Hidden Mickeys + Lilly Belle =

My last visit as a passholder.


The first thing we did was ask if the Lilly Belle would be available. They took our reservation! We were so excited!


April and I decided to declare a Hidden Mickey hunt, but first, we grabbed double scoops of ice cream.


On Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, I dropped my list of HMs in the library. FAIL. They couldn't grab it without shutting down the ride. Sigh. April still had her copy though.


We went to Innoventions. I always thought it was kind of lame, but it's like a museum of cool technology. Note to self: come to Disneyland on a chill day to just hang and explore the Innoventions building.


The crowd was massive because it was Spring Break season. We waited in line at Big Thunder Railroad for half an hour. By the time we got on, it was 4:30. The goat trick works! The ride feels super fast! April got to see the hidden mickey. We got off the ride at 4:35. We had a 5pm reservation for the Lilly Belle, and they told us to be there by 4:45. So, we booked it from Frontierland to Main Street.


When we got to Main Street, the Disneyland Band was coming out, and they were clearing the road. So, we ran to get in front of them. We ran all the way to the train station. Third time's a charm. I was finally getting the chance to ride this Disneyland treasure.


The rules are: no eating and drinking on board, and you must remain seated while the train is in motion.


Jackie, our conductor was really nice and answered all of our questions. She even showed us the hidden mickeys on the carpet.


Stuff I learned:
- the thing about cats controlling the rat population is true.
- Walt Disney invented trash can lids because Lilly didn't like seeing the garbage.
- From New Orleans Square to Toontown, the tram goes through Splash Mountain.
- the longest working CM was a chef
- you can't work at both resorts (Anaheim and Orlando) simultaneously
- the tram has 2 minutes to unload and load passengers at each stop (excluding Main Street)


I asked Jackie about Maynard. She told me he was probably on the parade route or Tiki Room. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to seek him out.


Behind this wall are signatures of elite guests from back in the day:

Our trip around the park had concluded. We got off and and took a picture.

After, we went to California Adventure. We bought popcorn and went to Hemlich's Chew Chew Train. It was so cute!

April's a Pin Trader, so we got a Vinylmation Park #4 box. She got the Simba-looking one and the Finding Nemo one! We found a CM with a rooster vinylmation, April traded, but immediately traded back.

We waited in line for Tower of Terror. Our guide, Glenn was super awesome. I think it was the first time I had ridden at nighttime.

Alas, we called it a night. We were there for over 7 hours, and we spent most of it walking around the park. Though we didn't seem visit that many attractions, we both just love being in the park.

It's been a great year. I loved every single second I spent at the resort. It was a sensational treat, and I am sad I'll no longer have the ability to visit whenever I so desire (assuming no blackouts). Still, good things come to those who wait. I plan on renewing next year to hopefully catch the debut of the new California Adventure (with The Little Mermaid dark ride and World of Color!). In the mean time, I'll miss the castle, the hidden mickeys, and the magic of Disneyland.

Living the Dream 2

My goodness, I miss the Jonas Brothers. SO much has happened in the past 2 years. I can't wait for what's next. =]

JONAS: Exam Jam

This was definitely may favorite episode of the season, hands down. Why? Because it was mostly them performing their songs.

Wonderland

Disneyland today with the mother and little brother. We got there just after 8am. First stop, Captain EO. Erik thought it was a ride. The 3D images aren't as clear as Avatar, but super spectacular, considering this was made in 1985. It's nice to see Michael up on the screen dancing and singing. I can see why the MJ fans couldn't wait for this attraction's return.

We went to the Jungle Cruise. My mom has never been, and the 2fer commercials make it look so cool. I asked for a map. I got one, yay! We boarded the Amazon Belle. Our skipper wasn't as funny as others I've had in the past. We got to the Hippo Pool and the turn wasn't so smooth. It was bumpy. We kept bumping.

She fires 6 shots. "Okay folks, stay calm. We have derailed. It's nothing to worry about, it happens all the time. Someone will come to help soon."

All the other boats were returned to the dock in reverse. 15-20 minutes later, all of the animatronics had stopped moving. Another boat came and fixed our problem. We went back to shore and got a fastpass.

At New Orleans Square, we watched Tiana's Mardi Gras celebration. It's basically the Showboat Jubilee with only Tiana and without the showboat. She sings songs from the movie.

They didn't have any Death Certificates at Haunted Mansion.

Next, lunch at Red Rocket Pizza Port.

After, we were by the Matterhorn, and who do we see? Why, the Wonderland crew! Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts. I was so happy! Now I didn't have to wait for musical chairs to meet them.

We followed them around. By the way, they don't stop. They're always on the move, so if you want a picture or an autograph, you have to follow them and be fast! This guy was wearing the new Johnny Depp Mad Hatter hat, and the original Mad Hatter was outraged. "That's not me!" He protested with the sales clerk for selling this weird merchandise.

I put on my handmade top hat. I went to take a picture with Alice. "Don't be mad," I told her. She asked why I would be mad. Because of my hat. She said, "Oh no, yours is prettier!" She then wandered off. Another little girl asked to take a picture. She shrugged and said "Okay." It's such madness. By the way, this Alice has been Tinkerbell in another life.

The Mad Hatter saw my hat. He liked it because I made it myself. I was missing the price tag though. He let me take a picture.

On the way back to Main Street, we saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. I only got a picture with Tweedle Dum.

Cruela DeVil was in front of the firehouse.

Over to California Adventure. I entered A Bug's Land for the first time. The rides are cute! It's like a carnival. All I need is my niece so that I have an excuse to ride all the attractions. We cut through to Tower of Terror.

On the way out, the High School Musical parade just started singing "I Want It All." I raised my hand to be chosen. It all happens so quickly. I got my Star Dazzle Award!

Out of the park before 6pm.

At a glance:
~California Screamin'

~Captain EO

~Haunted Mansion

~High School Musical Parade

~Jungle Cruise (fail)

~Peter Pan's Flight {+1HM}

~Pirates of the Caribbean

~Red Rocket Pizza Port

~Soarin' Over California

~Space Mountain

~Tarzan's Treehouse

~Tiana's Mardi Gras Celebration

~Tower of Terror (x2)

The Chronicles of Narnia

Introduction

~I watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on the Disney Channel over winter break.

~I enjoyed it very much (to my surprise).

~I watch Prince Caspian on Encore.

~I love it.

~Ben Barnes is so cute. [[ He was in a boyband for 4 and 1/2 minutes? I think I'm in LOVE! ]]

~I can't wait for Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

~I decide to read the series.

~I also watch a few episodes of the BBC series adaptation.

Critique

The Chronicles of Narnia series was written for children. This is exhibited as the author dictates the most obvious events. C.S. Lewis's descriptions of places and people really allow you to paint a picture with all of the senses.

Each adventure journeys through different parts of Narnia. Some journeys are longer than others (way longer), and there are epic battles and wars fought by children. I wanted one instance where they traveled to Narnia and just chilled and had fun. I suppose the story wouldn't be as interesting though.

I read it in publication order. It works that way.

Comparisons

~The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was a really good and true adaptation.

~Prince Caspian: movie > book [more Ben!]

~Voyage of the Dawn Treader < Silver Chair

Conclusion

Overall, I think it's a really good series. I shall add it to my future library. The last two paragraphs of The Last Battle turned my world upside down. I suppose I got what I wanted, but not exactly the way I expected. Although, it does make sense.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader hits theatres in December. I think they should stop with the films after this. I'm hoping for a M&G opportunity with Ben! Skandar's cute too, but he's younger than me xD

Blitz

I played Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. I played it for so long, that I lost the drive to always get the high score, but I still enjoyed playing. When I realized it counted each score into brackets, I set out to achieve gold metals in all areas.

It was a new way to be awesome.

They recently unleashed a new version of the game. It has new toys, and higher scores are now capable. It's another challenge, but I think I'm good with finishing my first challenge.

So here it is:

I used no new tools, I played it old school. Here are my totals:

25k - 252 [this was reset when the new version came out]

50k - 555

75k - 611

100k - 716

125k - 665

150k - 575

175k - 509

200k - 359

225k - 250

250k - 257

Starstruck

This new Disney Channel movie was cute. It's a musical. Sterling doesn't really sing (Drew Ryan Scott dubs), but so what? I forgot that I had Disney Channel on Demand and could watch it early!

The story line reminded me of Camp Rock. A couple of the songs remind me of other songs. For example, the opening riff to "Hero" sounds like "One Less Lonely Girl" by Justin Bieber. "Got to Believe," which was on the soundtrack, but I guess, cut out of the movie, sounds like "Harder to Breathe," by Maroon 5.

For me, their "photography tour" around the city of L.A. made the movie for me. When you live here, it's easy to forget that this wonderful city can be glamorous and have so much to offer. I love that they went to the Hollywood sign. I always look at it when I drive past on the 101. "Something About the Sunshine," sounded cheesy on the soundtrack, but became so cute when it was played during this montage.