"D" Pics

Here's an interesting fact - 80% of the plants in Tomorrowland are edible. Chew on that!

And here is a video from the nosecone of the Disney Monorail...



"D"-Lightful, Part 3 of 3

I'm sorry to say, this post will not have any pictures (or decent formatting, for that matter). :(  I'm writing this on my iPad which apparently has some compatibility issues with Google blogging.I have the pictures on my iPad, but I can't get them into the blog.

Our last"D" attraction was the Disneyland Monorail. We had ridden half of it on our last visit, but this time we rode the whole loop. It starts in Tomorrowland and makes one stop in Downtown Disney, which is outside of the park. I have a nice video to show you, but I can't upload that right now either. Anyways, it's a 10-12 minute round trip including the stop. We sat in the nosecone for the whole trip, which was nice. All you have to do is ask, and as long as there's room, they will let you ride there. The monorail gives you a quick and brief tour of the park and is a good way to get to the "other end."

Although the Disneyland Monorail was our last "D", we're not really done with the D's. As I'd previously mentioned, we didn't get to see Duffy, and the Aladdin show was cancelled. We still have to do those. 

We still had a good portion of the evening ahead of us, and the six of us (Walt, Cindy, Natalie, Ryan, Wade, and Alexis) had dinner at Ariel's Grotto as part of the World of Color package (California Adventure). The dinner was expensive ($40/person) but good. Thank goodness we got 20% off with our season pass. The highlight of the dinner was the dessert platter which is set out for the whole table. Can you see all the yummy chocolates and desserts in the picture?  Oh, that's right, no picture. The dinner included preferred viewing tickets for the World of Color.

After dinner we saw the World of Color show. (It's not listed as an attraction - so we're not going out of order.) Wow! It's spectacular. If you haven't seen it yet, make a point to do so next time you can. The dancing fountains with all of their colors, the music, and the images projected on the walls of water are an incredible feat of showmanship and truly awe inspiring. There was even some fire dancing with the water.  This brief description doesn't do it justice - it's just something you have to see. 

Our last attraction of the evening was part of ElecTRONica. Yes, it's an "E", but as I mentioned earlier, we were thwarted with the D's. ElecTRONica is a multiple event attraction that takes over the Hollywood Backlot area. The street itself has lights and lasers and large screens showing TRON-like images. Adjacent to the street there's a DJ playing music and people (guests) dancing all around. There's a show called Laserman Revisited (I think) which is the best thing I've seen with lasers in a long time. It's a one-man show. The man is dressed in a TRON style suit and is manipulating a single green laser beam with his hands. He bends it, turns it, duplicates it, moves it around the stage, and more. This is another show that you must see to get the full effect.

On our next visit, we plan on finishing the D's and working on the E's, including completing the ElecTRONica experience.

"D"-lightful, Part 2

July 30, 2011, continued

Ryan & Natalie in Disney Animation

In addition to Disney's Aladdin – a Musical Spectacular and Disney Junior, Live on Stage!, the other "D’s" at California Adventure are Duffy the Bear and Disney Animation. Disney Animation is a large room surrounded by dozens of various size screens, each playing a scene from a different Disney tale. It would be easy to simply sit in the middle of the room and spend hours just watching the screens. This animated room is also the gateway to three other attractions: Animation Academy, Character Close-Up, and Turtle Talk with Crush.

Alexis and Wade at the Duffy display

The Duffy the Bear attraction is a designated place where Duffy, a giant bear, sits and greets guests and poses for photos. He only appears for a few hours each day. We went by his spot a few times, but we kept missing him. We'll have to catch up with Duffy next time.

Continuing with the “D” attractions, we headed to Disneyland to ride Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes. These are actual canoes that seat about 20 people. There are two cast members - one in the front of the boat and one in the back. Each guest has a paddle and, if the guests don't row, the boat's not going anywhere. As we paddle around Tow Sawyer Island, the cast member in front entertains us with light banter. It's a pleasant attraction. It's nice to be on a ride where you do more than just sit.

After the canoes, we went to Disney Princess Fantasy Faire. What a mecca for little girls! The Princess Faire includes a theater for various princess related shows and a separate "throne room" where visitors can sit with and talk to the princesses. (By the way, according to our friend Rachel, there are 10 Disney Princesses. Do you know them all? A couple of them are rather obscure.) After visiting the princesses, you can go to the shop to purchase your own princess outfits and accessories.

Next stop: Donald's Boat in Mickey's Toontown. The large boat is a stationary structure that kids can walk on and through. A nice addition to Toontown but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

Our day isn’t over yet. In the next post will be: Disneyland Monorail, dinner at Ariel’s Grotto, World of Color spectacular, and ElecTRONica.