disneyland!
Moderator: Moderators
I just have to say you're very rude for not letting me know you're in the area. I could have met up with you.
(Actually, not, I was busy. But you should let me know. Why do you hate me?)
(Actually, not, I was busy. But you should let me know. Why do you hate me?)
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