Opening time: 8 a.m.
Weather: Cool and overcast...ahh, I love June gloom
Crowds: Oh, crap. It's almost summer!

For some reason, the parking gates were locked and unmanned until 7:40 this morning. Highly unprofessional, given that it takes at least 15 minutes to park and take the next tram to the front gate. So, I was AGAIN stuck waiting behind a pack of slow, disorganized tourists who have no idea how good they have it (being able to park at their hotel and walk to the esplanade extra early, that is). I would have filed a complaint, but I happen to know City Hall CM's deal with more than enough bitching on a daily basis.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was recently closed for a few days for some fresh paint. Do pay close attention during the train-crash scene - one effect was drastically improved. The fountain by the courthouse was not running for some reason.

This made me wonder - when exactly is Snow White going to get a (BADLY needed) rehab? Several dwarves are missing, one animatronic bird is out of place, a fiberglass sock is missing, the Wicked Queen is hunched worse than ever in her first appearance, the apple/skull effect is all wrong, AND the apple in the Queen's hand (rowboat scene) is missing again.

There's a light out in Small World's Britain scene, and one of the hula dancers is, for lack of a better word, twitching. Also, the xylophone player in the Guatemala scene is missing.

There's a missing jack-in-the-box in Roger Rabbit's Acme warehouse scene, but the giant pie and boxing glove are running better than ever.

One of the squirting baby elephants on the Jungle Cruise river is not only not squirting, but appears to have developed several holes in his neck! Further down the river, the underwater explosion isn't working, but fortunately the scene is still quite funny without it (especially if you get skipper Christopher - perfect delivery, no two trips the same).

I, of course, had to see Pirates' Lair. There are already lots of photos circulating the 'net, so I won't be posting any. But trust me, it's great.

Highlights:

*Additions to caves
*Will Turner's blacksmith shop (it looks as if he'd stepped out for only a moment)
*Conversion of cider mill to Lafitte's Tavern (down to swords stashed outside and old jugs in the window)
*Bootstrappers' show/pirate stunt show (held in front of tavern and visible from Frontierland's shores)
*Rafts have been renamed after Blackbeard and Anne Bonney (hear hear!)
*Bone cage - great photo spot!

Tom and Huck's treehouse is still there, of course, with a more pirate-centric theme - and the oft-closed pontoon bridge has reopened. Word has it that the long-closed, termite-infested Fort Wilderness will be torn down soon and replaced with a stone fortress to fit the POTC theme better. I just hope they don't take out the graveyard!

Also, a word of caution: if you are claustrophobic, I do NOT recommend entering the caves. They were designed with the shorter and slimmer kids of the 1950s in mind and passages can be quite narrow, especially to adults (though several have been widened and raised). I must also advise larger visitors to keep this in mind. I'm average height and fairly slim, and I still had a tricky time getting through some smaller spaces.

The caves were rather crowded today because everyone loves a new attraction, and unlike an Omnimover system, walk-throughs are self-paced. Traffic can and will back up anyplace there's a pirate ghost or a treasure pile. Good thing it's all worth the wait!

Oh, and WEAR SNEAKERS. If you haven't been to the island in a while, it is still rugged terrain, and you'll have rocks in your Crocs within seconds.

Overheard on Main Street: 18-ish girl telling her friend about how her boyfriend refuses to come to Disneyland with her! At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I used to have a boyfriend like that, and his refusal to come to DL with me should've tipped me off that he was nothing but trouble. (Girls, if you can find a guy who not only WILL come to Disneyland with you but also offers you the steering wheel in the toon cab/teacup/Autopia car, don't let him out of your sight. Extra points if he slips you a penny for Snow White's wishing well.)

See you at Disneyland.