Thursday, September 1, 2016

Disneyland Trip Report: August 27-28, 2016

With the Paint the Night parade and World of Color: Celebrate, nearing their end on September 5th, I thought I better get back to the happiest place on earth to enjoy them one more time. Couple that with a new PinQuest scavenger hunt and there was no way I was going to wait all the way until next summer to make the trip! Below is my trip report in pictures...

First, a look at Disneyland:
The crowds early Saturday morning were extremely light until about 10:00am.
A look back towards the Main Street Train Station which remains closed until work on the new route of the tracks is complete, in the summer of next year.
A look down Main Street. Some construction was being done, as you can see on the right, but all the stores remained open.
Just a little goofing around...


Guests lined up outside of Adventureland for the Rope Drop.
A rare look at the uninhabited Bazaar shop across the vacant Adventureland walk way.



First stop...Jungle Cruise -my favorite ride!
Schweitzer Falls, named after the famous adventurer, Dr Albert Falls.
Aww! Isn't that nice! That pride of lions is protecting the sleeping zebra. He looks dead tired! 
Trader Sam, the head salesman of the jungle. He'll trade two of his heads for one of yours!

Heading towards the Rivers of America...
Past Tarzan's Tree House...

My first look at the Rivers of America, one of my favorite areas of the park. I was so happy when Disney decided to put in coffer dams to keep water in the front portion of the river as they do construction to shrink Tom Sawyer Island and shorten the back half river to make more room for Star Wars Land.
I love this area under normal conditions but devoid of people (other than my family) gives it an even more peaceful, serene feeling.
Now off to Frontierland to do some pin trading - an addictive hobby my daughters got me started with last year.
A fun informative piece that, during the normal hustle and bustle of the day, I usually walk right past.
A closer look at the plaque...
Typically during peak days and at peak times, a pin trading cast member is stationed in the corner there.

One of, if not the best pin shops in all of Disneyland.

A look back at Frontierland as I exit and head toward the hub.

Entering the magical world of Fantasyland!
Peter Pan was having some work done to the outside of the building but the ride was open, boasting some of the longest wait times of any ride in the park.
Casey Jr Circus Train - one of the classics!
Any guesses as to what ride this little guys sits atop of?
Pinocchio

On to Storybook Land Canal Boats - another classic!
Jasmine's Palace
Cinderella's Castle
The small details are what makes this one of my favorite attractions!
Prince Eric's ship.
A view of Fantasyland from Dumbo...
...and another...
...and one more.
Time for It's a Small World!
When I was here in July, the hippo had been removed for refurbishment. Now he's back with a nice new look!
For whatever reason, this sun always captivated me as a child when I would go to Disneyland with my Mom, and it still holds a sentimental place in my heart.
Snow White's Grotto. 
I thought it might be fun to add a picture of what this area looked like back in 1987 when my Mom and I were there. Most of the figures are in the exact same spot, some just rotated slightly.
Before we headed over to CA Adventure, we stopped in Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland to meet Chewbacca.
A brief mention of the limited time scavenger hunt called PinQuest at Disneyland. Our family had a lot of fun deciphering the clues and collecting the pins at each of the different locations. If you'd like more information on PinQuest, visit my PinQuest blog post by clicking on this link. 
Now on to CA Adventure!
My daughter has a fascination with tractors and when she saw Mater's Junkyard Jamboree she just had to go on it! Shortly after it started though, she decided that it was a little too scary for her, with how much it was whipping her around...

...so we headed over to A Bug's Land to try something a little more her speed. She loves Heimlich's Chew Chew Train (or the caterpillar ride as she calls it).
Now it's off to Disney Jr Live on Stage!
She loved this show!

But The Little Mermaid is her favorite ride in CA Adventure.
Recognize where we are headed next?
The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
We also tried Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters for the first time. It is actually really neat to see the cars drive, turn, and spin to the music as you're waiting in line. The problem is, it's probably more fun to watch than it is to ride. I find it a little disappointing that Disney replaced a rather unique Flying Tires ride with another ride extremely similar to the Tea Cups, Francis' Lady Bug Boogie, and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. I can understand the thinking behind the need to replace the Flying Tires due to the many injury lawsuits (as frivolous as most of them were) and because of the difficulty getting in and out of them, but I wish the Imagineers would wipe the dust off of their creativity and think of something a little more different than what is already there...
A night at CA Adventure wouldn't be complete without seeing the World of Color: Celebrate show! Unfortunately Celebrate will be replaced with the original version of the World of Color beginning September 6, 2016. Hopefully they will bring back Celebrate in the future!
A Final Look:
A final look at The Hollywood Tower of Terror. In January of 2017, it will be closing permanently for a transformation into Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, opening in the Summer of 2017. Admittedly, I'm not a thrill seeker so I had never been on it but knowing that I would never get another chance, I decided to give it a try. I survived! My teenage girls love this ride and will be sad to see it go. I also think the theming is fantastic! Apparently, and somewhat understandably, Disney wants to create a similar ride with a brand that they own (Guardians of the Galaxy) instead of one which they just pay for the rights to use (Twilight Zone). This may be the first step into a major Marvel injection into this area of CA Adventure...
Star Wars Land Construction:
My trip report wouldn't be complete without an update on the Star Wars Land construction. Unfortunately all the areas I typically go to to take pitures of the construction were given more attention to keep people out! But fortunately my ingenious 16 year old, Alley Kapcsos found a way to snap a few shots as she was enjoying Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Here's a look:

Here's a closer look at the new route of the Disneyland Railroad (the posts sticking out of the ground) as it approaches the Mickey's Toon Town stop. 
,,,and one last look.
That wraps up our trip report! Be sure to check back for more Disney News and Rumors, Ride spotlights, and other tips to make your Disneyland vacation even more enjoyable!

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