Our Disneyland Trip: Day Three

Trying to format the blog with pictures is too much of a pain to deal with. I am just going to post them at the end of each entry now. After we left Albuquerque last night we traveled through a rainstorm. It was really cool to see the storm in the distance and watching the sheets of rain come down. After the storm a beautiful rainbow appeared. Jonah, who gets nervous during storms, was happy to see it and he talked about God's promise to Noah.

We still are running on East Coast Time so we went to bed around 9:00 pm. They were serving breakfast from 5:00-6:00 am Pacific Time so we decided to stay on Eastern Time. Before I went to bed I peaked at the Steelers score. This is a good season to completely miss two games. Arsenal won though and I happy about that.

We woke up early and had breakfast in the dark. We went to the sightseeing lounge afterwards to watch the sunrise. Because the train was snaking down the Sierra Nevada mountains at this time, we really didn't get a good shot of the sunrise. The attendant for our car recommended we get off at Fullerton instead of Los Angeles. The Pacific Surfliner train we were taking to Anaheim passed back through Fullerton and he said it would make things easier.

Our overall train experience has been good. It is actually very relaxing and the boys had a blast. Now I am sure having a sleeping compartment it a big reason for that, but I enjoyed the train tremendously. I recommend it to anyone who may be interested.

The train station for Anaheim is in the Angels stadium parking lot. It was an ordeal getting a cab because they are on some kind of protest strike at the moment. An unmarked shuttle came to take us instead to the hotel. It was much more confusing than it should have been. We were finally in Disneyland though!

After checking into the room and taking a little breather, we headed to the Earl Of Sandwich. I've have heard so many different bloggers sing its praises, I had to try it out. I had a Chipotle Avocado Chicken and Bethany had a Tuna Melt. I must say, it may have been the best hot sandwich I ever had. It is the best deal on either Disney property. I heartily recommend to everyone who takes a Disney vacation.

We walked through Downtown Disney hitting the Lego Store on our way to the main gates. We went in Disneyland first. After strolling down Main Street, we turned left into Adventureland. That was when the scale of Disneyland really struck me. I knew Disneyland was more intimate, but I had no idea how different the scale of two parks is. I mean there is the Tiki Room immediately after walking under the sign. The Jungle Cruise boathouse is almost right in the middle of the path. The treehouse is squeezed into such a tight spot of the park compared to WDW's, which is set off into its own little island. I still can't get over the difference in scale.

I had to ride my favorite Magic Kingdom ride first. I have been aware of the differences between the two Pirates rides, but I can see why Disneyland's is held up to such a higher esteem than the Florida ride. The beautiful setup through the bayou and the extended caves are a great appetizer for all of the Pirate action. I do think that WDW's version is too scorned though. If you consider its amazing queue as the equivalent of the bayou scenes in Disneyland, it makes WDW's version close to Disneyland's.

The other thing I want to comment on is Johnny Depp. This is the first time I've ridden the ride since the Johnny Depp figure was added. I think adding him was pointless and adds nothing to the ride. His whole side plot is so pointless. Why couldn't they let the movies be the movies and the ride be the ride? At least I can ignore Capt. Jack and still enjoy everything that makes Pirates Of The Caribben Disney's crowning achievement.

We toured Tarzan's Treehouse and rode Indiana Jones after that. Indy is a good ride. We were going to ride Splash Mountain, but it broke down after we got in line. Instead we rode The Haunted Mansion. Of course this isn't the normal Mansion. It has its Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Personally, I think the overlay is a good ride, but it is not the excellent ride Haunted Mansion is. The story line is a little all over the place and the lighting is horrible. It brightens the ride way too much. At least it was a new experience. One other thing I must mention about the overlay is that it really brings the goths out. I was amazed at the amount of people who either had on Jack Skellington clothes or were in full goth gear in the park. I guess they love their Jack Skellington.

We rode Buzz Lightyear and then headed back to the room for a break. After a quick dip in the pool, we went into California Adventure. We headed towards Cars Land. Why didn't they just call the area Radiator Springs? That is what it is. I have seen it recommended in several places to enter via Pacific Wharf and not by the main entrance to the area. I have to say, this is very good advice. The sense of scale as you walk under the arch in this area is breathtaking. The forced perspective makes the area look much larger than it was. Some of the rockwork looked like it was much farther away than it was.

We had a good dinner at Flo's V8 Cafe and then took in the sights of Radiator Springs. Bethany was just in awe of the area. It really is like being in the movie. I know a lot of the Disney blogs and Tweeters I follow are not fond of Cars. I usually agree with a lot of their thoughts on the state of today's Disney, but I disagree with them here. I liked Cars and I loved Cars Land.

I also have to say if you are in California Adventure, make sure you are in Cars Land when all of the neon lights turn on. It is really special. Eli had been driving us crazy all day to ride a roller coaster, so we headed for California Screaming. We caught a break and ended up riding in the front seat. Eli loved every second of it. He says it is now his favorite coaster in the world. I must admit it is a very good roller coaster. It is the best Disney coaster as a pure ride, but I think the overall experience on Expedition Everest still makes it Disney's best roller coaster.

A stop at Ghirardelli's for some chocolate concoctions finished our night and we headed back to the room after a very full day. Tomorrow we are starting off at Disneyland for its early entry day.