Opening time: 8 a.m. (Sunday)
Weather: Mostly sunny, on the hot side
Crowds: Yeah, it's still summer

I pulled up to the parking lot gate at 7:30 and to my pleasant surprise, the gate was open! It's about time the parking situation was handled...

Sunday was Bats Day, an unofficial day when Goths from all over the globe meet up and hang out at the park. It's become popular enough that there are pre-Bats events, like a meet-and-greet and the Black Market (imagine a craft fair with lots of skulls, Emily the Strange, and black velvet). I never miss it - for once, I'm not the only fair-skinned brunette wearing black at Disneyland!

Back in July, I was deeply saddened to read about the demise of the Disney Gallery in the Orange County Weekly. This space above Pirates of the Caribbean housed artwork from the Disney archives and Disney-inspired works from other artists, as well as the occasional prop or costume from Disney films (my favorite display: three translucent ballgowns from the Haunted Mansion movie). Alas, the ill-fated "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion has spawned yet another silly idea: turn the Gallery into a hotel suite 'a la the invite-only Mickey suite.

The Disney Gallery may not have been the most popular attraction in the park, but it was a real gem, and a great place to get out of the sun and see some stunning work (where else could you see original Mary Blair paintings? Even the Tomorrowland mural vanished years ago). Now it's closed to the public and what could have been Walt's apartment will instead house a succession of tourist yahoos who don't know Elisabete Gomes from Paul Pressler.

Anyway...

I undertook a 36-hour water fast recently (for my insomnia), and what they say about it sharpening your hearing seems to be true. I could clearly hear every sound effect in every attraction I rode, which hasn't happened since I was 14 and still had normal hearing. (Disclaimer: fasting is not for everyone, consult your doctor, blah blah blah.)

The first thing that struck me about my visit was how cobwebby Fantasyland has become. I saw real spiderwebs in every attraction except Snow White (more on that in a moment). I even spotted a few spiders on the bigger ones. Will somebody please send Maintenance in there with a heavy-duty duster?

Maintenance Updates:

*"Pixie dust" effect in Peter Pan not working
*Toad's car and Mole's boat missing from Storybook Land (though Mole End no longer looks crooked)
*Blossom still missing from Alice's hands; Cheshire Cat's grin effect not working, hedgehog effect timing slightly off
*Sir Clinksalot still not clinking - and why did the Imagineers put bright-orange bulbs in Toad Hall? It looks kind of strange - and you're reading the blog of a woman who LIKES orange. There's also a new Winky figure in the pub scene.
*Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin got a new jack-in-the-box in the warehouse scene - a scary-looking purple-and-black joker (apropos for Bats Day, though oddly out of place among all the bright colors).
*Broken, holey baby elephant in the Jungle Cruise has been replaced by a new, squirting model. The squirting baby elephant by the river fork (often called "Little Squirt") seems to be out for repairs, though.
*My God, the HM stretch room wallpaper needs work!

Snow White is, at last, receiving some much-needed and well-deserved TLC. The bronze apple at the entrance is still out, but it'll be back eventually. The pre-show has been cleaned up (though some goofballs keep tossing coins in there). The missing dwarves have all been returned to the cottage scene (the bird on the dresser is still turned around and missing a fiberglass sock, but who cares; the dwarves are back!). The broken Wicked Queen figure is gone - holding her place is a new one, which doesn't move or change appearance. Hopefully this is only temporary, but it's something. Most importantly, that goofy plastic skull has been replaced by a proper-looking apple in the next scene. Keep the kids' eyes covered in the forest scene; the bats got a touch-up and are much, much scarier-looking now than when I was four. Not 100 percent perfect, but a huge improvement.

When you visit Disneyland, be sure to appreciate the window displays on Main Street. I know I say that a lot, but I can't emphasize it enough. When I had a Universal Studios pass, souvenir shop windows didn't change for years at a time (as late as 1995, one still had ET dolls in the window even though they no longer sold them). At Disneyland, they change seasonally (except for the current Emporium windows, showcasing promotional displays from classic and newer Disney films). As it is summer, the Hotel Marceline window (off Main Street by the lockers) currently features a honeymoon theme - vintage marriage certificate and such. Look carefully at the window next to the Cafe Orleans and you'll catch a glimpse of Remy and Emile among the fake food (wasn't Ratatouille the greatest Pixar offering yet?).

See you at Disneyland.

So, you may be wondering...did she or didn't she?

I DID!

If they're willing to pay the right price and select a night that works for the park, a person, group, or business can rent out Disneyland for a private event. Sunday was one of those nights.

This meant that closing time was bumped up to 4 p.m., which in turn meant opening time was pushed waaaaaay back to 6:30 a.m.

Did I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m., drive to Anaheim in the dark, and wait outside the gates with my hands stuffed in the pockets of my pleather coat, marveling at how cold it was this time of year?

You bet I did.

There's something damn satisfying about walking into Fantasyland with almost no tourists in sight, with the sun rising on the side of the Matterhorn ahead of you.

And, for the record, Disney employees seem pretty good at pulling extra-early shifts.

Amazingly, the parking lot gates were open when I arrived - though, as usual, there were only two attendants for four lanes.

At precisely 6:27 a.m., the Ward Kimball steam engine pulled into the Main Street train station. It was 6:33, however, before the gates opened. Hmmm.

Speaking of the train, did anyone else read the Orange County Register article about the trains' switch to clean, green, soybean-based fuel? Awesome.

The mini Easter decorations are gone from Storybook Land's London Park (as of last week they were still there) - and with the exception of the statue, the Peter Pan-related props are missing, too. Usually one bench holds an umbrella, top hat, and teddy bear, and a tiny white baby carriage can be spotted further down the path.

Alice in Wonderland has a big artificial red rose, wired into placed, though it's slipped out of her animatronic hands. The hedgehog effect wasn't working, either.

The thatched roof on Alice's Storybook Land cottage needs repair - it's falling off in the back, though you can only see it while riding Casey Jr.

The bird with the striped sock on Snow White's dresser has been turned around again. It's really strange to see a mechanical critter at such an odd angle, let alone while holding a phony sock.

Minnie's House has its green couch back and it looks great.

Adventureland and the Rivers of America were lined with white canopies, presumably for the private event. Speaking of Adventureland, word has it Tarzan's Treehouse is reopening in mid-May (despite prior speculation that maintenance staff would be too tied up in ongoing rehabs to re-open it before 2008).

The Disney Gallery was open early, so up those stairs I went. The Tom Wilson teacup paintings are gone (probably sold) and new art is already up. I must say, the incredible art in the Gallery makes me wish I had enough money to buy one stunning painting for my living room. But alas, I am self-employed, so for now I write this blog on an old velvet couch, facing a Rocky Horror Picture Show poster.

The Tiki Room has inspired me. I can't yet afford to visit Hawaii, but my cooking skills can take me anywhere. As soon as I get a good grill pan (I don't have room for even the smallest barbecue), I want to grill up some veggie kebabs, roast some teriyaki-glazed seitan ("wheat meat" for those not in the know), serve them over coconut rice, and top it off with pineapple cupcakes. Trivia fact: the Tiki Room was planned as a dinner theater. For many years after opening, it featured booth seating and was connected to the kitchen that served the adjacent Tahitian Terrace (now Aladdin's Oasis) and the Plaza Pavilion.

I got home from a nice long morning at Disneyland at 11:20 a.m. and promptly dozed off. And, three days later, I still have the dark circles under my eyes to prove it.

See you at Disneyland.

Opening time: 8 a.m.
Weather: Chilly and overcast for the first couple of hours
Crowds: Yeow! Is it Spring Break already?

Once again, the parking lot opened late and there were only two attendants to handle four lanes of traffic. I can only imagine how long some of my fellow guests had been kept waiting, since I heard shouting, swearing, and a LOT of angry honking while waiting to be admitted.

Sharp-eyed visitors will notice that Storybook Land not only has tiny pastel-hued flowers on a lot of its miniature doorsteps and windowsills, London Park appears to be the setting for a Tinkerbell-sized Easter celebration. Itty-bitty Easter decorations can be spotted on several benches (too bad half the benches are crooked or tipped over). Alice's village has its boat again, but Mr. Mole's is still missing.

Alice has her white flowers back; last week it was red roses. Cheshire Cat's eyes aren't rolling.

Tower Bridge traffic effect in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride not working. Mr. Toad is due for a May rehab so this is no surprise.

The sound is out in Pinocchio's Monstro scene, and was there always a unicorn toy on the railing in Geppetto's cottage? This one looks new.

Small World's Spanish dancer is missing a tambourine, there's a light out on one of the tower guards, and a rainforest drummer is missing (the drum is still there).

Giant boxing glove in Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin isn't working, but the giant cream pie still is. Hmm.

I'm happy to report that the talking Toon Hole is back in action. I'm starting to notice more people playing with Toontown's interactive features.

You know the big squirting elephant along the Jungle Cruise river? If skippers time it just right, they CAN, in fact, squirt passengers. It happened last week. I figured it was probably the skipper's last day or something, since pranks affecting guests generally result in the culprit getting fired, so I didn't report him. But yes, he did get the 10 or so passengers in the back of the boat drenched.

Lilac the skunk's headstone seems to have been touched up - the epitaph is now easy to read, even in dark sunglasses. One of the Haunted Mansion operators used the intercom to issue warnings to a guest who wouldn't stay properly seated - now if only they did that with guests who blind each other with flashbulbs or scream bloody murder in the stretching room.

If you want to get a better look at the work taking place on Tom Sawyer Island, grab a paddle and get in one of the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. I'm not kidding, you get a lot closer than you do in the Mark Twain (currently docked for maintenance) or Columbia (docked and open to the public in its old non-sailing capacity - as a maritime museum). Currently the burning cabin is hidden behind screens, the faux rapids are turned off, and a number of figures are missing from the landscape. The Native American child seen fishing off a log is not present, though the elusive fake fish and the kid's dog are there. The huge grizzly seen scratching his back against a tree is out, though his chosen tree trunk is there (I could swear a panel on the tree was ajar). And a beaver seen by a chewed tree at the beaver dam is gone. Oh, and paddling's good exercise. Work off those Mickey Mouse pancakes, you know?

The Disney Gallery has new artwork up - both original pieces for sale and old concept art. I saw two paintings of tea cups from the Mad Tea Party that, as it turns out, are the work of actor Tom Wilson. My fellow '80s kids may marvel at the idea that the actor behind Biff Tannen has other talents, but I must say he wields a paintbrush better than I do. Meanwhile across the patio, in what it turns out was to have been Walt and Lily's bedroom (the Gallery space was originally intended as an apartment, remember?), is a display of original art for Disney Little Golden Books. The detail is stunning. Trivia fact: there are a LOT of plugs in that room. Reason being, Lillian Disney was an avid antiques collector, and as a result rearranged the furniture at home quite a bit. Walt frequently brought home scripts to read, and had to make do with a reading lamp so as not to keep Lily awake. He wanted the extra plugs so no matter how the furniture was arranged, he'd always have a place to plug in that lamp. Apparently extension cords weren't common in 1966.

There was no entry for last week's visit due to my being very, very tired. St. Patrick's Day was the day before that, and guess who always volunteers to drive because her friends have no self-control on the biggest drinking day of the year? That's right, me. So to cut a long story short I was up really late.

A word to the wise: Disneyland policy is to deny admission to anyone who appears intoxicated, but for those of you who hide your boozing well, I'd like to provide a warning. If you insist on going to DL after a long night of drinking, beware. You may feel fine, but your hangover will hit right around the time you climb out of your pirate ship and stagger out of Peter Pan.

When hung over, avoid:

*All boat rides (you're at an increased risk for losing your balance), especially Storybook Land (because the boat is smaller it's more likely to tip over).
*King Arthur's Carrousel. If trying to climb on or off your horse doesn't get you, the rotation will.
*Dumbo, the Mad Tea Party, Roger Rabbit, and the Astro Orbiter - the spinning is just asking for it.
*The Autopia. Delayed reaction times mean you could rear-end someone.
*Tarzan's Tree House (closed anyway, probably due to safety issues). If you trip on the stairs it's a long, bumpy way down.

Granted, I certainly think it's better for all you partiers out there to just sleep off the booze and go to Disneyland when you're sober, but I'm being realistic here.

See you at Disneyland (after the Spring Break blockout dates).