Second Trip to Disneyland of 2011

Corrie's office party was held at Disneyland. How about that? We had to muster at the park's gate at 7:30 am to gather for a guide who was to take us to our breakfast spot, the exclusive Club 33.

Apparently what I knew about Club 33 (it was where my brothers got a bit of a swerve on, as the lone pace that serves alcohol in the park) was based on what Dan and Norm have told me. When I told people I work with that we ate at Club 33 the response I get is of the raised eyebrows and "Wow!" variety. I hadn't really even heard of it until Dan and Norm were telling of a trip a few years back. I'm not sure how they made it in, but I have some ideas. People have been impressed thus far, more than I would've guessed from the experience. Our breakfast was buffet style, and it was okay.

The idea for Club 33 started when Walt Disney wanted a posh corporate lounge that would be a quiet respite from the madness of the park surrounding it. He wanted a place where he could entertain dignitaries from the entertainment and business world, as well as to create an environment that would be exclusive an accept only a few members. Even now, no one's allowed in who's not invited by one of the 437 members. Located above the Blue Bayou restaurant in a quiet corner of Disneyland called New Orleans Square, the main theory about how it got its name comes from the number of corporate sponsors for the opening of the park in 1955--33.

Incidentally, the Blue Bayou is the restaurant that you float by in the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

After breakfast we hit up the park. Corrie and I had a few rides we wanted to get to that we hadn't back in October, but were otherwise open for whatever. We eventually did what anyone with experience at Disneyland would love to do: introduce newbies.

Bonus: the day was young and the park was mostly empty. Perfect combo.

Corrie and I paired up with Marte and Majik, a Polish couple. The young lady Marte got hired at the same time as Corrie, so they feel connected in a way. Also, we get along with Europeans pretty well for some reason.

This was Marte's first trip to Disneyland, or any theme park, and Majik had been to EuroDisney in France, and had been to Six Flags in Santa Clarita, but it was also his first trip to this section of Anaheim.

Firstly, right after we finished breakfast, we all went on Pirates of the Carribean, it being right there and there being no line. Then the four of us went off to Space Mountain. We asked Marte if she'd ever been on a roller coaster, and she said that once she'd been on a merry-go-round but that had been it. We smiled and told her she was in for a treat.

After Space Mountain we did the Matterhorn, then Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which we'd skipped in October), then Alice in Wonderland (Corrie had really wanted to check it out), then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and it was barely 11 am.

For people reading this, who've never been to Disneyland, you may say, "Whatever." But for people who've spent nearly an hour in each line they've waited in during a hot day in Anaheim, you might look at that and say, "What?"

Pirates, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Mr. Toad, Alice, and Big Thunder Mountain in under two hours. Unbelievable. I told Marte that we're probably ruining the her for the park, since the next time she might come it could very well be far busier.

Since we had park hopper tickets, and Indiana Jones was closed, we went across the way to California Adventure to see if their roller coaster, California Screaming, was open (it hadn't been in October). It's the only coaster to go upside down in Walt's Southern California empire. It was open, and the line was four minutes long, and the four of us loved it so much that we just got back in line after after exiting and rode it twice in a row. After that we stopped for a snack and cup of joe, then waited all of ten minutes for the hang-gliding ride, Soaring over California.

After that, Corrie had to take me to work. Besides my sleep situation, which I'll get to in a second, it was one of the most ideal trips I've been able to take to the Disneyland: the ticket was a gift; we got to show a pair of Europeans the best things about the two parks (in our opinion); and the longest line was for for Alice in Wonderland. I had a great time during the last trip, but being on a schedule was kinda nice.

A Thursday night where I work was busy enough, but we had to stay until 3 am to get everything done that had to get done. I got home at 3:30 and went right to bed. We got up at 5:30 to shower and get out of the house by 6:30 so we could be in Anaheim by 7:30. We were early to the park but not by too much. Corrie took me to work around 1:30-2, where I stayed until midnight.

Considering the rough moments I had on Friday night, I feel comfortable saying that it could've been some of my finest work. In college I occasionally worked on as few hours before, but never with the responsibilities that I have now, and not on one of the four busiest days of the year for my work. I made it through, is all I'm saying.

In any case, I'm trying to organize the four of us, Corrie and me and our Polish friends, to go to Magic Mountain in January on a dreary Tuesday or something similar...middle of the week, rain would be kinda nice, anything to keep the crowds away. There's nothing like no lines at roller coaster parks.