I've skipped a few entries due to computer issues. Fortunately my laptop is once again up and running. Without further ado, here's yesterday's trip report:
Opening time: 8 a.m.
Weather: Somewhat overcast at first; quickly turned sunny and warm
Crowds: Summer's here. And stay out of Tomorrowland for the time being.
As my regular readers (all three of you) know, I missed the retro charm of the old Submarine Voyage and have waited ten long years for the Mousecutives to put SOMETHING in the lagoon.
I wasn't there when the subs reopened last Monday; I have a little thing called a job. I'm told that the line was 8 hours long at its worst!
So, I went Sunday. Unfortunately someone felt it would be a good idea to have a rare early-entry Sunday, so the line was over an hour long by the time I got through the front gate and practically ran to Tomorrowland. This would be bad enough, but it was 7:40 by the time the parking lot gates opened. Which makes me wonder, are the managers who created such a screwy schedule high or just stupid? Fine way to show the MAJORITY of park visitors how much you appreciate their money...
Anyway, it gets worse.
Supposedly Disneyland always picks its best and brightest Operations employees to be on the opening crew for new attractions. It's a huge honor to be chosen. Well, two of them sure could have fooled me!
One girl working crowd control at the 60-minute point in the queue allowed people to cut in for over half an hour, despite numerous complaints from those of us who were waiting our fair turn. This, of course, bumped my 60-minute wait time to 90 minutes. Not fun when you've recently had surgery, lost a fair amount of blood, and are still having dizzy spells. That stupid kid is just lucky I didn't wind up fainting.
Then, when I finally got to the front of the line, the grouper miscounted. I wasn't affected by it as I was the last one on, but it must have been quite annoying for the three people who were supposed to get on behind me. There aren't many seats on the subs (though each had two more added), so this is a potential problem. Contrast that with It's a Small World, which routinely sends out empty or half-empty boats and still has a very high hourly count. (BTW, those of you who are on the heavy side: the original seats are still in use and are proportioned for the considerably-slimmer visitors of 1959. I'm not saying don't go - my big-boned Scandinavian dad will probably ride the subs the next time I can convince him to come to DL, and he was even heavier when he took me on the subs as a kid. I'm just saying, keep this in mind.)
Now, on to the actual ride.
I was ready to burst from actual excitement by the time I sat down. There are videos of the ride all over the Internet, so I don't really feel a need to rehash every last detail.
The scenery and props look GREAT. I am especially happy that recycled materials were used (and that the subs run on clean fuel!). The faux sea creatures, reef, and plants are stunning, and about as colorful as the real thing. The animated effects are not what I would call realistic, but after all, it's based on an animated film, and they are pretty good.
There are references to the past: the shipwreck was re-used (it's now inhabited by Bruce the shark), at one point the sub passes into a whale's jaws (shades of the popular classic Storybook Land), and the current recorded spiel ends with a joke about getting out of there before running into a mermaid or a sea serpent!
My favorite part: the little girl from the dentist's office scuba diving in a "Friend of the Reef" t-shirt. Oh, and the seagulls on the buoy periodically squawking "Mine, mine, mine."
That said, it was NOT worth 90 minutes in line. 20 minutes, tops. But, for what it is, it's pretty good. I won't be riding it again until the crowds die down, but I'm giving it a B+ for effort (and being more environmentally friendly than before).
By the time I bounced out of the exit gate and into the Tomorrowland chaos, it was 10 a.m. and getting warm. I hit Roger Rabbit, the Haunted Mansion, and Winnie the Pooh before the crowds finally got to me. I would have filed a complaint about the parking lot opening so damn late that cars were backed up all the way down Disneyland Drive, but the line at City Hall already extended out the door and down the steps (I understand the subs are generating complaints, and I'd wager a lot of them have to do with the line-jumping problem), and I was getting woozy due to my aforementioned blood loss.
On your way into or out of Disneyland, be sure to stop and appreciate the new Emporium window display promoting "Ratatouille." I won't spoil it for you, but I will say it's very cute, very funny, and very detailed. I can't wait for the premiere. How can I not love a movie about a cute animated rat that's already taught mainstream America how to correctly pronounce the name of the greatest soup that southern France (the homeland of my grandparents) gave to the culinary world?
See you at Disneyland.
Opening time: 8 a.m.
Weather: Somewhat overcast at first; quickly turned sunny and warm
Crowds: Summer's here. And stay out of Tomorrowland for the time being.
As my regular readers (all three of you) know, I missed the retro charm of the old Submarine Voyage and have waited ten long years for the Mousecutives to put SOMETHING in the lagoon.
I wasn't there when the subs reopened last Monday; I have a little thing called a job. I'm told that the line was 8 hours long at its worst!
So, I went Sunday. Unfortunately someone felt it would be a good idea to have a rare early-entry Sunday, so the line was over an hour long by the time I got through the front gate and practically ran to Tomorrowland. This would be bad enough, but it was 7:40 by the time the parking lot gates opened. Which makes me wonder, are the managers who created such a screwy schedule high or just stupid? Fine way to show the MAJORITY of park visitors how much you appreciate their money...
Anyway, it gets worse.
Supposedly Disneyland always picks its best and brightest Operations employees to be on the opening crew for new attractions. It's a huge honor to be chosen. Well, two of them sure could have fooled me!
One girl working crowd control at the 60-minute point in the queue allowed people to cut in for over half an hour, despite numerous complaints from those of us who were waiting our fair turn. This, of course, bumped my 60-minute wait time to 90 minutes. Not fun when you've recently had surgery, lost a fair amount of blood, and are still having dizzy spells. That stupid kid is just lucky I didn't wind up fainting.
Then, when I finally got to the front of the line, the grouper miscounted. I wasn't affected by it as I was the last one on, but it must have been quite annoying for the three people who were supposed to get on behind me. There aren't many seats on the subs (though each had two more added), so this is a potential problem. Contrast that with It's a Small World, which routinely sends out empty or half-empty boats and still has a very high hourly count. (BTW, those of you who are on the heavy side: the original seats are still in use and are proportioned for the considerably-slimmer visitors of 1959. I'm not saying don't go - my big-boned Scandinavian dad will probably ride the subs the next time I can convince him to come to DL, and he was even heavier when he took me on the subs as a kid. I'm just saying, keep this in mind.)
Now, on to the actual ride.
I was ready to burst from actual excitement by the time I sat down. There are videos of the ride all over the Internet, so I don't really feel a need to rehash every last detail.
The scenery and props look GREAT. I am especially happy that recycled materials were used (and that the subs run on clean fuel!). The faux sea creatures, reef, and plants are stunning, and about as colorful as the real thing. The animated effects are not what I would call realistic, but after all, it's based on an animated film, and they are pretty good.
There are references to the past: the shipwreck was re-used (it's now inhabited by Bruce the shark), at one point the sub passes into a whale's jaws (shades of the popular classic Storybook Land), and the current recorded spiel ends with a joke about getting out of there before running into a mermaid or a sea serpent!
My favorite part: the little girl from the dentist's office scuba diving in a "Friend of the Reef" t-shirt. Oh, and the seagulls on the buoy periodically squawking "Mine, mine, mine."
That said, it was NOT worth 90 minutes in line. 20 minutes, tops. But, for what it is, it's pretty good. I won't be riding it again until the crowds die down, but I'm giving it a B+ for effort (and being more environmentally friendly than before).
By the time I bounced out of the exit gate and into the Tomorrowland chaos, it was 10 a.m. and getting warm. I hit Roger Rabbit, the Haunted Mansion, and Winnie the Pooh before the crowds finally got to me. I would have filed a complaint about the parking lot opening so damn late that cars were backed up all the way down Disneyland Drive, but the line at City Hall already extended out the door and down the steps (I understand the subs are generating complaints, and I'd wager a lot of them have to do with the line-jumping problem), and I was getting woozy due to my aforementioned blood loss.
On your way into or out of Disneyland, be sure to stop and appreciate the new Emporium window display promoting "Ratatouille." I won't spoil it for you, but I will say it's very cute, very funny, and very detailed. I can't wait for the premiere. How can I not love a movie about a cute animated rat that's already taught mainstream America how to correctly pronounce the name of the greatest soup that southern France (the homeland of my grandparents) gave to the culinary world?
See you at Disneyland.
posted by Sally Ravenswood at 11:31 PM
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