Warp Drive

Showing posts with label Disneyland Adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disneyland Adventures. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Disneyland with the Haleys

Welcome aboard! Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times! It is time once again for a tribute video. This time, we are going to Disneyland! Much like I did with Merry Christmas from the Haleys and Campland with the Haleys, this video takes footage from old family VHS tapes, and turns it into somewhat of a movie. If you are a fan of Disneyland, I am sure that you will like it, and I am sorry if I have not featured your favorite attraction.



I am including a disclaimer at the beginning of the video because I am using snippets of audio from the Disneyland Resort Remember the Moments CD, and music can very clearly be heard in the background of many video clips. I want to be clear that I in no way own the rights to these. It is my sincere hope that this falls under Fair Use, as this is merely a tribute to Disneyland, and the man that created it, Walt Disney. I mean no harm whatsoever to The Walt Disney Company.

Anyway, enjoy the ride!

Oh, and happy belated birthday to Walt Disney!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Harold & Kumar Go to Disneyland



A few weeks ago, I invited a friend to join me at Disneyland for my 27th birthday. Well, it was more than an invitation, really. I needed a ride, and he had a car. As not to give off the impression of being a cheapskate, I agreed to pay for the gas and parking. What I neglected to realize (or simply misunderstood) was that he was strapped for cash. On my birthday (September 8th), my friend picked me up, and we drove two blocks before he said, "So, how did you get these tickets, anyway?" I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The Disneyland birthday deal is only good for one person. Somehow, I never made that clear. The day almost ended before it even began, but thankfully, a quick run to the bank averted catastrophe. I gave my friend $80 to cover his Disneyland ticket, and since I agreed to pay for the gas and parking from the get-go, that $80 is all that he owes me. We managed to get back on the road around 11:30 AM, and were inside the park a little after noon.

What did we ride first, you ask? Why, Monke...Pirates of the Caribbean, of course. It was the shortest line of the day, in fact. Following that, we rode Matterhorn Bobsleds, and then stopped for lunch at Village Haus in Fantasyland. We both had Pepperoni Pizza. My friend covered his in Ranch Dressing. Almost immediately after our meal, we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and then stood in line for over an hour to ride Splash Mountain. I do not know why, but the wait seemed shorter than it did when I went with Allen. It may have been because we were playing Catch Phrase with the group in front of us. Everyone was blurting out random answers. Fucktard!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Where No Tourist Has Gone Before


Left: Mike (Spock), Right: Allen (Scotty)

I met up with Allen at Disneyland for his 21st birthday on Saturday (May 16th). We took in some rides, and had a look around the shops, too. While there, we bought two ride photos. The one seen above being from Space Mountain, of course, and the other from Splash Mountain. I don't have a copy of the latter, but Allen should be scanning it soon.

The Space Mountain photo is quite possibly the most awesome thing ever. When I looked behind us as we entered the lift hill (technically, a warp tunnel), I was quite shocked. Allen asked for a photo seat, and they put us in the front row. There was not another soul in our car. Misunderstanding or not, Disney made $36.95 on it ($18 from me, $18.95 from Allen). Now, if only the rest of the Space Ruckus team were present for this. It would have been an even more awesome photo. When we finish the game, that would be a great idea, though. If I have enough money by then, I could possibly pay for everyone's air fare.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Disneyland - Part 2

I rode a total of eighteen rides, including the newly opened Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. It'd almost be easier to list the rides that I didn't ride, rather than the ones that I did. So, I'll just discuss the rather eventful stuff here.

The Rides and More

Finding Nemo was a pain in the neck, literally. In order to see through my porthole, I had to lean out of my seat, and duck downward. This ride was clearly not designed with adults six feet and higher in mind. I even bumped my head on the roof of the submarine while boarding. The show elements were a mixed bag. Some were decent, and others were downright awful. The lagoon pieces were nice, such as the Atlantis props. However, the whole Nemo presentation, which took place in the cave, felt a bit sloppy. The fact that the characters were merely being projected onto the walls was very obvious to me, and the video quality wasn't all that great, either. I'm sure that it'll fool the five year olds, though.

One of my favorite moments took place in Tomorrowland. While taking a lunch break from the rides, a show was taking place in which young children were being trained to become Jedi. Toward the end of the training session, Darth Vader emerged from beneath the stage with two stormtroopers by his side in a particularly smokey display of effects. He proceeded to challenge the young children to a lightsaber duel. I found this to be rather ironic given the events in Revenge of the Sith. I doubt that Disney intented it to be so, though.

The day only had one real scare. While waiting in line for Space Mountain a second time, one of the ride attendants furiously yelled out, "Stop the ride!" and ran to another attendant, who initiated an emergency shutdown. The lights came on in the complex, and the attendants ran into the entry tunnel to return the trains to the station. My understanding is that two trains nearly collided somewhere in the mountain. Nobody was injured, though, and there was a lot of cheering when normal operation resumed.

Last, but surely not least, while standing in line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, I ran into an old classmate from high school. I guess it really is a small world, after all. I didn't have time to chat for long, as she had a son to attend to. I still can't get over the fact that some of my fellow classmates are already parents.

Disneyland - Part 1

As a few of you know, I went to Disneyland yesterday, and it just so happened to be my birthday. It was quite an adventure, but I'll start with the boring shopping bits to add suspense.

Shopping

First off, at meelWORM's request, I took a look at those Disney/Star Wars crossover figurines. They were being sold in the Star Tours gift shop, which is located in the exit path of the Star Tours ride. Clever marketing, aye? They looked cute, but the price tag sure didn't.

It would seem that nearly everything at Disneyland is outrageously priced. While in Downtown Disney, which is just outside the main park, I found a fine leather hat with the Disneyland logo, and "Established in 1955" printed on it. It too was very pricey. Following that, I glimpsed a plain, generic hat that was priced even higher than the fine leather hat. Ripoff, I say.

As for what I did purchase, I picked up The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort. Disc 1 is entirely Disneyland Park music and vocals. Everything from Main Street USA to Fantasyland is included. There are 16 tracks on Disc 1. Half of Disc 2 is Disneyland Park, and the other half is California Adventure. The last item on Disc 2 is a compilation track for Disneyland Park, which features an assortment of musical scores. There are 19 tracks on Disc 2, and 35 tracks in grand total. I don't care for the California Adventure tracks, but at least I didn't pick up the Epcot album by mistake. Seriously, there was an Epcot album.

I almost bought the album entitled Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland, which I didn't know much about while browsing the shops, but after educating myself online, I realized that it's actually a very historic album. It was first released in 1956 on record, and features Walt Disney himself as a guide to the park, as well as music not heard in decades.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which includes the rides, and some surprises.