Disneyland Everyday

I read a blog post recently about how to have a good time at Disneyland.  One of the tips said that we should all be prepared for someone in the group to be grumpy.  It could be me, it could be you, but what we do know is that at any given time someone in our group will likely be grumpy.  How is that possible at the "Happiest Place on Earth" you might ask.  Well, it does defy the immutable laws of physics, but it happens.

I have read on the internet that there is a brick wall somewhere on Main Street of bricks that do not match in size or shape.  This wall is the actual wall that Walt Disney used to figure out the optimal size and shape to use for the bricks.  It is located behind a water fountain next to the lockers.  If we get bored (unlikely) we should take a second to find it when we're there in Janaury!

The last time I rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds it felt like someone beat me up!  It was a rough ride, for sure, but it was also fun!  Hopefully the recent refurbishments make it a much smoother ride.  I think it might be Zac's favorite. PS: That guy in the background wearing jeans and work boots?  Yeah, it's not dad...is it?

When I was a kid the Disney characters would just roam around the park.  There were no lines to see them.  They would wander around and "interact" with the guests.  Jeff, remember when Mr. Smee took your hat and pretended to throw it in the trash?  That was great!

Disney is fun, but it's also exhausting!  In an earlier post I showed that we walked some 16,000 miles...or steps, or whatever, point is, you get tired by the end of a day at Disney.  It sure feels good to soak in the hot tub and then go to bed!  By morning you're ready to run and gun at the park again.

Can someone explain to me why we have so many pictures of Tarzan's Tree House?  It's a glorified playground, which would be great if it replaced the swing set at the park by the Orem Rec Center, but it's Disneyland!  Why do we spend so much time at this thing when Pirates is only 30 feet away?  The Jungle Cruise is 15 feet away, and Indy is 10 feet away!

This is how Dumbo's Circus looks when you are riding the ride.  Why do we continue to ride this ride?  I get dizzy just watching the video!

Yesterday you were reminded of the great time we had at the beach.  Today you are being reminded that after we played at the beach we went to Bubba Gump's to eat!

Remember that one year we went to the Santa Monica Pier?  That was fun!  Too bad it'll be too cold to go to the beach in January.  I guess we'll just have to plan another trip for when it's warm...  Also, happy birthday Jeff!

Go ahead and sing the catchy tune out loud.  Then text me to thank me for getting the song stuck in your head.  Here are the lyrics, if you need them.  Just repeat this over and over again until the song is permanently etched into your brain:

Goofy's Sky School is a fun little roller coaster that provides a great, albeit brief, view of Disney California Adventure.  It's tucked away in the far corner of DCA near the great corn dog place called Corn Dog Castle.  This is the only picture we have of this ride, and it isn't even a picture of the ride!  We better remedy that in January!

California Screamin' was "reimagined" into the Incredicoaster on June 23, 2018.  It originally opened in 2001 and, as you all know, is the only ride at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure that goes upside down.  The ride has a top speed of 55mph!

Splash Mountain is fun and it's easy to get good pictures while riding!

The park has to be covered in germs!  I suppose that's why someone throws up EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. we go.  But, is there anything in the entire park more germ-ridden than this frog?

If you ask me what my favorite ride at Disney is I'll tell you it's Pirates, or Space Mountain, or the Incredicoaster, or Splash Mountain, or Big Thunder, but mostly Big Thunder!

Have I mentioned that the snacks at Disney are fantastic?  If I were double rich I would spend a lot of money on snacks.  I'd like to try pretty much everything they have at the park!  Alas, I'm not double (or even single) rich, so I will try some of the snacks at the park.  Blue churro?

In our family we like to buy magnets to remind us of the places we've been-original, I know.  We put them on the fridge and after a while the kids take them, or they break, or they're lost in the vortex.  Whatever the case, we buy magnets.  The bottom pic is of a magnet I bought to remind me that the last trip to Disney was not fun and was very expensive.  It was supposed to remind me that I didn't really want to go back...come on January!!!

We've done Disney with cousins and on our own-it's WAY BETTER with cousins!

Space Mountain is so fun!  The darkness makes it really cool, but really bad for good pictures.  Dab anyway...or plug your ears.

When Pirates first opened they borrowed human skeletons from the UCLA Medical Center.  Those have all been removed, but rumor has it that the skull on the headboard is a human skull.  Lissa took these photos!

All we wanted to do was get a decent picture of some of the family and Lissa comes along and bombs it!

Tarzan's Tree House is not a ride.  It is a bunch of stairs that are there to get you even more tired and hot.  The kids love it, but I hate to see them waste their energy on those stairs when there are rides to be ridden!

From 1955-1982, Disneyland operated on a ride-ticket system.  The idea was that park-goers would pay a small entry fee and then buy additional tickets to go on each ride.  For Disney, the attractions were labeled as A, B, C, D, and E, designating the type of ticket needed to ride the ride.  Space Mountain, and other thrill rides, were E-level rides and required E tickets.  King Arthur's Carousel was an A-ride, requiring an A ticket.  Ticket booths were placed throughout the park and folks could buy a ticket book that had some of all ticket levels, or just buy individual tickets.  Some of the ticket booths are still in the park today, and one even functions as an information booth.  The rest are just for decoration.  Here are some to watch out for when we go in January:

We all know how great the Jungle Cruise is!  The safari guide is a live Disney "Cast Member" who tells the best Dad jokes on the planet!  The problem is the noise from the boat motor-I think they are the same motors from when the attraction opened in 1955.  It would pay to sit near the guy driving the boat so you don't miss a single pun!

Lots of people go to Disneyland to try the food!  There is so much to eat there.  Jim Gaffigan explains the magic of Disney this way: "You can walk around for 12 hours sweating your butt off at Disney and still gain weight.  That's the real magic of Disney!"

I hate eating soup in the summer, when I'm already overheating.  In the winter, however, it's awesome!  As I made a lap around the internet I kept seeing people talking about how good, and how good of a deal, the clam chowder in a bread bowl is at the Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square.  Since it will be relatively chilly in Anaheim when we're there I thought this might be a good thing to try.  And, it's only $11.49, so I'll get two!

Sometimes it's fun to get pictures with Disney characters and sometimes it's a bit scary, like meeting a clown!