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I went to the Finding Nemo ride first, because it's by far the worst line in the park. The problem is that it's a very slow loading ride. People have to actually climb in and out of the ride, which really does take forever. When I got there around 9:30 (I wanted to get there at 9 when then park opened, but I couldn't get my butt out of bed) the line was already an hour long, and the park wasn't even that busy. If you ever want to go on this ride, you seriously need to race to it first thing. No fastpasses either.

However, the ride itself is adorable. I couldn't get shots of the dark part of the ride, but they use this kind of 3-D projection type stuff for Nemo and pals. Way too cute. There's even a tiny story - Nemo gets lost again. SHOCKING STUFF.

Zero theming in the line ads insult to injury. Yup, by far the absolute worst wait for a ride in the park.

While in the hour-long line. Look at that beautiful sky! Absolutely nothing will change this beautiful day, right?

poohmusings likes to say, FEAR THE GREY CLOUD.

Yes, those seaguls actually do say "Mine. Mine. Mine." :D The Nemo sub in the background entering the cave - the dark part of the ride. It's actually a pretty long ride.

Sidetrack for a moment. This is for the people on my flist who have recently gone SW mad. They have this "Jedi Training Academy" show, which I could see from, yes, the Nemo line. My morning was spent in the Nemo line.

SW peeps! Aren't you getting all excited? Ooooooooh!

I actually took this shot later up on the Monorail platform, but this gives an idea of how the setup for the ride works.

Everyone climbs up and down this small spiral staircase. I'd guess you get about 30 people in a sub at a time?

Finally in the sub!

Everyone gets their own wee hole to look through. This was mine. Hello, hole!

It's Disney, and so everything gets themed to the hilt. Except for the line for some reason.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey."

Yesterday was the first day of their Indiana Jones promotion. They had Indiana and a bad guy running around Adventureland. This was on ~~Swiss Family Robinson's~~ Tarzan's Treehouse. People were also handing out brochures "Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries" that had little games you could play - finding hidden clues for things and so on. You couldn't win anything. It was just something extra, like when they handed out Indiana Jones decoder cards for the writings in the ride line.

Now it was starting to sprinkle, and so I hopped on the train, which is very covered. And snapped a picture of Tinkerbell's butt for some reason. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine.

More random themeing. And this is a place that can really only be seen when you're on the train. They do that so well. Except for the Nemo line, apparently. (No, I will not let that go.)

The sprinkling was continuing to happen, so I decided to go to Downtown Disney to watch the Indiana Jones movie. (Had obviously been brainwashed by very hot actor running around in Adventureland.) While on the Monorail platform what do we see? That's right, Disneyphiles! MONORAIL RED! Monorail Red is very pretty and very shiny and they wouldn't let us ride it. It's still in testing mode.

The picture barely captures it, but that red is PRETTY. I'd seen other people talking about the red before (hey, I have places I lurk that are non-Who-related) and was like "okay, it's red." But...it's a pretty red. Shiny and not quite sparkly or iridescent, but there's something unique about it.

Heh. I am a massive dork in that I find this amusing with Monorail Red in the background. Why? Because apparently Monorail Red came off the truck and immediately munched part of itself because it was designed with original original specs, and not the work-in-progress specs from back in the 60s. You seriously had no idea how much of a Disneyland nerd I am, did you?

After the movie I wandered through the Grand Californian. I'd love to stay there some day, but at $400 a night, I think that'll have to be for a milestone birthday or something.

It was really raining now, and so I went to the dark rides. The ones that had inside lines. Like Roger Rabbit!

I think this door might be the answer to something...

And Roger Rabbit promptly breaks down. Flood lights come on. I was very close to the exit, but I still had to wait about 10 minutes in the car while they evacuated the rest of the ride. Of course since I was stuck somewhere, my mental conversation was basically...

"Hmm. I wonder how long I'll be here. Good thing I don't have to pee. Wait... OMG, I HAVE TO PEE. NOW. GET ME OFF!! Hang on, no. I really don't. But I'll have to pee eventually. I wonder how long I'll be here. *twiddles thumbs*"

Well, one thing that happens when it rains and doesn't let up is that the park clears out. Only the really stupid people stay. *coughs*

I'm now the proud owner of that rain poncho you see everyone sporting. It's got a castle on it. And cost $7. Pffft. (I'm standing on the Mark Twain boat and that's the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean, in case you were curious.)

And the Haunted Mansion. Which I actually rode while in non-holiday mode. Dark ride. Rain.

I really do love Disneyland in the rain. Yeah, you get wet, but there aren't as many people and it all becomes positively relaxing watching the rain fall on the river.

That was a fun movie. I never really felt like Harrison Ford was too old to be doing this. They were smart and set it in the 50s, and so it fit his physical appearance. They did mention the age thing a few times, but for the most part it really didn't have a huge impact. I liked that.

I also liked his son Mutt. You know how it is with insta-kids - they tend to be completely annoying. But he was pretty good, I thought. They didn't make him too instantly awesome and gave him enough differences. Also, I was amused that Indiana had named himself after the dog, and his son goes and names himself a dog. HEH. And since Mutt did it without having a clue about Indiana, I'm guessing some sort of screw-loose gene. :D

Marian was funny, and the ending was cheesy, but fun cheesy.

I'm not really sold on the whole alien thing, though. When at first they were in Area 51, I thought for sure the alien stuff would be a red herring, and we'd come to find out all this stuff was really something else. But, nope. Aliens. Somehow Indiana Jones with aliens seems weird. Ancient religious mysticism? Great! Big grey aliens? Hmm.

Two more things - the movie started out with prairie dogs. *amused for my own reasons* And I like the psych-out of the passing-the-hat at the end. No one's quite ready for that yet, junior. :D (Although...I could be interested enough to at least try a movie with Shia LaBeouf down the road.)

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And you all mocked me and my GREY CLOUD FEAR.

My hairdresser when to Disneyland with her kids around mid-March, kinda between people's Spring breaks and said it was the best experience. No lines at all -- not even for Nemo! -- and absolutely perfect weather. I was so envious.

I've always suspected you have a thing for Tinkerbell's butt. NOW I KNOW THE TRUTH.

And you all mocked me and my GREY CLOUD FEAR.

Because it's so fun to mock!

My hairdresser when to Disneyland with her kids around mid-March, kinda between people's Spring breaks and said it was the best experience. No lines at all -- not even for Nemo! -- and absolutely perfect weather. I was so envious.

WOW! I wonder if there were more people in the park yesterday (it WAS a Thursday after all) because we're headed into a holiday weekend and people have taken off. And maybe some schools are out already?

I've always suspected you have a thing for Tinkerbell's butt. NOW I KNOW THE TRUTH.

:P

Heh. I was thinking about you when I got stuck on Roger Rabbit. Undoubtedly we'd be having that "need to pee NOW" conversation out loud if you were with me. :D

Undoubtedly we'd be having that "need to pee NOW" conversation out loud if you were with me. :D

We would totally be egging each other on! HEEE.

(You know, not sure I've ever been on that ride ...)

"Wow, aren't you glad you drank that enormous diet coke before we got on?" :D

And really? You spin your car around as you go through - way back in Toontown. Hmm. We'll have to hit that one next time!

Nope. Definitely haven't been on that ride!

(There was a 10-year period from when I last went as a kid and when I began going again with you, and I think a bunch of new things went up then -- like ToonTown -- that I've never really ventured into.)

Well hell! We'll have to go! Would you like to go sit in Mickey's lap in Toontown? Because that could be arranged. (And probably would be something people would pay for...)

Also, I had a corn dog!

OH! I also had a crochet bag I wore with the strap over the neck...across the chest...however you describe that. BE PROUD OF ME.

*GASP* No fanny pack?!

NO! I was skeptical about the whole thing because I hate having to carry or mess with stuff. But I was surprised since I didn't really have to mess with it all that much. And actually it was a lot more comfortable than having that thing around my waist the whole day (which gets hot).

I'm not really sold on the whole alien thing, though. When at first they were in Area 51, I thought for sure the alien stuff would be a red herring, and we'd come to find out all this stuff was really something else. But, nope. Aliens. Somehow Indiana Jones with aliens seems weird. Ancient religious mysticism? Great! Big grey aliens? Hmm.
Ahh, but they got around it actually BEING aliens by having them inter-dimensional-psychic-hive-mind-creatures instead! Totally Earth-based. That ship? That's a dimensional skipping stone, that is, not at all intended for space travel. Nope. Nosiree.

*COUGHS*

*wishes she could go to disney* :(

*patpat* Maybe someday?

The prairie dogs! I kept hearing the dramatic prairie dog music in my head whenever they were on screen.

I laughed a lot at the aliens.

The prairie dogs! I kept hearing the dramatic prairie dog music in my head whenever they were on screen.

*snorts*

Okay, now I'm hearing it too. :D

I laughed a lot at the aliens.

It was just so...what? :D And you're never quite sure why they came here in the first place or why they did "ALIEN SMASH" at the end or...

I KNOW. Plus... this is Indiana Jones. I know he's dealt with some pretty crazy stuff before, but aliens just seem a little much. And yeah, why did they leave? You'd think they'd want to meet the people who somehow made it through all those puzzles and defenses to find them. A little more exposition would have been nice.

I thinking they were sort of limited in options. The 50s meant the Cold War, and Communists aren't exactly known to be big into the religious stuff, so what's left? Aliens, I guess? Although they could have just had some big ancient weapon as the payoff...but I guess it'd have to be pretty big to compete with an atomic bomb...

Okay, so maybe aliens. :D

You know, I want to know why there were these indigenous people just hanging out in cave crevices. I mean, was this their day jobs? Do they do this a lot? Wouldn't their wives get really pissed off that they never did any hunting/farming/fishing?

Heh. I always remember this one trip to Disneyland when I was like 10, and it started downpouring...and why do I remember this? Not because it was wet. Not because it was uncomfortable. But because the lines were so short that I went on the Matterhorn like 3 times in a row before it let up. And got a Mickey Mouse rain poncho. These are the things that are important when you are 10.

Very important! And I have a similar kind of memory. Every year in junior high they'd turn us loose in Disneyland for a day. Like, the whole school. (Hmm. Wonder if they do that anymore.) Anyway, one year it was raining and the park was deserted. We ran from ride to ride and had the best day. I was probably 11 or so.

I really do love Disneyland in the rain. Yeah, you get wet, but there aren't as many people and it all becomes positively relaxing watching the rain fall on the river.

Disneyland in the rain is the best. I can't remember the last time I went in the rain...but I just love it. It really is just so calm and serene. Not stressful like it is on a busy day. Hmph, now I wish I'd gone yesterday too!

The rooms in the Grand Californian are just stunning, btw. I have friends who got married in the giant suite last year, and just stayed in a standard room two weeks ago for another friends bachlorette party. I wouldn't pay the full $400 either, but it's good with a group of friends just to be able to say you did it.

Disneyland in the rain is the best. I can't remember the last time I went in the rain...but I just love it. It really is just so calm and serene. Not stressful like it is on a busy day. Hmph, now I wish I'd gone yesterday too!

*nods*

I just wish the day had started out in the rain, since there then would have been even less people to begin with...

(Also, I had NO idea it was supposed to rain. Last I looked at a weather forecast, it was a couple of days ago. And then no one was saying rain. Didn't even occur to me it could rain.)

The rooms in the Grand Californian are just stunning, btw. I have friends who got married in the giant suite last year, and just stayed in a standard room two weeks ago for another friends bachlorette party. I wouldn't pay the full $400 either, but it's good with a group of friends just to be able to say you did it.

Ooh, I bet the wedding was beautiful! And maybe if I start saving now...

So is the Nemo ride in the same space as the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride? I'm amused to see the sub is named the Nautilus. And of course there's the Capt Nemo correlation.

Pfft on your wee Disneyland. This coast has Disney World. The tiny 85 acres of the Land would get lost in the parking lot of the 25,000 acres of the World.
I can sympathise, having spent many hours lost in the parking lot myself...

I love theme parks in the rain! Well, as long as there isn't lightning. Or, you know, hurricanes. Last time I went to Disney World was during Hurricane Wilma. They canceled the fireworks and everything. *cries*

So is the Nemo ride in the same space as the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride? I'm amused to see the sub is named the Nautilus. And of course there's the Capt Nemo correlation.

Yup yup yup! They never even dug up the old ride space, but it sat filled with water for years. And I loved the name.

Pfft on your wee Disneyland. This coast has Disney World. The tiny 85 acres of the Land would get lost in the parking lot of the 25,000 acres of the World.
I can sympathise, having spent many hours lost in the parking lot myself...

Pthththt! But we've got the Indiana Jone ride which is awesome beyond all awesomeness.

I love theme parks in the rain! Well, as long as there isn't lightning. Or, you know, hurricanes. Last time I went to Disney World was during Hurricane Wilma. They canceled the fireworks and everything. *cries*

Go you for seeing Mickey during a hurricane!

Zero theming in the line ads insult to injury. Yup, by far the absolute worst wait for a ride in the park.

Well, to be fair, when they built the ride, it was for a Jules Verne ~~novel~~ movie. Who could have expected such a turnout?! (Don't a lot of rides in Tommorrowland suffer from this, now? The wait for the "Cars" ride is interminable too).

And this is a place that can really only be seen when you're on the train. They do that so well.

I have not been on the monorail in forever. Not since high school. But I love the French Quarter. It is my favorite part of Disneyland for several reasons (Nice sets! Haunted Mansion! Good Food! Fancy Shops! Etc!).

Had obviously been brainwashed by very hot actor running around in Adventureland.

Is their Indy as hot as their Jack Sparrow? I always feel sorry for the guy who has to be Jack Sparrow. He must spend most of his day running away from women (Okay, he's probably not sorry to be Jack Sparrow, but...).

hey, I have places I lurk that are non-Who-related

BLASPHEMY.

After the movie I wandered through the Grand Californian. I'd love to stay there some day, but at $400 a night, I think that'll have to be for a milestone birthday or something.

My family went to the Napa Rose restaurant last time I was at Disneyland, and we had to wander through this hotel to get there. It's so lovely. BUT CONFUSING. I got the feeling you always need a map to know exactly where you are. (The Napa Rose is great, btw, as far as classy Disney dining goes. It had the shortest wait time of all the restaurants we went to as well, and they let you order appetizers and drinks while you wait.)

The ones that had inside lines. Like Roger Rabbit!

I have still never been on the Roger Rabbit ride. *ducks head*

And Roger Rabbit promptly breaks down. Flood lights come on. I was very close to the exit, but I still had to wait about 10 minutes in the car while they evacuated the rest of the ride.

BUWAHAHA. Aww....*pats* I once got stuck on the Haunted Mansion (while it was all Nightmare Before Christmas-y). I spent seven minutes staring at a snake eating a present. Fun times.

Only the really stupid people stay. *coughs*

Or maybe the really smart ones. I mean, you'd have to be smart to find a time when Disneyland isn't packed, right?

I'm not really sold on the whole alien thing, though.

ALIENS. WHAT? REALLY? ...I need more coffee.

Edited 2008-05-23 21:37 (UTC)

Well, to be fair, when they built the ride, it was for a Jules Verne novel movie. Who could have expected such a turnout?! (Don't a lot of rides in Tommorrowland suffer from this, now? The wait for the "Cars" ride is interminable too).

They've at least spruced up the Autopia queue with video screens and a *bit* of theming. Nemo's chained switchbacks. The only other ride I can think of that's that sparse is California Screamin', and at least the coaster's there to watch.

I have not been on the monorail in forever. Not since high school. But I love the French Quarter. It is my favorite part of Disneyland for several reasons (Nice sets! Haunted Mansion! Good Food! Fancy Shops! Etc!).

I've never eaten at their sit down restaurants there - I never feel like making a reservation. I suppose I should give it a go sometime.

Is their Indy as hot as their Jack Sparrow? I always feel sorry for the guy who has to be Jack Sparrow. He must spend most of his day running away from women (Okay, he's probably not sorry to be Jack Sparrow, but...).

He was very good looking - even had the scruff. Mmmm. Scruff.

My family went to the Napa Rose restaurant last time I was at Disneyland, and we had to wander through this hotel to get there. It's so lovely. BUT CONFUSING. I got the feeling you always need a map to know exactly where you are. (The Napa Rose is great, btw, as far as classy Disney dining goes. It had the shortest wait time of all the restaurants we went to as well, and they let you order appetizers and drinks while you wait.)

That place is HUGE. And you know, I have no idea where the "front" even is. I passed by the Napa Rose - looked really nice.

I have still never been on the Roger Rabbit ride. *ducks head*

It's a pretty fun dark ride - you get to spin your own car like the Teacups. I...kind of laughed my head off the whole way through this past time. Combine the mental state of being half-wet with really fast spinning...maybe I was the one that broke the ride!

BUWAHAHA. Aww....*pats* I once got stuck on the Haunted Mansion (while it was all Nightmare Before Christmas-y). I spent seven minutes staring at a snake eating a present. Fun times.

I love that snake!

Or maybe the really smart ones. I mean, you'd have to be smart to find a time when Disneyland isn't packed, right?

It becomes an art, really.

ALIENS. WHAT? REALLY? ...I need more coffee.

Aliens. It was... You know, maybe they had RTD onboard as an adviser.

TinkerButt FTW.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

You are so lucky to have gone yesterday. I got the Disney Insider e-mail and they're like, "Woo Indy!" and I'm like, "FRAK, I seriously have to wait another month till I go?" Though I am going for 9 days, so I don't really think I can complain that much. Though I do wish I could be there when it's raining. The rest of my family would be like "AAAHHHH RAIN! Back to the hotel!" And I'd be like "Hell no. I'm staying here. This DISNEY rain, it's infused with magic and I shall be magical and you shall not because you were wimps and went home." And they'd be like "Yeah, but you'll be wet. And probably will catch the flu." And I'll be like, "DISNEY RAIN! DO YOU THINK I CARE?!"

That's exactly how it would go.

Also, COMPLETELY agree with you on all counts about everything about Nemo. LOVE the ride, though my family was unimpressed because we waited two hours and didn't get on until one in the morning. But I loved it, because, as a fellow Disney nerd, I know how much work went into the ride and I know how amazing it is for them to be able to have done the stuff they did underwater. And yes, the line needs some work, but I think until things lighten up as far as the traffic goes for that ride, they won't be able to do anything with it. When I go work for them, I'll be sure to get straight on that. ;)

AND RED!!! WOO MONORAIL RED!!! Any chance you know when they'll be launching it?

And on Indy. Saw it yesterday too, and loved it so much that I'll be going to see it with a different group of friends again tomorrow. Because the thing is I was really worried. I knew it was either going to suck and be really really awful or it was going to be fantastic. And thankfully for everyone, it was the latter. God I loved it. It was fun and full of great squee moments and moments that made me scream or jump or both, and times when I was leaning forward in my seat about to fall out going "NO WAY."

I also picked up on the Indy/dog/Mutt thing. Anne and I laughed a lot about it. And Shia's character was way fun. He was hot, and adorable, and had a motorcycle, and he was a greaser! It was great. Plus the whole father/son interaction thing was fantastic. I loved that we got to see Indy with his dad in Last Crusade and now here we got to see Indy with his son. Quite loads of fun. And yes, the hat thing. As he went to put it on, I was going "oh... Oh... OH... Ah, good. No hat for Mutt yet." Because while it would be interesting to see how it would work to have Mutt go off and have his adventures, I don't know how well it would work. A friend of mine said it might be like trying to pull off another Star Wars. I'd be game, but others might not be.

Edited 2008-05-23 22:10 (UTC)

Though I am going for 9 days, so I don't really think I can complain that much.

Wow, you're going to be at Disneyland for 9 days?

This DISNEY rain, it's infused with magic and I shall be magical and you shall not because you were wimps and went home."

And this would be the correct response.

LOVE the ride, though my family was unimpressed because we waited two hours and didn't get on until one in the morning.

I cannot imagine waiting for 2 hours for that. I was thinking about what sort of wait time I'd be willing to do for this ride in the future, and I'm thinking about 30 minutes. 40 if I was feeling in the mood.

It was fun and full of great squee moments and moments that made me scream or jump or both, and times when I was leaning forward in my seat about to fall out going "NO WAY."

There were definite jumping moments, and lots of fun moments too. I saw it in a full theater and there was a lot of laughing. And clapping when it was over.

I also picked up on the Indy/dog/Mutt thing. Anne and I laughed a lot about it.

Totally amusing. :D

I loved that we got to see Indy with his dad in Last Crusade and now here we got to see Indy with his son.

It's too bad Sean Connery wasn't up for this film, because that could have really been amusing.

Cute Disney pics, yay! Ack, Indiana Jones! HIDE! Runs from spoilers!!!!

Thanks! And shield your eyes!

Hey, I went to Disneyland yesterday too! Well, from 10 pm to 5 am in the morning. (Grad night for seniors). I wanted to go on the Finding Nemo ride and the Indiana Jones ride, but the lines for those two were insane.

OOOOH! I saw the signs up for that, which reminded me of my Grad Night. Cold, rainy, completely exhausted by the end with a friend and I trying to sleep on a bench at 4:30. It was fun but after doing it once, I never ever wanted to do it again. :D

Yeah, it was pretty grey and cloudy when we arrived, but no rain. One of my friends even had to buy a change of pants because she got completely soaked during Splash Mountain. By 4:00 we were huddled on a bench with her boyfriend and his friend trying to stay awake. I don't know how I'm going to do this again in a week for Sobergrad. Thankfully, it's at home so no six hour bus ride, but still, it won't compare to Disneyland.

Ooh, that's brave to do Splash Mountain in the cold. :D But at least they had pants for her to buy. They still have a strict dress code? Disneyland required everyone to wear nice clothes and dress shoes. The dress shoes was the worst part.

We stayed at the Grand Californian when it first opened. DH was an Imagineer at the time, and this was when California Adventure was having its trial run for Disney staff.

The hotel was very nice...but not $400/night nice.

I'm so jealous!

(And yeah. I'm guessing it's probably $100 - $150 overpriced for what you get, just because it's on park property?)

I didn't realise his name was Mutt - thought it was Mike! *smacks head* Craziness must run in the family then...

I thought it would turn out to have a rational explanation. I wonder why none of them got hit by the massive rocks when the spaceship thingy was flying?!

I thought Marion gave in a little too quickly, thought she might have stayed mad at him for longer. But the ending was perfect cheese ♥

Yeah, the flying debris...you really do have to switch off the brain. :D

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