I {heart} Disneyland

Last weekend Cindy and I went to Disneyland, Huntington Beach and to Brea to see Ricky Nelson Remembered. The latter was the initial reason for heading to California, but to be [ ] that close to Disneyland and not go would be a travesty! So a trip was born.

We subsequently found out that Cars Land was opening on that exact weekend... so we needed to decide if our plan was still sound. Eh, we'd done a busy Disneyland before, going once on Easter week and once on Memorial Day weekend. We could handle this; and we did.

The show on Saturday in Brea was a beautiful thing! I'll post more on that later. This post is all about the Disney adventures we had.

just a small portion of the line to GET INTO
California Adventures park on Friday, June 15, 2012

Of course, since there was a new LAND premiering and a new face on California Adventures (including a grand-reopening ceremony) the place was hoppin'. We heard people say they waited in line for one ride for 7 hours!

We knew that DCA would be busy so it was a real nobrainer to hit the less-busy Disneyland. This is not to say that the park was dead, slow or less than busy, but it was definitely less busy.

I was so sidetracked trying to find photo pass photographers - if you have never gotten photos of your entire party at Disneyland because you or your companions are always taking individual shots - this is an awesome feature. They give you a card, and scan it every time they take your series of photos. They'll even volunteer to use your camera too, which is great in case the $70 sticker for the CD is too much for your wallet. I figure I'm there partially for photographs, so that's a small price to pay. I've paid more for souvenirs that don't last as long as the photos do - but as I was saying, I was so busy trying to find one (I was too early) that I missed my own Disneyland tradition and walked right under the bridge without taking note of the plaque above.

I had to retrace my steps, stop, read and snap. and as I found my way back through and down Main Street USA, I found my Disney Tears... Yes, I cry at Disneyland. On multiple occasions. Upon entry, during fireworks, at any Walt Disney quote and any other time that the joy overwhelms me. So, there is Crying at Disneyland folks.

We are not huge "gotta ride" people, though we love the rides, Cindy and I can just soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the beauty of the place, the delectable foods and the sweetness. I saw Characters leaving their posts because it was time to do so but they would stop with each kid who came to them - if only for a second, they would give them a bit of attention. It was sweet.

We did hit many rides though, and some more than once. We got to experience the rebooted Star Tours ride, so much fun with the new options!

I had such delicious food, eating at new places and trying new things. We had reservations on Sunday for Carthay Circle Restaurant and decided on the Kobe Beef Cheek Sliders. You get 3 sliders for $19 OH MY! They were heaven on a bun! The prices are definitely higher end prices, but the service is excellent, the atmosphere is a pure delight and the food... decadent! It's a must do.

  

At Flo's V8 Cafe, we had the vegetarian fare, a Shepherd's Pie like dish that was comfort food delicious, and a great little cheddar apple pie that was a delight. Flo's is inside Cars Land (of course you may have guessed this) and wow... Cars Land was crazy busy every time we went near. We were actually able to ride 2 of the 3 rides there, the third having anywhere from a 3.5 to 7 hour wait. We never found it so important to ride that a wait that long was seriously worth considering.

Cars Land