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View Full Version : Sunday in the parks - 5/26/2002 TR



cstephens
05-28-2002, 04:31 PM
We're locals and are fortunate to be able to visit the resort on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. So how insane were we to decide to pick the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend to spend a full day at the resort? There were three good reasons: 1) the reopening of Splash, which I haven't been able to ride in 2 years; 2) with Monday being a holiday, we could stay late on Sunday and catch the fireworks without having to get up early the next day; and 3) I haven't spent a full day at the resort being a "tourist" in quite some time.

We got to Mickey and Friends at about 10:45am and got a pretty good parking spot. We had arranged to meet another couple for our day at the resort and ended up running into them as we walked up to catch a tram. Once off the tram, we headed for the picnic area, where they have the very big lockers that cost $5 for all day use with unlimited return priviledges. Since we knew we were going on Splash and Grizzly River Rapids, which we'd not been on since DCA opened, and staying for fireworks in the evening, we'd brought a change of clothes for our trip on the water rides and for during the mid-day heat, as well as jackets for the cooler night air. The larger lockers were ideal for this.

After dropping off our stuff, we had to wait through the fairly long, but understandably so, entry line into DL, after which we had to weave through the crowds that had already developed in DL. The people standing side by side with strollers across a narrow walkway didn't help, nor did having three character greetings on both sides of the bridgeway into Adventureland. Once we got back to Critter Country, we noticed that they'd reopened Hungry Bear Restaurant and had thought about just checking out the new menu, but we never ended up having time for that. We got our Fastpasses (with a return time between 1:25pm and 2:25pm), and then headed back out of DL and into DCA to get Fastpasses for Grizzly River Rapids before heading out for lunch. However, at that point, the return time for Fastpasses was much earlier than what would fit our schedule, so we decided to have an early lunch first.

We were very disappointed that Farmer's Market was closed, even on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and it looks like there's no intent to open the location anytime soon since it's being used as a storage area for, among other things, the furry chairs from Monsters Inc., and there are benches and plants being used as barricades for the queue area. It's really a shame that the location sits unused and unopened. I see so many people stand there and read the menu, stare into the unopen windows and then walk away. On a busy holiday Sunday afternoon, Farmer's Market, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Maliburritos and Hollywood & Dine were all closed. While I'm not crazy about some of those locations, I know others who are, so it really irks me when I hear news that those locations aren't open because their records show that they don't get much business. Well, when they're not open most of the time, they're certainly not going to get any business. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Pacific Wharf Cafe, Cocina Cucamonga, Strips and Chips and Taste Pilots Grill are the most popular locations because they're the only ones that are consistently open.

Anyway, we ended up opting for Whitewater Cafe at the Grand Californian. The burgers there are quite good and reasonably priced, and it's a nice setting. We had a leisurely lunch, and then the men went back into DCA to get our Fastpasses for Grizzly, with a return time between 1:35pm and 2:35pm. Very close to our time for Splash but manageable.

We then went back to our lockers, took clothes to the restrooms to change into (the other couple had brought rain ponchos with them instead) and then headed back to Splash. Even with Fastpass, it still took us about 20 minutes to get through the Splash line, but that was way better than the 100 minutes in standby. Splash was a lot of fun. I've missed being on the ride and had a great time. I thought the new logs were fine, and the seating is much more snug than previously. My husband sat in front, and his legs were a little cramped because he's tall, but other than that, I rather prefer the configuration of the new logs.

After Splash, we were making our way back out of DL to head back to DCA to make our Fastpass time for Grizzly. When we got almost to Main Street, we ran into another couple we knew, and they had just gotten their Fastpasses for Splash - to return at 8pm - so they came with us to DCA.

We got to Grizzly a few minutes after our return window, but we didn't have a problem getting through. I had a lot of fun on this ride. I hadn't paid that much attention to what others had said because I figured I'd just make up my own mind when I rode it. During the course of the ride, it spun around a bit more than I preferred (not being fond of or tolerate of things that are too spinny), but it was great. When the water poured in, I was the only one not picking up my feet since it was just washing over my bare feet and flip-flops. We got wet but not drenched - the two people to my left got soaked. There's a drop in the middle of the ride that I didn't know about. The best part was the drop at the end, which I've watched previously. I'd forgotten the big thing about the drop - as you go down the drop, the raft spins around, so it doesn't matter which side starts down first, everyone gets wet. It was a very different feeling to go down a drop and spin at the same time. Very fun. The other people in the raft with us seemed to enjoy the ride as well. The two friends who had accompanied us over to DCA waved at us from the overhead walkway as we went by. It was really sunny and warm out on Sunday, so we all dried pretty quickly.

We walked around Paradise Pier for a while, and then we saw "Golden Dreams". I hadn't seen it in a number of months, and I actually got more out of it this time than any of my previous viewings. We also saw the Wizard Acrobats again. I love them. They're very high energy and a lot of fun, and they're amazing to watch. I highly recommend catching one of their shows, and they're actually listed in the daily schedule now, so they're easier to find.

After wandering around DCA a bit more, including the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area, we went back to the lockers, changed back into regular clothes and then debated about where to have dinner. We eventually decided on Rainforest Cafe. It was a 2-hour wait for walk-ups, but with my Safari Club card, our wait ended up being around half an hour. It's a great card to have. We had a good time and a good dinner.

After dinner, the second couple went to ride Splash since their Fastpass time was up, and the rest of us slowly headed towards Small World to wait for the fireworks. They met up with us about half-way through the show. We were all really glad to see that they'd put back the final comet just before the end of the show. It's just not the same without it. It always feels like something is missing. We sat around for about 15 minutes after Believe, to let the crowds empty out, and then the second couple went off to do other rides, while the rest of us headed back out to the lockers and then the trams.

What a fun time!

JeffG
05-28-2002, 06:10 PM
Great trip report! I almost feel like I was there...

-Jeff