Disneyland and DCA 12/29, 12/30, 12/31 2005!

Another condensed commentary on those attractions I find noteworthy…

Monsters Inc: This will be a huge hit for DCA…Too bad the loading cycles will dictate hour plus lines once people actually know the ride is there!

Christmas Tree Fire Damages Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel: This was sad to see! The lobby is ruined!

Adventures of Pooh: Fastpass attraction in Orlando is a walk-on in Anaheim…who says ride location is not important? Anaheim version has always been better too!

Space Mountain: The spent a year to refurbish this thing and it breaks down more often than TTD! The new effects are neat…the ride is basically the same…

Six Flags versus Disney Customer Service: At Six Flags the rides do not run and nobody is there to say a thing! At Disney the rides break down just as frequently…but they have a smiling cast member there to tell you “please enjoy one of our other attractions as we do not know when this one will open.” You can go to guest services and get fast passes if you sprinkle your words with pixie dust…Try this at Six Flags and… :-)

Tower of Terror: Did somebody say the DCA version was designed to load people faster? Do not believe that person!

Haunted Mansion (Nightmare Before Christmas Style): Simply breath-taking and unbelievable transformation of the classic! Does anybody know how long they shut down the ride to basically re-theme the whole thing? This was the hit of our SoCal trip!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Can this baby eat up lines or what? 15 minute waits while the park was closed to the public due to crowds…simply amazing! Again…this version trounces Orlando’s!

Tiki Birds: Anybody else like this old version better than that crap in Orlando?

Fastpass: Works so well in Orlando…sucks in Anaheim! You can expect 30 minute plus waits with a Fastpass in SoCal for the biggies!

Buzz Lightyear: California version is better…

…I did so much more…but I’ve nothing really to add or say except that the park was packed…DCA was always open…but Disneyland closed its gates before 10:30 am on 12/29 and 12/30! The park had signs on incoming roads that basically said…the park is packed…do not come! As crowded as it was…if you know Disney…you can arrive early and play the game to get everything done in 2 days!

*** Edited 1/2/2006 5:45:12 AM UTC by Jeffrey R Smith***

Nice review!

As far as Haunted Mansion Holiday, they actually take just a month to transform the Mansion (and vice versa). It goes down at the start of September and opens at the beginning of October each year. They really accomplish a lot in that short time!

Too bad about the Grand Californian fire. However, I've heard that the repair and refurbishment process has already begun. It really is an amazing hotel (the lobby is breaktaking!). Here's hoping they can restore it to its former glory.

They were already replacing floor boards on 12/30! I stumbled upon it walking from DCA to Dowtown disney! At the time...I had not heard about the fire! I just thought it seemed strange that their entire main lobby was closed. I made a statement to my wife that I would be pissed to pay 3-4 hundred plus a night to get a lobby like that...Little did I know there was good reason!

I talked to a contracter who said they were not sure they could get the floor back to the original state...? I've no clue what that means nor do I know what the original state was! All I know is that this hotel was beautiful and the lobby was the meat and potatoes of the resort!

I just thought it was sad to see the entire lobby fenced off...This was the best part of that hotel! For those who have not seen the SoCal version...think about the lobby for Wilderness Lodge in Orlando. This lobby is every bit as breathtaking.