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January 6th, 2003. So, it was me, my husband, Mom and Dad, and we all headed to Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. We pre-checked in and
were surprised to find out that our rooms were ready, so we headed up to 1107 & 1109 to check them out. We had a king sized bed, and my
parents had a queen sized bed in their room. The views were crap - we looked at the parking lot, but that's what we paid for, so that
was fine with us. We explored the hotel, looking at the restaurants, the shops, the game room, the work out room, the pool and the gazebo,
and then we noticed that there was a convention there. Check it out - it was the Annual Convention for Professional Convention
Organizers. LOL! Talk about a well run convention! Anyway, we walked through Downtown Disney and headed to Disneyland Park. The
only long line we stood in all day was the line to get into the park because of the security checks. Once we were inside the turnstiles,
friendly cast members were there to ask us questions for a survey they were taking. (How old are you, what hotel did you stay in, and
what form of transportation did you use to get from the hotel to the park.) Then we checked out the new version of Great Moments with Mr.
Lincoln, got a second breakfast at the Blue Ribbon Bakery, and took a complete ride on the Disneyland Railroad before disembarking in New
Orleans Square, which is the closest stop to Adventureland.
We practically walked right on the Indiana Jones Adventure, which we loved (and my husband asked what Gimli was saying!) and then headed
to New Orleans Square to ride Pirates of The Caribbean. They recently re-did the animatronic Pirate Captain in the sea battle
scene, and it looked awesome. (I looked but couldn't find Orlando Bloom:-) Then we headed to Critter Country and rode Splash
Mountain. While on top of the mountain, we could peek into the section where they are building the Winnie the Pooh ride. We left
Critter Country for Frontierland, and walked the wrong way because we thought we were in Florida for a second, but made it eventually. We
took a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before heading to Pinocchio Village Haus for lunch. After lunch, we got right on
Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and the Mad Tea Party, which I hadn't ridden since I was
about 7 years old in WDW's Magic Kingdom. We decided to skip Toontown and headed to Tomorrowland. We rode Space Mountain, Star
Tours and saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience before doing some shopping for postcards in Star Traders. At this point, we decided to make a
second circuit and re-ride our favorites, Indiana Jones and Big Thunder. At this point, it was about 4 P.M., and the park suddenly
became very crowded.
Not to worry! We sat down in New Orleans Square and ate fritters and watched the crowds pass by. We shopped in Main Street shops for
souvenirs and then took a leisurely stroll around the park until the sun went down and the lights went on all around the park. Disneyland
after dark is such a treat, so we just hung out and enjoyed the ambience. All the Christmas decorations were still up, which made it
doubly enjoyable. At about 6:00, we left and headed back to the hotel, where we had a wonderful dinner at the PCH Grill, which was
expensive but worth it. All in all, it was a delightful day at Disneyland.
Day Two
When we woke up at about 7:30 A.M., we found slipped under our door a copy of USA Today, and a note explaining that if we decided to stay
an extra night at the Paradise Pier Hotel, we'd be given a special rate of $79 per night. (This is the same thing that happened to us
in November 2001, when we stayed at the Grand Californian.) Unfortunately, we had to be back at work the next day, so we couldn't
take advantage of this offer. However, we decided that the next time we took a Disneyland mini-vacation, we'd take 3 days off of work,
just in case this kind of offer came along. Anyway, we went to the PCH Grill for Breakfast with Minnie. The place was so empty! We had
a great time watching Minnie and Max and the kids, and got plenty of attention from the characters because there were so few people
there. My Dad jokingly asked when we were going to have kids so that we could REALLY enjoy these breakfasts, and I said, "Back off, Dad.
Minnie doesn't have kids either!" When I said this, Minnie vehemently shook her head, and pointed at her ring finger. I
promised her that if I saw Mickey that day, I'd give him a taking to. (I didn't get to see him, alas.) After breakfast we went to the
Paradise Pier entrance to California Adventure. (This isn't quite as close as the exclusive Grand Californian entrance, but still, it puts
you in a great location.)
We made a beeline for Soarin' Over California, which is possibly my favorite Disney ride in any park. The line was so short that we went
on a second time immediately. Then we headed for the Hollywood Backlot and saw Muppet*Vision 3D. Then we went to Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire, and then headed to the new Aladdin show at the Hyperion Theater. We headed towards the Pacific Wharf area for lunch at the
Winery Trattoria. Fantastic food, although the a glass of wine was just as expensive as my lunch entree ($7.50), so I settled for iced
tea. The desserts, in particular, were outstanding. (each was $4.99) Afterwards, we saw It's Tough to Be a Bug, wihch again, had
absolutely no line. Next we walked through the new A Bug's Land, which is absolutely adorable and perfect for kids, with 4 rides
perfect for younger children. (We didn't ride any of these, but the kids we saw were obviously having a blast.) By this time, our
stomachs had settled from lunch, so we headed to California Screamin'. The lines were so light that we got right on again for a
second trip. Then we headed to the Orange Stinger (a swing ride) which, once again, had no line. We headed to Mulholland Madness (a
wild mouse ride) and then to Golden Dreams (a movie about the history of California) before finally deciding to call it a night. We headed
back to the hotel for a quick bathroom break before driving home. Sigh. I was so reluctant to leave!
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