saucydiva
08-21-2008, 10:22 AM
Travel dates: August 18
Travel method: separate cars
Resort: Disneyland
Accommodations: N/A
Ages Represented in Group: adults
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: veterans of numerous Disney parks, but first trip to Disneyland for one person
Cast of characters: Suz and Vivian (best friends for almost 30 years) and Viv's dad, affectionately known by all as Pappa
My friend Vivian’s dad was in town for a few days (first time 74-year-old Pappa has visited Vivian in California, although she has lived here for at least a decade). Unfortunately I was not able to accompany them on their pilgrimage to Solvang (Pappa is from Norway) but I did play hooky on Monday afternoon to go to Disneyland with them.
We met at the park around 1:30. They brought me two cookies from Solvang! Mmm, almond horns… We ate them while waiting in line to buy Pappa’s ticket. It was superduper crowded, probably because it was the first day that Cheapo Annual Passholders could return to the Resort after being blocked out since June. We paid our respects to Esmeralda (I have a shrewd, clever mind and will make my own fortune and know how to keep it; one of my lucky numbers is 9) and I pointed out fun facts all along Main Street (Walt’s firehouse apartment etc).
We dove into Adventureland first, our primary objective being a Dole Whip because it was hot and we were hungry. But the line was long and we were antsy to ride something, so we did the Jungle Cruise where the bad jokes were right up Pappa’s alley. Then we rode Pirates after enduring the longest line I’ve seen there in a long time. Pappa was excited to see Blue Bayou, I guess they don’t have that at WDW? Viv was hoping to have supper there but of course she did not think to call ahead for reservations, so it was not to be.
Next it was time for a coffee break. Pappa breaks for coffee numerous times a day. He is a simple man who really only needs two things in life: he wants to read the newspaper in peace, and he wants coffee whenever he wants coffee. So we went to French Market for coffee, iced tea and a cute little raspberry cheesecake split three ways. Cheesecake was yummy, the berries were beautiful, and the food we saw there (new menu) looked worth trying on another visit. We managed to sit directly beneath a speaker that was piping in the nearby Dixieland Band performance at about 9,000 decibels, so Vivian and I had a shouted conversation about all kinds of top-secret personal stuff, confident that hard-of-hearing Pappa would not be able to discern much of anything. Wouldn’t it be funny if he is only faking it.
Pappa lives in Florida and has been to WDW dozens of times, but this was his first visit to Disneyland and he noted how compact and walkable DLR is. Of course, English is Pappa’s third language and although he has lived in the USA for fifty one years now, he has only partially assimilated, so even his most banal observations are amusing because they are articulated so strangely. At one point he spent ten minutes trying to explain to Vivian (who was being deliberately obtuse) an old-country proverb about how “you can fit a big and a little into da sack, but you cannot fit two bigs into da sack.” I suggested it was along the lines of “ten pounds of sugar in a five pound bag” which Pappa thought was a pretty good corollary. Vivian pleaded with me not to encourage him.
After coffee, we did the Haunted Mansion. The line was long but moved swiftly. Pappa says that both HM and Pirates are longer and better at DLR than at WDW.
Next we decided to give Dole Whip another try, and we wanted to see the Tiki Room show too (partly for the fabulous air conditioning) so we trudged back through Adventureland. The Indana Jones spontaneous rooftop action skits there have done nothing to improve the traffic flow. We entered the Tiki Room holding pen just as the tikis began to speak, and the inside line for service was too long for us to get treats before the next show started, so once again I was left whipless. Sigh. The birds and flowers did their usual thing, which Pappa judged to be much better than the Florida version. I enjoyed the Tiki Room’s hidden-in-plain-sight bathroom, which was almost as air conditioned as the show room.
By this time it was 4:30 and Pappa and Vivian needed to leave soon to get Pappa to the airport in time for his flight. He flies into Tampa and we were worried about tropical storm Fay messing up his early morning arrival, but frequent calls to the Delta flight info line did not mention any schedule changes, so we had to stick to the original plan. Vivian selected Café Orleans for supper, so we trudged back through Adventureland and were seated in mere moments, to our delight and relief. I had the salmon salad, hold the salmon, and it was terrific. Pappa and I were both fascinated by how the corn kernels on my salad were roasted, but apparently not the usual way (laying corn cobs on the grill, then cutting off the kernels) because these kernels were blackened with little dots on their sides, not their tops. They must have some kind of funky grillpan with no holes so the little canned corn kernels don’t fall through. Vivian rolled her eyes and suggested there is a guy in the kitchen with a teeny tiny branding iron, marking each kernel individually. That would explain the price of the salad. During supper we discussed what stereotypical material a Norwegian parrot would contribute to the Tiki Room show, along with frequent references to Pappa’s recent colonoscopy (which had been a continuing topic of conversation for his entire visit, apparently – he was very excited that, thanks to Medicare, it was free! Pappa loves getting something for free, even if it is a colonoscopy.). We made quick work of inhaling a basket of garlic fries but Pappa deemed the onion soup “too oniony.”
While Pappa enjoyed his inevitable after-dinner coffee, we perused the DLR map and decided to cut through the shortcut to Fantasyland for one more ride. Pappa chose Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and the line wasn’t too long (and the ride certainly isn’t) so we had time to do Peter Pan too. I was excited to see the golden apple has been restored to the sign at the entrance to the Snow White building; the cackle is back! That apple has been missing or at least cackle-free, the last thousand times I’ve been there. We all loved how the Snow White story cuts off so abruptly, at the height of peril. It’s as if they just ran out of track and decided to end the story there. “And they all lived happily ever after. That’s it, folks, buh-bye!” Pappa liked the “Tinkerbell show” the best.
We managed to emerge from Fantasyland to run into the end of the parade (it ran earlier than I expected) so it was mayhem getting out of the park. We said our teary goodbyes in the Esplanade, and then I wandered over to DCA for a while. It was my job to procure a postcard to send to Yvonne, Vivian’s sister, to report on Pappa’s visit. After composing a considerably more concise report than this one, I walked around in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area just looking at stuff, because the November MouseAdventure takes place in DCA again. Must commit every nook and cranny to memory! When I ducked into the main gift shop to pick out Yvonne’s postcard, I also purchased the best thing ever, an oven mitt shaped like a Mickey glove! Too bad they only had right-handed models, or I’d have bought a complete set for everyone I know.
Most of my visits to DLR are with other adults my age, or occasionally with a friend's children. It was interesting to experience it with an elderly person for a change. It reminded me to appreciate the pleasant and peaceful corners of the Park that frequently get lost in the hustle.
Travel method: separate cars
Resort: Disneyland
Accommodations: N/A
Ages Represented in Group: adults
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: veterans of numerous Disney parks, but first trip to Disneyland for one person
Cast of characters: Suz and Vivian (best friends for almost 30 years) and Viv's dad, affectionately known by all as Pappa
My friend Vivian’s dad was in town for a few days (first time 74-year-old Pappa has visited Vivian in California, although she has lived here for at least a decade). Unfortunately I was not able to accompany them on their pilgrimage to Solvang (Pappa is from Norway) but I did play hooky on Monday afternoon to go to Disneyland with them.
We met at the park around 1:30. They brought me two cookies from Solvang! Mmm, almond horns… We ate them while waiting in line to buy Pappa’s ticket. It was superduper crowded, probably because it was the first day that Cheapo Annual Passholders could return to the Resort after being blocked out since June. We paid our respects to Esmeralda (I have a shrewd, clever mind and will make my own fortune and know how to keep it; one of my lucky numbers is 9) and I pointed out fun facts all along Main Street (Walt’s firehouse apartment etc).
We dove into Adventureland first, our primary objective being a Dole Whip because it was hot and we were hungry. But the line was long and we were antsy to ride something, so we did the Jungle Cruise where the bad jokes were right up Pappa’s alley. Then we rode Pirates after enduring the longest line I’ve seen there in a long time. Pappa was excited to see Blue Bayou, I guess they don’t have that at WDW? Viv was hoping to have supper there but of course she did not think to call ahead for reservations, so it was not to be.
Next it was time for a coffee break. Pappa breaks for coffee numerous times a day. He is a simple man who really only needs two things in life: he wants to read the newspaper in peace, and he wants coffee whenever he wants coffee. So we went to French Market for coffee, iced tea and a cute little raspberry cheesecake split three ways. Cheesecake was yummy, the berries were beautiful, and the food we saw there (new menu) looked worth trying on another visit. We managed to sit directly beneath a speaker that was piping in the nearby Dixieland Band performance at about 9,000 decibels, so Vivian and I had a shouted conversation about all kinds of top-secret personal stuff, confident that hard-of-hearing Pappa would not be able to discern much of anything. Wouldn’t it be funny if he is only faking it.
Pappa lives in Florida and has been to WDW dozens of times, but this was his first visit to Disneyland and he noted how compact and walkable DLR is. Of course, English is Pappa’s third language and although he has lived in the USA for fifty one years now, he has only partially assimilated, so even his most banal observations are amusing because they are articulated so strangely. At one point he spent ten minutes trying to explain to Vivian (who was being deliberately obtuse) an old-country proverb about how “you can fit a big and a little into da sack, but you cannot fit two bigs into da sack.” I suggested it was along the lines of “ten pounds of sugar in a five pound bag” which Pappa thought was a pretty good corollary. Vivian pleaded with me not to encourage him.
After coffee, we did the Haunted Mansion. The line was long but moved swiftly. Pappa says that both HM and Pirates are longer and better at DLR than at WDW.
Next we decided to give Dole Whip another try, and we wanted to see the Tiki Room show too (partly for the fabulous air conditioning) so we trudged back through Adventureland. The Indana Jones spontaneous rooftop action skits there have done nothing to improve the traffic flow. We entered the Tiki Room holding pen just as the tikis began to speak, and the inside line for service was too long for us to get treats before the next show started, so once again I was left whipless. Sigh. The birds and flowers did their usual thing, which Pappa judged to be much better than the Florida version. I enjoyed the Tiki Room’s hidden-in-plain-sight bathroom, which was almost as air conditioned as the show room.
By this time it was 4:30 and Pappa and Vivian needed to leave soon to get Pappa to the airport in time for his flight. He flies into Tampa and we were worried about tropical storm Fay messing up his early morning arrival, but frequent calls to the Delta flight info line did not mention any schedule changes, so we had to stick to the original plan. Vivian selected Café Orleans for supper, so we trudged back through Adventureland and were seated in mere moments, to our delight and relief. I had the salmon salad, hold the salmon, and it was terrific. Pappa and I were both fascinated by how the corn kernels on my salad were roasted, but apparently not the usual way (laying corn cobs on the grill, then cutting off the kernels) because these kernels were blackened with little dots on their sides, not their tops. They must have some kind of funky grillpan with no holes so the little canned corn kernels don’t fall through. Vivian rolled her eyes and suggested there is a guy in the kitchen with a teeny tiny branding iron, marking each kernel individually. That would explain the price of the salad. During supper we discussed what stereotypical material a Norwegian parrot would contribute to the Tiki Room show, along with frequent references to Pappa’s recent colonoscopy (which had been a continuing topic of conversation for his entire visit, apparently – he was very excited that, thanks to Medicare, it was free! Pappa loves getting something for free, even if it is a colonoscopy.). We made quick work of inhaling a basket of garlic fries but Pappa deemed the onion soup “too oniony.”
While Pappa enjoyed his inevitable after-dinner coffee, we perused the DLR map and decided to cut through the shortcut to Fantasyland for one more ride. Pappa chose Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and the line wasn’t too long (and the ride certainly isn’t) so we had time to do Peter Pan too. I was excited to see the golden apple has been restored to the sign at the entrance to the Snow White building; the cackle is back! That apple has been missing or at least cackle-free, the last thousand times I’ve been there. We all loved how the Snow White story cuts off so abruptly, at the height of peril. It’s as if they just ran out of track and decided to end the story there. “And they all lived happily ever after. That’s it, folks, buh-bye!” Pappa liked the “Tinkerbell show” the best.
We managed to emerge from Fantasyland to run into the end of the parade (it ran earlier than I expected) so it was mayhem getting out of the park. We said our teary goodbyes in the Esplanade, and then I wandered over to DCA for a while. It was my job to procure a postcard to send to Yvonne, Vivian’s sister, to report on Pappa’s visit. After composing a considerably more concise report than this one, I walked around in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area just looking at stuff, because the November MouseAdventure takes place in DCA again. Must commit every nook and cranny to memory! When I ducked into the main gift shop to pick out Yvonne’s postcard, I also purchased the best thing ever, an oven mitt shaped like a Mickey glove! Too bad they only had right-handed models, or I’d have bought a complete set for everyone I know.
Most of my visits to DLR are with other adults my age, or occasionally with a friend's children. It was interesting to experience it with an elderly person for a change. It reminded me to appreciate the pleasant and peaceful corners of the Park that frequently get lost in the hustle.