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Thread: Hot Summer In Disneyland - 7/22-7/25

  1. #1

    Hot Summer In Disneyland - 7/22-7/25

    Hey all. I don't usually do Disneyland trip reports, but I thought I'd throw one out there this time. My SoCal visit was from Friday 7/22 through Monday 7/25. I spent a lot of time with family, but I managed to do some park time (and even combined the two!).

    Friday, 7/22 -

    I had a great flight from Dallas on American. Then things crashed to a halt when I hit the AVIS counter. Seems like Expedia, in their wisdom, booked my auto rental at another counter in the greater Los Angeles area, instead of the one at LAX like I expected them to. Took about 1 1/2 hours to get fixed, including massive amounts of time on hold with Expedia, a terminated phone call, and finally an Expedia rep that had things fixed in about 5 minutes. Ah well, at least I was only missing a bit of park time.

    A quick drive down to Anaheim, check in to my hotel (the Super 8 on Katella - always comfy rooms and decent service), and on to my first park storming of the trip.



    Disneyland was HOT - I got there at around 3pm, and it was probably the hottest I've ever been in the parks. But then inside at Pirates and the Haunted Mansion felt so incredibly refreshing! A few rides and it was out to the Uva Bar to spend a bit of time with my friends that work there. A nice time, and a few drinks later it was back into Disneyland for fireworks. Sadly, this was not to be, as the show was canceled (guessing due to high winds). I was really pooping out, so it wasn't a bad thing to head back to the garage, get my car, and hightail it to my hotel.

    Saturday, 7/23 -

    I had a 4 day park hopper, which included 1 early entry. This was the morning, hitting DL at 8am. I did a quick sweep of Fantasyland -







    . . . and then on to Tomorrowland for a sweep of Space Mountain and Star Tours. Late breakfast was at Rancho del Zocalo (since my beloved Riverbelle Terrace is no longer serving breakfast!!!). A tasty breakfast of beef fajita meat and eggs, and then on to Big Thunder Mountain. I had tried to ride this yesterday, but they did a strange thing. The line seemed to stop, but the trains kept on running. I finally noticed that they were running empty! They did this for another 15 minutes or so, then announced that the attraction was closed. Never did find out what happened, but they were open for business today.

    I was somewhat limited in my park time, as I had to go meet up with a beloved aunt and get my butt whipped in Scrabble, then on to a family reunion with some cousins that I grew up with. Not a full Disney day, but a good day anyway.

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

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  3. #2

    Sunday, 7/24 -

    This was a really fun day. I talked 2 of my brothers and 1 brother's wife into park storming with me -



    That's me on the left, brother Dave - the one who works in DCA (along with his stupid hat!), and then Gina and Pete on the right. We started with a Fantasyland sweep (my second one on this trip, but that's OK). I don't usually have anyone to teacup with, but Gina was game -



    We got some really good speed, and were rubber-armed for the next hour or so! We did Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin next - Gina didn't even know it was there.We next did a fun trip on Space Mountain -



    LOVE that Hyperspace Mountain! We all went on Big Thunder, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion, and then it was time for lunch at the Blue Bayou -





    It might be hard to tell in this shot, but they had some really cool, rear-lit menus -



    I'm not sure what everyone else had, but I had the Monte Cristo, and it was excellent, not greasy at all, hot and fresh, with THREE dipping sauces (including a vanilla one that was to die for!). After lunch we headed out, enjoying the mini-parade of the Disneyland Band marching down Main Street -



    After an afternoon of rest (and recovery from the heat!), I had a great dinner with Pete & Gina and Gina's son David at the 555 Steakhouse in Long Beach. Gina works for the company that owns this and several other SoCal restaurants, and enjoys a 70% discount! So Dan buys, with Gina's discount, and everyone wins!!

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  4. #3

    Monday, 7/25 -

    My flight out wasn't till the afternoon, leaving the morning to storm DCA. I started with my first ever viewing of the new Soarin' -





    I really loved it, and thought Disney did an excellent job with this new film! I got a FP for later, then headed over to Cars Land for a couple of single rider rides on Radiator Springs Racers (and when I say the line was short, I mean the first time it was non-existent - right on to a waiting car! And the 2nd time was only about 30 seconds longer - very cool!). Next I did my first and only ride on the new Rollickin' Roadsters -



    I have to say that this one is more fun to look at than to ride. In fact, the ride was a combination of boredom and pain as the vehicle jerked into a new direction. I hope it's a success, but I'm not in a hurry to ride again. I headed over to the Animation building for some quality time in the lobby, followed by some time with Crush & friends. This was the first time I'd seen it with the inclusion of Dory and company, and again I have to say well done! Lunch (my last meal of this trip!) was my first time at the Carthay Circle. This was a much more beautiful restaurant than I had been expecting. Lunch started with the Ginger & Lemongrass Chicken Satay - marinated with Thai chili, Persian cucumbers and cashew-mint yogurt -



    ...followed by the Grilled Angus Tri Tip - Point Reyes blue cheese risotto, spinach, wild mushrooms -



    I thought they were a little chintzy with the beef, but it was incredibly tasty. And the risotto was excellent. Altogether a pricy but delicious meal. As I said, the decor was beautiful, including this poster from the original Carthay Circle Theater -



    Right after lunch it was off to the airport for an uneventful ride home. American is now flying the larger Airbus 321, with video screens in all the seats. Makes a trip go much faster when you can actually watch a movie while flying!

    And that's my summer Disneyland trip!







    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  5. #4
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    Thanks Dan, we always appreciate your reports whether they be on the East Coast or West Coast.


  6. #5
    Self-Proclaimed Disney Queen! Pammer's Avatar
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    Apr 2004
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    Sacramento, CA

    Loved reading the report & seeing the photos; thanks for taking the time to write & post it!

    Pam
    DL trips: too many to remember actual dates, but they began in the 60s!
    WDW trips: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021



  7. #6
    Out of this world for Disney DwarfPlanet's Avatar
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    Glad you had a good time with family and DLR at the same time!!!!!

    "Although we think it's DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL in saying we would be HAPPY if Disney's Pluto would join us as an 8th dwarf. We think this is just what the DOC ordered and is nothing to SNEEZE at."

  8. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Beautiful Orange County, CA

    Great photos! Glad your family decided to go with you. Yes, it has been incredibly hot down here this summer. I always try and tell people from out of town that it's like sticking your head in an oven, you just get blasted by the heat.


  9. #8

    Thanks, all. I didn't take very many pictures this time - guess it was just too hot to keep dragging out the camera!

    The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
    - James Taylor

  10. #9

    Thanks Dan, I loved it.


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