h_lehmann
03-13-2005, 07:04 PM
Took a last minute trip to Disneyland with my 10-year old son. When I approached the ticket window just before 8:00AM, I stated "2 adults, please" (he's just short of 11, I've got a annual pass but today's a blackout day). She winds up charging him as a child (I try to set a good example by being honest, and still I'm forced to cheat the system :) )
The park was crowded, but not overly so. Gloomy & cool weather probably helped.
The railroad is still closed to the public, but trains were running most of the day, making all their usual stops, so expect them to be opening again soon.
Headed to Tomorrow Land first thing, rode on the new Buzz Lightyear ride. 5 minute standby wait, later in the day it was up to 60 minutes. It's a pretty cool ride, kind of Lazer-Tag meets Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, in ride vehicles that are similar to the Doom Buggies.
Our favorite new thing today, however, had to be the walking-talking trash can in Tomorrow Land. It's a functional Disneyland trash can, but it's got wheels inside its radio controlled body. With a goofy robot voice, it interacts with the guests, drawing a good crowd (mostly kids) whenever we saw it. It travels around without a human handler, and somewhere there's obviously an operator or two to control it and provide the voice. I couldn't see any hidden video cameras on it, so the engineer in me hasn't figured out how the driver can see what's going on. I hope they keep this thing around for a while; it was a lot of fun.
The Matterhorn climbers are back!! We saw them there most of the day, as many as five at a time. It's good to see them back, they've been missed. In keeping with the trend of things, they're wearing climbing helmets now. I don't think they ever wore them in the past.
Went to the newly reopened Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, as they like to call it. Didn't notice any big changes since it was down for rehab, other than more tiki torches out front.
We panicked when we noticed that not only was Rod Miller not playing at Coke Corner, but his piano and stage were completely absent. We were reminded by a cast member that he's out for back surgery again. We wish him the best and can't wait for his return.
Jungle Cruise is still closed, and the river is bone dry.
We left by 5:00 PM, early for us, and got back to the San Fernando Valley in time for the rain.
The park was crowded, but not overly so. Gloomy & cool weather probably helped.
The railroad is still closed to the public, but trains were running most of the day, making all their usual stops, so expect them to be opening again soon.
Headed to Tomorrow Land first thing, rode on the new Buzz Lightyear ride. 5 minute standby wait, later in the day it was up to 60 minutes. It's a pretty cool ride, kind of Lazer-Tag meets Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, in ride vehicles that are similar to the Doom Buggies.
Our favorite new thing today, however, had to be the walking-talking trash can in Tomorrow Land. It's a functional Disneyland trash can, but it's got wheels inside its radio controlled body. With a goofy robot voice, it interacts with the guests, drawing a good crowd (mostly kids) whenever we saw it. It travels around without a human handler, and somewhere there's obviously an operator or two to control it and provide the voice. I couldn't see any hidden video cameras on it, so the engineer in me hasn't figured out how the driver can see what's going on. I hope they keep this thing around for a while; it was a lot of fun.
The Matterhorn climbers are back!! We saw them there most of the day, as many as five at a time. It's good to see them back, they've been missed. In keeping with the trend of things, they're wearing climbing helmets now. I don't think they ever wore them in the past.
Went to the newly reopened Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, as they like to call it. Didn't notice any big changes since it was down for rehab, other than more tiki torches out front.
We panicked when we noticed that not only was Rod Miller not playing at Coke Corner, but his piano and stage were completely absent. We were reminded by a cast member that he's out for back surgery again. We wish him the best and can't wait for his return.
Jungle Cruise is still closed, and the river is bone dry.
We left by 5:00 PM, early for us, and got back to the San Fernando Valley in time for the rain.