“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney.
Monday, October 7, 2013 –
One full day of Disney is officially under our belts. Today, we will walk through the gates of Disney California Adventures. New day, New park, New plan.
Plan…We need a plan…a good plan….a wise plan…any plan at all at this point will do.
Today’s plan will consist of getting up at a reasonable hour. Now when I say reasonable, I mean something along the lines of 6 - 6:30am. It’s a Monday after all. If we were back home, we would already be headed out the door, and on our way to the meet our train for the commute to work. We got an extra 45 minutes of sleep. That is vacation at its finest folks!
The park opens at 9am today. We (and by we, I mean T-Man) makes the coffee and we begin the morning ritual.
1. Sip coffee until the caffeine has made it’s way through your system and are shocked awake and ready to partake in human activities.
2. Search through dresser and closet to find something appropriate to wear to the parks.
3. Shower, dress, drink more coffee (since the first round has been used up by all the previous activities).
4. Pack our backpacks with water, soda, sunscreen, you know, everything but the kitchen sink, just the essentials one may need for going 2 miles away from the resort.
5. As you make your way to the door, make sure that everyone has everything.
- Lanyards with park tickets (check)
- Backpacks that we just spent a ridiculous amount of time packing and would be devastated if we left behind (check)
- Sunglasses (check)
- Brain…Shoot…I knew I was forgetting something.
Lady H goes back for her brain, T-Man closes up the room and we head to the car.
The stairs were not an issue this morning, and our car was parked almost directly in front of them, so it was easy peasy to get on our way.
We figured since the Toy Story parking lot worked so well for us yesterday, we would use it again today.
As we pulled in and made our way through the zig zagging wonder that is the Toy Story parking lot, we find that it is a little easier today. They didn't have us all the way in timbuktu. For some reason, we didn't take a picture of the parking area we parked in. This is weird for us, since we take pictures of EVERYTHING! Especially parking areas, so we can remember how to get back to the car.
I believe (in other words, I asked T-Man) that we parked in the Woody parking area. This is near the shuttles, so we were cool with that.
By the time we parked and got all our stuff and headed to the shuttle area, the first shuttle was pulling away.
Good news was that there were about 3 shuttles right behind it, waiting for us stragglers.
Bad news was that us stragglers are now having to wait on more stragglers.
Time kept ticking away as we waited.
Did I mention that the park opened at 9am? Did I also mention that we told Nebo and Smidgy that we would meet them at the park entrance at 9am? No? Well…it did, and we did…
The time now is somewhere in the vicinity of 8:50ish. We have 10 minutes to get to the park, get through security, get to the gates, get our tickets scanned, and meet them.
I start to panic!
Finally, the shuttle is as full as it’s going to get at this point and we make our way to the park.
The ride over is not long at all. Point in our favor.
As we pull into the bus loading/unloading area, we look ahead to the security line a notice the line is long…and getting longer by the minute. Point not in our favor.
I take a deep breath, put on my brave face, even though deep down I am freaking out.
“We’re late, We’re late, For a very important date!”
We hurry up and wait (My favorite catchphrase for any amusement park) at the security checkpoint. Because of the crowds, they have a few more tables open, but the lines are pretty much the same either way. As we wait, we “assume the position,” pulling off our backpacks and opening them, ready for security to search them, so we don't hold up the line.
We make it through security unscathed and venture over to the DCA entrance. The lines aren't too bad, but by now it is past 9am. As we approach the shortest line, I can see Smidgy and Nebo sitting on one of the benches just inside the park...waiting...anxiously waiting…
We are stopped by the camera people, asking to check our tickets, we tell them we have already had our picture taken, but evidentially, they won’t believe us until they see for themselves. Once they have proof on their handheld whatchamacallits, they usher us over to the turnstile, where another CM is waiting to scan our tickets once again.
This is where I start wondering about this whole picture thing. If we have to be scanned by not one but two people just to get into the park, is there really a point in the extra precaution of taking the photo? I mean, I thought the whole point of the picture was to eliminate all the extras?!
We are finally pushed through the turnstile and saunter up to Nebo and Smidgy, albeit a little cautiously, because we are late, and are afraid of getting a stern talking to.
They don’t say anything, and I breath a sigh of relief as T-Man swiftly begins explaining the plans for the day to Nebo.
I’m quick to apologize for our tardiness to Smidgy, explaining the issue with the shuttle and security. She doesn’t seem to be too bothered by it and we begin our walk through the park towards Radiator Springs Racers.
As we walk through the park, we point out the line for RSR fastpasses. I’m pretty sure they thought we were kidding with them. By this time, most of, if not all the passes were probably already gone.
As good tour guides, we took the long way around, to point out some of the specific landmarks that we will be visiting while there. We pointed out our watering hole, letting them know we would be honored to buy them a drink there later, as I am sure we will all need one at some point, and even if we didn’t, we would still get one because that’s the way the plan was going to go.
We cruised through Radiator Springs, enjoying the sites. Since the ride is all the way at the end, you really get a chance to check out the amazing detail here. It’s like you are transported to Carsland in one step. We have tons of pictures on our last TR, and while we have quite a few that we took this time around as well, they will have to wait for later on, because at this point in time, there was an urgency in getting to the ride, since it was still highly popular and the wait times can get pretty crazy. Stopping for pictures was not an option at the moment.
As we finally approach the crowd near RSR, we notice the standby time is at 120 minutes. Now last time we were here, just T-Man and I, we opted to wait in line. It was long, yes, but it was cool to see all the decorations and detail that went into everything. This time around, however, we will not be waiting. At least not 120 minutes.
As T-Man has already explained, Nebo has the GAC. Smidgy offers up the chance to use it, and honestly, we would be fools to say no...I know Nebo is a little sketchy on using it, and I don’t want him to feel like we are pouncing on every opportunity, so I let them lead on this. Giving them the opportunity to do what they feel they should do, without outside influence.
Smidgy walks over to the fastpass line, shows them the GAC, and the CM there points them in the direction of a booth down the road. Smidgy grabs Nebo and they are off, it wasn’t until I realize I am in the way of some fortunate fast passers that I notice I am all alone in this area. My party is no where to be seen.
Where did everyone go?
I sniff myself discreetly…
I remembered to put on deodorant so it can’t be that.
It’s then that I notice them working their way to the other CM. I hurry to catch up.
The CM tells them to be back between 10:45 and 11:45am.
This gives us some time to meander the park and check out some of the other sites and rides.
Before this trip, Nebo and T-Man have talked regularly, since this is their first time at the park, T-Man tried to give him as much information as possible on certain rides. Between that and I’m sure, some research on his end, Nebo definitely wanted to go on California Screamin’, as well as Mickey’s fun wheel...otherwise known as, MNSFWOD! I will explain to those who have no clue what that means a little later.
We work our way through the backstreets of Carsland. Just between Ramone’s Body Shop and Flo’s V 8 Cafe, there is a road that winds down into the Pacific Warf. It’s a great little walk, and gives you a chance to see the Radiator Springs Racers track and background a little better, so you can get pictures or just gawk in all it’s Carsland glory for a few minutes without feeling like you are in the way of others. Plus it’s not as crowded as the main drag in Carsland, so you don’t have to keep everyone on such a tight leash for fear of losing them in the crowds.
For those that did not follow along with our last TR, Pacific Warf is the area to go for eats and drinks. When it gets warmer out and the crowds start streaming in, this place will be buzzing. Right now, nothing is open and we just cruise on through without any problems. The last time we were here, T-Man and I bought a beer from one of the small kiosks in this area. That was before we found our drinking hole and never looked back. We had also thought about coming around and getting a frozen margarita from one of the stands, but never did. I think we mentioned it again as we passed through this time, but once again, never made it back here. One day...that margarita by the yard will be mine! If I remember the next time we go back.
Also in this little area, is a bakery tour that I did not know about until recently, when doing a little research. The Boudin Bakery Tour takes you on a journey to explore how the famous San Francisco Sourdough bread is made. Evidentially it is narrated by Colin Mockrie (If you have ever watched an episode of “Who’s Line is it Anyway,” you will recognize him as the almost bald, older guy that does most of the skits with Ryan Stiles) and Rosie O’Donnell.
From what I gather, you will eventually be lead into the bakery and can sample the bread or order one of their soups or salads in a sourdough bread bowl.
Taken from All Ears.net “The Boudin Bakery in San Francisco has produced sourdough bread for over 150 years. The "mother dough" was developed by French baker Isidore Boudin in 1849. The bacteria found in the mother dough is unique to San Francisco and has the scientific designation lactobacillus sanfrancisco.
The bread's only ingredients are: unbleached flour, water, salt, and a portion of the mother dough.”
Did anyone else think “Mother ship” when reading mother dough?
Anyway...Sounds yummy right?! Might have to try this next time we are there.
There is also the Mission Tortilla Factory tour. This tour gives you demos on the different flour and corn tortilla making machines.
Hmm...The only flour tortilla making machine we have at home is me…
Ok. Enough edumication, I really added that information to remind me of what we need to do next time we are there. If you got anything out of it, or actually enjoyed it, that was a total fluke.
Shall we proceed?
What? You need a bathroom break? Already? We haven’t even started with beer yet! Fine...but make it quick will ya?
Finally...Geez! Did you have to make the outhouse first?
Now where was I?
Oh, right...We made our way through Pacific Warf and headed to Paradise Pier.
If you remember from our last TR, Paradise Pier is made to resemble...well...a pier…
Arcade areas, and the ferris wheel (of death), roller coaster and fun games for the kids. It’s actually a very fun area to visit in the park.
As you walk up the wooden pathway, past the bar, you are greeted with the sight of California Screamin’. This is the main roller coaster here at DCA. We stroll slowly along the walk, coming up to the railing that overlooks the lagoon area, and wouldn’t you know it. Right as we stop, there is a coaster car ready to launch.
You can’t quite hear what is being said, but all of a sudden you hear the entire car scream as it is launched straight up into a tunnel. Nebo’s eyes light up like a little kid on his birthday! I think so does T-Man’s. I avert my eyes and continue to walk, pretending I didn’t see a thing.
T-Man stopped to check the wait time for the coaster, at the moment, it was only a 10 minute wait. So we figured we would come back around to it. Toy Story is usually the longest wait of the rides on this side, so we wanted to hit that up first. There was a moment of pondering on whether we needed to get fastpasses, but figured the wait time was not bad so we should be ok.
We wandered over to Toy Story, and sure enough, the wait time was 45 minutes. I don’t know if this wait time ever goes higher than 45 minutes, but I don’t think it ever goes lower than that. I seem to always see it at this wait time no matter what time of day it is.
Smidgy decided this would be a great time to pull out the GAC, and walked up to the CM. T-Man and I stayed back, letting them do whatever they needed to do. Smidgy called us over a few moments later and soon we were ushered into the next numbered line.
I honestly do not remember what line we were in, but I’m pretty sure we were all in the same car. We soon were boarded and on our way through the arcade.
Here is where my brain gets a little fuzzy. If I remember correctly, I started having problems right off the bat with my gun. It wasn’t hitting my intended targets, instead it was going off to the side. I thought at first it was just me, and for the most part, T-Man and I were going back and forth on the score. Each set of new games had one of us just above the other.
Now, this is my game. This game, I have ALWAYS dominated in. At least with T-Man...Smidgy always kicks all our butts, at least the last time I was on the ride with her she did, but anytime T-Man and I have played, I have always come away as the victor.
Sadly, I can no longer say I hold that title.
I’m just going to need a minute...Sorry…
*sniff sniff*
At the end of this game is what can make or break you, the one for all the marbles. Being able to go full speed and just hitting anything and everything you can see. Spotting the big numbers and going for those, but also making sure that you don’t leave those little ones to chance, because those will boost your score.
Somehow, the big numbered items just couldn’t pull me over the edge. I would aim directly at one, and would end up missing the target completely, or it would end up hitting something completely different, I don’t think i’m over exaggerating when I say that its possible my gun was hitting targets in the game behind me.
In the end, I’m pretty sure that T-Man won. We tried to take a picture of the scores, but by the time we knew it, we were being shooed off the car and booted back onto the pier.
We doubled back at this point to hit up California Screamin’. I figured it was early, and playing dumb wife (DW) early is better. It gives me a chance to catch my breath for the next DW move later in the day.
Smidgy did not feel like playing DW with us, so we left Smidgy to her own devices while we followed the line.
Now, I’m not one to complain much about ride ques. I know for the most part, they are set up like this for a reason, and normally I would enjoy the sights, but there was nothing in this que. It’s pretty much out in the open. Luckily there is a covering so that you aren’t baked by the sun the entire time, but otherwise it’s just a winding trail, until you come to the stairs...then you have to go up the stairs...just to take a short walk to the left, and then go back down another set of stairs in order to get to the ride...Really?! What is with the stairs in Southern California?!?!
I have noticed the few times we have visited SoCal, there are stairs everywhere. If you want to go to the beach, you have to take the stairs to get there, and then of course take the stairs back up to get to your car/hotel room. I’m pretty sure if a chicken wanted to get to the other side...he would not have to cross the road...he would take the stairs!
Moving on…
Once we guided our way through the stairs and were placed into our respective lines for the ride, we noticed that Nebo was set up by himself. T-Man and I had the first car, while Nebo would be right behind us. Being in the very front is not that exciting for a DW...I offered...maybe even pleaded with them for T-Man and Nebo to sit together. I didn’t mind sitting alone...I think T-Man thought I would chicken out if he wasn’t there to keep me in the seat, so my offer was rejected.
Now if you remember, I have a theory on coasters, all designed around the type of restraint you have.
Lap bar or loose seat belt = Easy going, no major things happening. Sit back and enjoy.
Form fitting seat belt or lap bar that also secures you in place = A little bumpy but not too bad.
Over the shoulder harness = There will be either a loop or major twist at some point on this ride. my DW senses are kicking in.
Over the shoulder harness + seat belt (reminding you of a child car seat restraint) = OH HECK NO!
This ride had the DW senses kicking in. There was an over the shoulder harness, but I didn’t have to super glue myself to the ride, so I figured I would be safe.
At this point, once the restraint is on and I am facing forward, I start to think…”What am I doing? T-Man could have gone with Nebo and I didn’t have to do this. I could have stayed with Smidgy. We could have gone and grabbed a nice drink and relaxed a while...D’Oh!”
Unfortunately it’s too late for me to take the chicken exit, and the car begins it’s forward motion.
I think this video of a couple of guys from an Australian morning show who went on the ride can explain, or in this case, show, what the ride is like, a lot better than I can...seeing as I probably had my eyes closed the entire time. Explaining loud screaming and complete blackness isn’t that exciting…
The video was a live shot of them going through the entire coaster. As you watch, pay special attention to the facial features of both guys. The one on the left, with the red shirt, would be what T-Man looks like while on the ride, while the one on the right, totally me.
California Screamin'
Once we were off the ride, and back on solid ground, we raced...or rather, walked as quickly as we could back to find Smidgy, who was near the picture kiosk. I want to say we got a camera shot of our picture from this particular ride, but I can’t seem to find it in our slew of photos. If I come across it later, I will definitely share.
Once we finish that, we walked along the pier, admiring the shops and arcade areas for the kids. Looming in the distance was my nemesis. A beautiful wheel, that looked so inviting and yet was so evil!
Brief synopsis for anyone joining us that didn’t read our last TR, or for those of you who enjoyed it so much the last time you want another dose...Mickey’s Fun Wheel is technically just that. A ferris wheel that has cages instead of opened faced cars and a huge picture of Mickey’s face on the front of it.
When you see if from far, it is a glorious sight.
That was a picture from our trip in 2012.
See how wonderful it looks? So inviting with Mickey’s face smiling back at you. I was so excited to ride it last time. I almost ran for the line.
When you get to the line area, there are two ways you can go. Go to the left, for the swinging gondolas, or go to the right for the stationary ones.
Being the naive DW that I am...I went left. Never go left. Right is the way to go…
As T-Man says when handing me my coffee in the morning, “The wife is always right!”
I was not right this day.
We boarded our happy little gondola and started moving, and everything was great, until we started moving higher, then all of a sudden my stomach opened up and swallowed my heart whole, along with my lungs and vocal chords.
All I could do was hold onto whatever I could, and hope I didn’t have a full out panic attack right in front of the poor souls that were caged in with us. You see...As you climb higher, the swinging gondolas do exactly as they say they will...they swing, and as you climb, they glide along a track of sorts. You almost feel like you’re free falling as the car glides sideways, then down and the opposite way, continuing this regimen throughout the ride.
That day, Mickey’s Fun Wheel was dubbed, Mickey’s Not So Fun Wheel Of Death!
With all that said...this year, I was not going to be defeated by MNSFWOD, I would not let it get to me. I was not going to be scared anymore.
As we approached the ride, I swallowed hard, took a deep breath in, let it out slowly and...
Smidgy and I gladly left Nebo in T-Man’s capable hands and went and took a seat in one of the benches overlooking the ride and lagoon.
What? I said I wasn’t going to let it get to me...the only way I could do that was to chicken out!
Nebo looking out from the gondola (taken from my safe perch on the park bench).
Yes, I do regret not going on it...I usually have a strict rule of thumb that I will do all the rides at least once each trip, so I do not have any regrets...however, I still haven’t gotten over my fear on this one. It’s sort of like the tramway we have here in NM. I love going up in that thing, but since the time I went down at night and had a full on panic attack in the middle of the tram car full of people, I have not been back up in it, and I feel the same will happen with MNSFWOD.
From there, we headed towards Goofy’s flight school. This was one ride T-Man and I skipped last time. I think it was mainly because the wait time was so long. I want to say the wait time this time around was 30 minutes or something along those lines. Smidgy pulled out her instant fast pass and we were ushered in.
I don’t really know what I was expecting on this ride, but feeling like I was going to fall over the side of the track every few seconds was definitely not one of them. The whole time Smidgy and I were competing to see who had the craziest scream, while Nebo and T-Man competed for who laughed best at their wives.
I think it was a draw both ways.
By now, we were in our allotted time frame to go back to Radiator Spring Racers, so off we went.
Now, let me say this before I continue...This ride is still fairly new. Which means that there are a gazillion people that want to ride it, and this ride is in constant motion pretty much from start of the day till finish. Most rides that are like this, constantly going non-stop, have a tendency to need a break, just like us human folk do.
With that said...unfortunately it seemed that the cars took this time for some refueling or oiling or whatever it is the cars need during their 15 minute work breaks.
The CM’s told us they weren’t sure how long they would be down, so Smidgy checked to make sure that our fastpasses would still be legit later in the day since the tickets had a specific time on them. The CM assured both Nebo and Smidgy that they were good all day.
We decided at that moment that it was a good time to hit the watering hole...Hey, its 5 o’clock somewhere right?! We surprised Nebo and Smidgy by opting to pay for their drinks. It’s not every day you get to do this, so why not treat them right?! Plus the first day there, they provided us with a beer while we hung out by the pool, so it was our way of repaying the favor.
We took a seat and enjoyed the refreshing and relaxing time while we had it. As we sat there contemplating our next move due to RSR being down, we decided to go for Grizzly River Rapids. We had grabbed a fast pass earlier when we were walking around. The fastpass tickets for World of Color are right next to the fastpass machines for GRR. (Don’t ask me why, seeing as WoC is no where near GRR. There seems to be a theme in this park that certain fastpass machines must be as far from the actual ride or event as possible in order to induce confusion and the need for more booze. At least that’s my reasoning behind it).
We all finished our drinks and headed towards GRR. It was still a little early in the day, but it was already getting pretty warm, so the thought of getting wet on the ride didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
We were seated into a raft with 3 other people, a gentleman and what I am guessing are his two kids (a boy and a girl). Smidgy instantly struck up a conversation with the little boy and the family was instantly conversing with us as if we had known each other forever.
I can’t quite remember if Smidgy asked the little boy if he had been on the ride before, or if they asked us if we had been, but somewhere along the lines, we mention that while T-Man and I have been on it before, this was the first time for Nebo and Smidgy. The kids got excited about that, and started telling them how it’s one of their favorites. The dad got an evil gleam in his eye and you could see the wheels turning in his head at that bit of information.
Here we are on the raft. (Please ignore my double chin...I’m slowly getting it down to just the original one I had back in the days).
Here is Smidgy with the little boy I was talking about.
And here is a picture of the whole family.
As the ride starts, you are floating on the water, getting turned, this way and that way as you make your way to the conveyor belt. As you are lifted up to the top by the conveyor, you get sprayed by pipes that are on either side of you.
Picture going up the conveyor belt.
For most thrill seekers, the first thing you expect after being raised up on an incline, is to be rushed down on the other side. This ride, however, does not do that. It gently places you back in the water on the other side.
Here is where the rapids take over and the ride gets a little faster and a little bumpier. As the water starts to churn under the raft, you start to sway back and forth. Bumping the edges, which in turn makes your raft turn, so you never know where you will land up or if you will be the one on the bad end of things when there is a waterfall or geyser spraying water around.
Now you are on high alert because you are being turned around every so often. It’s funny how your hearing all of a sudden turns into a bionic instrument when you can’t see what’s behind you. You start to listen for screams or laughs or whatever else you may catch in order to get a sense of what you are in for.
All the while watching the faces of the people in front of you to see if they know something they aren’t telling you. If you are there with people who go to the parks regularly and you are a newbie...trust me...they will never tell you what you are in for.
As we continue to get tossed and turned on the rapids, our car, conveniently starts to turn as we see the upcoming drop. Now this is the first of 2 big drops on this ride. On this one in particular, the first thing you notice is not the drop, but the waterfall above it. Giving you the impression that as you drop, you will be drenched, no matter what.
Here is a picture of it T-Man took.
As our car decends, the little boy off to Smidgy’s side...No...Not Nebo, the other little boy...starts giggling because he knows what will happen. The looks on the father and little girls face are all smiles as well.
The dad yells, “Here we go!” and as we descend I expect to get soaked to the bone from the waterfall...I get a trickle of water down my back, but nothing like I expected.
Now what is not expected is the rush of water from the rapids as our raft hits the water, that comes directly over our heads and through the sides and into the boat!
FYI...The water is not warm!
Now the rapids pick up the pace and we are being hurdled down towards the next and final drop. Since the water is thrashing against the raft and the walls around you, of course you end up getting wet randomly as you speed through. Water hits your back unexpectedly, or rushes up and into the side of the raft…
Did you notice how Smidgy and the little boy were each flanking one of the side entrances into the raft? Notice how there isn’t any barrier for the water there? The same thing was happening on T-Man’s side. Poor thing got soaked.
Soon the water slows and calms down, allowing the raft to gently sway. If you have never been on this ride before, you think, Oh...that was it? That wasn’t so bad.
A few photos of the ride from this vantage point.
Then, with the only warning, being from the family across from us of whoops and cheers, we are plummeted down one last time. Everyone crouches a little and tries to move away from the seats as much as possible, knowing the water will be doing the same thing as before. Hoping beyond hope that it will not reach them if they aren’t fully back against the seat. The water however is smarter, when it finds no one there, it reaches out and finds you. There is no getting out of this ride completely dry. You will be wet, even if it’s just a little, you will be wet.
The kids laugh, and we all smile, as the raft makes its way back to the beginning. We all unbuckle our seat belts and clammer off the raft and back out into the park. As we stop to collect ourselves, we notice that none of us made it out unscathed, and it seems T-Man got the worst of it. Luckily it’s a warm day out, so we should dry pretty quickly.
We check our handy dandy phone apps for the parks to see if RSR is back up and running. It seems to be back on track, so we make our way back to Radiator Springs in hopes of finally getting on the ride.
Smidgy shows the information to the CM at the fastpass lane, he allows us through and off we go. The fastpass lane is...well...fast...A lot faster than the standby that’s for sure. As we sail on through, we notice everyone else inching their way through the line. I sort of feel bad...but at the same time, if we had regular fastpasses, we would be doing the exact same thing, and technically, if they all had fastpasses, so would they.
We make it up to the next CM who takes another look at Smidgy’s pass and after waiting for a moment or two, points us in the direction of the line we need to go in. This line is a zigzagging ramp, just out of reach of the ride. We pass the first zig, and are on our way to the zag, probably about a 10 minute wait max to get on the ride...when it breaks down again.
Will our fearless crew ever get on the ride? Will they be destined to stand in line forever?
Tune in next time for these answers and more…
Hopefully not. I've been working on my chapters the same time Lady H is trying to catch up with hers. 
