Hello and welcome to the last day of our wonderful Disneyland trip! I thought about making this two posts as well, but decided to do a mega-post instead!
So, hang on to your hats, keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, and here we go!
We got up early and set out on our adventure! Speaking of adventures, here is the sign outside of our Disneyland Hotel tower!
The grounds crew was busy installing flowers for Valentines Day!
We ran into a couple of friends outside! The idea for the day was to hit all the classic attractions that we had missed on our previous days, focusing on Fantasyland first.
We had to wait for the park to open, though, so we went into the convention center. There was a sort of pop-up museum there. This large display case was filled with a nice (and random) collection of souvenirs from over the years!
I had fun finding things that I have in my own collection!
This tray is one of the best pieces in my collection as well...
Jess wanted me to point out everything! I told her to just read this blog, lol!
The first "ride" we went on was the Monorail. It's much shorter than the WDW version, but drops you in Tomorrowland, which is nice.
Thumb up for the great day ahead!
A very nice shot of the Matterhorn and sub lagoon.
Our first "in the park" ride was this classic!
It was a perfect day, if just a bit cool! There was no hint of the rain from yesterday!
And away we go into Monstro's gaping mouth!
The scenes never fail to charm. It's funny, even though I know we must have ridden this 50 years ago, I don't remember it at all.
This duck swam with us for the entire voyage!
After the ride, Jess ran into an old (I mean really old) friend!
Next it was time to ride Alice's Adventures! I wanted to make sure to ride all of the stuff they don't have at WDW.
This was our snooty catapillar.
A brief moment outside...
Ok, this picture is out of order, but all of tge Unbirthday Party pictures came out too blurry...
And then we went on Casey Jr!
Yes, we were monkeys, which fits my role as a Jr. Gorilla. These are our fellow monkeys!
In case the train goes swimming...
Then it was time for tea!
We got lucky 13!
Speaking of dizzy, we then made our way over to Dumbo for a spin!
Timothy looking cheerful. But watch out for that whip!
We then swung by The Mad Hatter. Jess had gotten her hubby, Josh, a cap, but she wanted it to say "Disneyland" on it. They were more than happy to help out for only around five dollars!
Then it was time for some real Disney magic! We happened to notice the Pearly Band heading to the carrosel with Mary and Bert. We quickly decided to try to ride with them and it worked out perfectly!
I'm being followed!
The gracious couple!
Peter Pan was next! It had a pretty good line. Here we are in it...
...and here too! But we're very close now!
Our ship!
Random view that's kind of out of order...
Jess and I have always loved riding Peter Pan together at WDW, so this was really special.
Then we went to Toon Town and rode Roger Rabbit! I got no pictures! Yay!
I did get this nice view of TT, though!
And...lunch. This is a pepperoni pizza flip. It was pretty good...
Then we went to Main Street and watched Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. It was nice. They also had Walt's bench out front.
Did you know that they have different flavours of Dole Whip? Indeed they do! At a place right next to the Tiki roon you can get a couple of nifty variations! Here is my "strawberry shortcake!"
And this was what Jess got. I can't remember what it was called, but it had chili powder.
And then we had a very special encounter with a Alice and The Mad Hatter at Coke Corner! The CMs doing the characters at Disneyland are all top notch, especially the face characters!
Mad as a....well, you know...
Chatting with a charming Alice!
She's obviously impressed to meet me! ;-)
Then we jumped back on The Jungle Cruise! This skipper was even funnier than the last one we had!
From the depths of the jungle, we wandered into Infinity and Beyond! Jess got revenge for our Midway Mania scores this one!
And then we went back across the park again (SO easy to do at Disneyland!). We decided that Pirates would be our last ride of the trip!
Like her or not, Red makes an impression when you run into her after the ride!
And my final picture in the park for this trip- although I hope to be planning another one soon!
On the trip home, we pretty much had the plane to ourselves! A perfect ending to a perfect trip!
And what's next for our Disney trips?
Well, I DO happen to have six park hopper passes (for seven days) for Walt Disney World that I need to use sometime....
Now that I'm retired, it might be time to hit the other coast with the whole family!
Time to start planning!
Stu, I'm behind on your trip reports. I need to go back to #3, but I will start here since it is your current one. It looks like you and your daughter had a blast. And what a perfect sky/backdrop for photo taking!
ReplyDeleteWow, $5 for embroidery on a hat? That service was free of charge for decades, with the purchase of a hat. I guess nothing is free anymore, at the Happiest Place On Earth.
Did the Pearl Band play their instruments, while they rode the Carousel? That reminds me of some of the old Wonderful World Of Color Episodes, where they would show footage of some of the bands and characters, riding the rides with guests.
That strawberry shortcake Dole Whip looks good! I'm not sure about the one with chili powder on it though!
Those "flat" hills behind Toontown look so much better than they used to. I guess they finally decided to make them more detailed. And hopefully, they used a paint that won't fade as quickly.
It's nice to see Alice, the Mad Hatter, and "Red" out and about, without swarms of people around them. Now I'm wondering if "Captain Jack Sparrow" and "Red" ever interact with each other, or if they stay apart?
Thanks for sharing your special trip with us, Stu! I hope you are able to return very soon!
- TokyoMagic!
Hi TM!
DeleteYes, it was a great day!
I should have pointed out that she got the hat at California Adventure the day before. I don't know if that makes a difference? In Disney money, 5 bucks pretty much is free, lol!
The Pearly band played two songs! One was from Mary Poppins, and one wasn't, although I can't remember exactly what they were.
The strawberry shortcake was fantastic, if not a bit "over the top sweet!" It was worth it, though!
The flats do look good, and actually blended into the sky nicely once in a while.
I never saw Jack and Red interact, but I think it would be great if they did. I was very impressed with the quality and accessability of all of the cgaracters! And I'm not really a "character guy!"
Of course! I'll try to post when I do go back!
I’m sad that there will be no more Disneyland trip reports, but it was fun while it lasted! You and your daughter made the most of your time there, it’s great that you and she are so close and have lots in common.
ReplyDeleteTaking the Monorail into the park is cool, but I’m always a bit discombobulated by starting in Tomorrowland instead of taking the traditional walk up Main Street. But one gets used to it!
The shot of Storybook Land is a beauty (the one from the queue). I’m glad you did the Alice ride, as you said, it’s unique to Disneyland, and definitely worth the wait. Did you spin your teacup? You see so many folks just sitting there! I’ve only done the Dumbo ride once, it was fun, but there’s no need for me to make the line longer - I got the gist of it.
I love Mary Poppins in her “Jolly Holiday” costume, she looks so pretty! Oh boy, that line for Peter Pan, just as you think you are almost there, you zag away again. It’s very deceptive! But the ride is so nice that you don’t mind too much.
A “pizza flip”, that’s a new one. I should have tried the strawberry shortcake Dole Whip, but I always order pineapple out of habit. The chili powder one must have been mango? That seems to be a common pairing.
I’ve never seen “Red” as a walkaround character - it looks like she was not swarmed! And WOW, why was your airplane so empty?? Crazy! You could put your seat dividers up and take a snooze.
Thanks for the fun trip report!
Hey, Major! Yes hopefully I'll have new trip material at some point! Jess really is a great "kid." She says I raised her right, lol!
DeleteWe made it a point to enter both ways. I agree the Main Street path is better, but it was a nice change.
Thanks! Feel free to grab any pics if you want. Yes, we spun (spinned?) You just gotta! Dumbo is a "because it's there" ride for me. No great thrills.
Mary was very pretty, and the band was fun! And, yes, Pan is worth the wait, if you have the time. Well, maybe even if you don't...
The shortcake whip was great, but very sweet! The pizza flip seems like something that was invented when someone dropped a personal pizza and it folded over. It was bigger than the picture makes it look. I'm pretty sure mango was involved in Jess' Whip.
Yes, we just walked right by Red! In fact, she stopped us to ask what time it was! She was very gracious and just fit in to NOS perfectly.
I don't know why the plane was so empty, but it was nice!
Now I get to plan more!
I like the 3D layers of the "Adventure Tower" sign; a little extra 'plussing' that Disney does so well. More so, in the past, but still evident today if you look for it.
ReplyDeleteI notice that the Disneyland board game in the display case shows the names of the "lands" as two words: Frontier Land, Fantasy Land, etc... Weird.
Wow, that Matterhorn/Sub Lagoon picture is a beauty! Post card worthy. And as Major notes, the Storybook Land photo is beautiful as well. I think it's the early morning light that really makes everything pop.
I'm sure you're aware that the 'duck' that accompanied you around the Storybook Canal was an AED, right? It was just waiting for the right moment to do what AEDs do best! Fortunately, it never found just the right place. You were very lucky!
That's also an excellent photo of your snooty caterpillar; very colorful! And I appreciate seeing the interior of the Alice ride.
The 'panoramic' shot of Storybook Land taken from Casey Jr. also looks great.
Excellent (first) photo of the Dumbi all flying at different altitudes as well.
I'll echo Major again in saying that Mary Poppins never looked lovelier.
"Red" is looking very saucy here. You don't wanna mess with her!
Thanks for the Disney trip report, Stu. I'm glad the two of you had a good time.
Hey JB!
DeleteAs much as people bemoan the loss of quality, we saw added details quite a bit. I wasn't dissapointed in Disneyland at all!
One of the things I like about those early games (and other products as well) is that they didn't really have everything figured out yet! I like the little quirky details!
I noticed the switch on the AED''s back, but didn't call it to the attention of any of the passengers. No need for a panic!
Thanks for the picture compliments! The lighting really was perfect!
Red was very nice, but yeah, had we crossed her it might have gotten ugly!
You're welcome!
I think that display of Disneyland memorabilia used to be in what was then called the Sierra Tower. I remember seeing something very like it the one time we stayed at the DL Hotel in 1995.
ReplyDeleteAh, sweet Alice! My crush from age four and beyond. Probably a subconscious reason I married a blonde.
I have leftover pizza in the fridge. I will try a pizza flip in the air fryer for lunch.
Cool that your daughter not only took you to Disneyland but also chartered a private plane for the ride home.
So happy you had a great trip. And you obviously did a great job raising your daughter. :-) Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Chuck!
DeleteThat could be where it is. My Disneyland Hotel geography isn't great, I'm afraid.
I too have always admired Alice, so it was neat when they stopped and chatted! (My wife is a brunette, though...)
Just don't drop the oizza on the ground and you should be alright!
That's true! She's first class!
Thanks and you're more than welcome!
Oizza= pizza
DeleteStu, I don't want your trip [report] to end...I'm loving all the pictures and commentary.
ReplyDeleteThe M & M topiaries are cute, and the photo of Jess with the M & M statues is adorable.
What a beautiful shot of the Horn that Matters, and lagoon!
The fact that the duck swam with you the entire ride is rather suspicious. He was probably keeping an eye on you. Maybe he was concerned YOU might explode.
You went on so many rides and attractions - what a fun day! I especially love your Alice in Wonderland pictures...but they're all fun pictures of such a terrific day in Disneyland. Thank you for taking us along!
Hu Sue!
DeleteYeah, I don't want them to end either, but hopefully I'l have more trips to report on!
Jess is a natural "ham," lol! Ever since she was little, she knows a photo op when she sees it!
Thanks! I'm not sure if Jess or I took it, but I'll claim it!
Are you suggesting that he was an ASD? (Anamatronic Spying Duck)
Of course! Maybe someday we can all go for real!
I am here to say that I finally read all of them back-to-back as the good father intended. I cannot wait to go back! We should go w/ the gorillas :)
DeleteAny time you're down for a trip, let me know.
(Me? A Ham? Yep! I am a Hamilton, after all!)
Yes, you are!
Delete