Brian Bennett -- April 1993 -- Disneyland
Well, we were on the west coast on business, so we stretched the trip
to include a couple of days at Disneyland, too. The main item on the agenda
was to eat at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant that you ride past on the
Pirates of the Caribbean. I always wanted to eat there on our family trips
in the 70's and 80's, but Dad always saw the prices and said no. Well,
Dad, I was paying this time, so Barb and I went. It was a fantastic meal
-- all the more so because of the incredible atmosphere.
It was on this trip that we first saw the spectacular show, Fantasmic.
It's indescribable, but I'll try. Picture this: Mickey the Mouster dreaming
about stirring music, great fireworks and special effects, Disney animation
projected onto 70mm water screens located in the Rivers of America, Snow
White, Ariel, and Belle holding court on the Tom Sawyer Island rafts,
a sword fight in the rigging of Hook's pirate ship (Columbia in temporary
drag) Peter Pan to the rescue of Wendy and the boys! Then the Disney bad
gals (Ursula and her cohorts) conjure up an evil dragon and other meanies.
The whole extravaganza ends with the Mark Twain acting as ferry boat for
Steamboat Willie and a crew of tens of Disney Characters. It is the fastest-paced
25 minutes (including the post production music) that Disney has ever
put together. Barb and I have waited for over four hours for this show
several times...and it's worth it (but bring a book or a pack of cards
along).
Major discoveries:
- Fantasmic! is simply the best Disney show ever put together. If you're
ever west of the Mississippi river, make sure you stop at Anaheim to
catch it!
- Carnation Plaza Gardens has an delicious coffee-flavored milkshake
that you can't buy at WDW. Otherwise the food is very similar to that
found at the Plaza in Florida. Excellent.
- Chicken Dinner at Knott's Berry Farm. I know, this isn't Disney, but
it's still a traditional place to go. Mr. Knott gave Walt alot of solicited,
good advice, after all. Anyway, you can't beat the chicken soup at Knott's
nowhere, notime. Barb and I go to Knott's every time we're in California.
It's a must.
- Granville's Steakhouse at the Disneyland Hotel is a nice place to
visit, but we don't have to go there every year. We'll visit again,
though, when we have the urge for good steaks at a Disney restaurant
in California.
Brian Bennett
brian@mouseplanet.com
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