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potzbie
05-07-2006, 09:05 PM
Sunday at noon,I was going come from an event in Irvine and stopped by DL for a lark.

I never drive to DL from the south, so for the first time in a long time, I exited the I-5 ramp for Disney Way/Katella.

I had not entered thru the Harbor Boulevard entrance in years, since my Annual Pass says that Mickey and Friends parking structure is the preferred lot. But, just for a lark, I drove into the Harbor Blvd. entrance just to experiment. And what do you know? Instead of being redirected to Mickey & Friends structure (like I was the first time I used my Annual Pass of years ago), I joined the rest of the cars from that entrance into the TIMON parking lot, which is adjacent to DCA. So I rode the LION KING tram for the first time in years.

I entered DL thru the right tunnel, since the right gates are closer from the LION KING tram side than the MICKEY AND FRIENDS tram side.

I saw a sign at the Main Street Bank that there are two locations to process Annual Passes. Plaza Gardens is the alternative location.

I got my corn dog (and chips) from the Main Street four-wheel food vendor van. Man, what an ugly corn dog! The batter is not smooth like Wienerschnitzel, but messy like they threw the batter onto the dog. Big, tho! Good, tho! I am not complaining!

What princesses were out?
I saw Cinderella and Belle, at the same time, working the left side (the Carnation Plaza side).
I saw Mary Poppins, Bert, and a penguin, walking toward that area. Bert was dressed up in the red-and-white "Jolly Holiday" suit and straw hat. I prefer Bert this way, as opposed to the grungy chimney sweep "uniform."

I finished my corn dog and chips and headed toward HAUNTED MANSION. That was my real reason for my special stop-by. Saw the attic scene. I wish I had more time to get a good view of the bride, and hear the whole cycle of the bride's spiel. I did not see the candle, nor the hatchet. The bride's hands were empty, in the fig-leaf position.

Walking back from HM, I saw the shops in New Orleans Square. They got the Johhny Depp / Captain Jack Sparrow action figures. The pirate pistols of wood are gone. The pirate pistols of transparent green plastic (??) are in. The pistols automatically make the "pow" sound when you pull the trigger. High tech. But I miss the wood pistols. (Don't tell me Frontierland has stopped selling the real-wood rifles and pistols.) Skulls for sale. Swords. The "Game of Life" POTC version.

Royal Street Bachelors: guitar, bass, cornet. I always like the RSB no matter the change in personnel.

Bayou Brass Band: Nice and loud. Nice sized audience.

I climbed the stairs to the Disney Gallery. The show was 50th anniversary paintings and figurines. I must say that the miniatures of JUNGLE CRUISE and MAIN STREET and DLRR are pretty attractive.
If I had $245 buring a hole in my pocket, I definitely would have picked up a miniature model.
(How do they paint the faces on the 1/4 inch people? My hand is not steady enough and no paint brush is fine enough to put the eyes in properly. But then again, I cannot engrave The Lord's Prayer on a single grain of rice, like RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT museum proves is possible.)

Hint or secret: Take a photo from the balcony of the Disney Gallery. You get Indian canoes, Tom Sawyer rafts, the Columbia, and the Mark Twain, in one panoramic view. You can see the treehouse on Tom Sawyer's Island. Wow. The color. The combination of attractions. That is a Kodak moment.

This is a long posting. I will cut it off now. I only stayed for a couple of hours.
I just wanted to pass along what was new and different.

RStar
05-07-2006, 09:11 PM
Thanks for the report! Interesting....

I wouldn't call it tiny, had lots of info.!

~Bob

Doug
05-07-2006, 09:53 PM
Funny how every has thier usual way of doing things, then, once in a blue moon, we try something else... yeah, my friend that I usally go to DLR with likes to take the "back" way, because when the park closes, you know, when you have to wait 45+ mins to get a tram back to M&F parking, the T&P lot is often a walk on for the tram, and if you really don't want to wait, you can walk back... not that far....

Oh, and nice tip about the view from the gallery, should try that Tuesday when I go...

snappy
05-07-2006, 10:07 PM
We arrived around 2sih and were redirected to the Mickey/Friends from the Harbor entrance. Wasn't too bad but we also give it a shot! Usually you can park in the Timon either early in the day or later at night. (5ish) Disneyland for the majority was nice and uncrowded. Wait times:
Matterhorn: 10 minutes
Big Thunder: 14 minutes
Jungle Cruise: 10 minutes
Peter Pan: 19 minutes
Indiana: 30 minutes
Space Mountain: Didn't ride but from below you could see the guest in line at the top.
We ended up staying until 6ish and headed out for dinner in Irvine. It was a very nice day to visit the park and not fight the crowds! My guess is it's going to be slowing down until the summer season kicks in!! Please add more if you were there!!