Let's see, we arrived in Anaheim from Sacramento around 2pm. We then rested a bit, and then headed over to Downtown Disney for the High School Musical 2 blue carpet event.
Since it was so hot, and crowded we left for a few hours, and returned around 4:30. It was even more crowded, and we got a bad spot near the entrance of the theatre.
Supposedly stars were entering the theatre, but it was mostly people mistaking CMs for actors. People were shouting, crying, shoving when the stars started walking by at about 6pm. There were some television stars, but mostly Disney Channel stars. Everyone of course, were most excited to see Zack Efron. He came at the end, and went by pretty quickly by the time he reached us. Vanessa Williams was a pleasant surprise.
The next day we started early, did Nemo first. We actually got there before the attraction opened. We ended up waiting for 2 hours, but it was totally worth it. I finally saw the plastered over sea serpent from the original attraction.
We just spent all day going on rides. The group I was with, drew some of the attractions on their green tank top fronts, and had the logo of the year of a million dreams on the back. CMs and guests alike were amazed that the shirts were so well colored.
We ate at Blue Bayou for a late lunch. Since it was the first time for many of the group, we waited for seating by the water. The wait wasn't too long, and it was totally worth it. We were waving by the passing guests on the boats, it was fun. I'm sure we took a million pictures of the inside and the food.
We ordered the salmon, prime rib, monte cristo, jambalaya, and the portobello mushroom entrees. It was all very, very good. The gumbo appetizer was also delicious. My mint julep was just okay, but the second time they put in more syrup. As usual, the service at Blue Bayou was great.
That night we waited for Remember...Dreams Come True nearby the hub area. It wasn't too crowded, and no one block our viewing. I guess they make everyone stand up now. Which makes sense, in case something goes bad, and people need to evacuate asap.
The next day was early again, starting with Fantasyland and then heading over to DCA. We saw the ever amazing Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. The jokes were good, but I've seen the Genie do better. This time the Jafar was Caucasian, so that was kind of interesting.
Later we headed back to Disneyland for the Parade of Dreams. We found a nice shady spot in front of the Penny Arcade to wait. The Dapper Dans came right to us and did a few numbers. It was really fun, and I've never actually seen them perform.
The group that I'm with aren't shy about getting the characters attention. So pretty much everyone who passed by us, looked in our direction, and either acknowledged it by doing some moves or simply waving.
That night was the Electrical Parade. My friends called and clapped for all the dancers and characters who came by. Every insect for the Alice In Wonderland unit came by us and did their weird jerky movement thing. I think we even surprised Alice at one point.
We got the crowd around us to shout the names of the characters who came by. Some characters even put their hand to their ears, signaling us to be louder. At one point we got the kids around us to shout "dopey" as he drove the mine cars.
Fantasmic that night was as awesome as ever. I'm glad with the detour system Disneyland set up for the people returning to the parks during Remember. Instead of bothering the people watching the fireworks, guests are required to go through or around tomorrowland for all lands. We went through tomorrowland, fantasyland, and frontierland to get a spot for Fantasmic. The show was as great as ever, and it's good to see that little details are still being added in.
Overall, this trip was really good. One of the better ones I've had in a long time. It's really all about the people you go with. Moods are contagious.
The CMs were really nice and friendly to us- I'm sure the custom drawn attraction tops helped. At one point some of us were talking to a cast member, and we were saying how Peter Pan doesn't usually come out. Then one of the dream squad members overhead and said that they would try and call to see where Peter Pan was at that time.
Two of my friends who went, are really considering working at Disneyland for a summer job.
And that's basically the highlights of the trip. I miss the Happiest Place on Earth already
