First at Monsters, Inc.

Going to Monsters, Inc. at DCA first has its advantages. You get to see a little pre show and if you have a child, you might be the lucky family that opens up the attraction!



Regardless, our little group was able to board the loading queue at entry gate number one. First class all the way!



This is a very cute attraction; surprisingly, I don't believe there have been any changes made to it since it opened back in 2006.









About to enter Harryhausen's:



Wouldn't it be cool to be able to grab a fortune cookie on your way through?







A little bit of excitement, courtesy of the CDA:





Even without any updates, there are still plenty of details to notice each time I ride through, especially in the locker room scene.











Here's the part I really like; entering the moving doors scene.





There's motion, action, and cool special effects.



And then you reach the happy ending.



Back to some boring scenes with the CDA:





and then Roz at the exit, for the big finish. She really is the best part of the attraction.



A great attraction for the younger set, and fairly enjoyable for adults, too.

More Monsters, Inc. attraction screams at my main website.

Magic Morning at DCA, Pt. 1

Staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels typically gives you the bonus of Magic Morning, which gets you access to at least one of the parks one hour before the rest of the world can enter. This is a dream for me, as it gives me a bit of time to shoot photos before the onslaught of the masses get in the way of my compositions! On this particular November visit, it took about 30 minutes to wait in line to get INTO the park. Not so magical. Still, I had some time to snap away in the Hollywood Land section of DCA.

You've probably seen this mural near the Hyperion Theatre at least a dozen times.



But I'll bet very few of you have noticed the scandalous "Hourly Rates" hotel sign!



A nice clean shot down the main drag.



Beautifully detailed facades:



Anyone else sick of Frozen or is it just me?



A final shot for today of the Red Car Trolley, one of my favorite additions to DCA.



More DCA Hollywood photos at my main website.

Trip Report Pt. 5: The Red Car Trolley

Finally! On my last visit I actually rode one of the new Pacific Electric Trolley cars. This is probably the most exciting part of Buena Vista Street for me.



The conductors are extremely friendly and helpful, letting waiting guests know when the next trolley will arrive and any possible delays caused by the entertainment near the Carthay Circle Restaurant.

Here are a few shots of the gleaming interior:





And the interior signage, appropriately highlighting some of the featured attractions of Disney California Adventure:







The graphics are stellar; they all look like they stepped right out of the period. Rather than having an amateur computer-ish look, it would appear that the designers who created these did their research.













At the opposite end of the line, here is the gate near the Tower of Terror:



Next time you visit, make sure you hop aboard!

See more DCA Buena Vista Street Red Car Trolley photos on my Red Car Trolley web page.

Trip Report Pt. 5: More Buena Vista Street

Besides the cool architecture, there are quite a few fun characters to meet on Buena Vista Street, such as this messenger girl. She was quite astounded when she saw my newfangled camera, as you can tell by the look on her face. Still, she and Officer Blue graciously agreed to pose for a picture. I sure hope they keep the characters on Buena Vista Street, as well as continue to add to them. Main Street over at Disneyland could use a few more while they're at it; how about bringing back the Keystone Kops?



Mickey and the News Boys performed near the Carthay Circle. It's a rollicking fun show, and you'll get to see Mickey actually blink! Seems Anaheim finally got the advanced Mickey that debuted in Orlando about 2.5 years ago.





If they really want to stick to the 1920s/30s theme of Buena Vista Street, then having a Mickey that represents the one from that period would be a huge plus to this show.





On this visit, I was able to enjoy The Five and Dime musical group for the first time. Definitely a large thumbs up on this one!



The lead singer is quite a talent.





I am digging this peacock tie on the drummer; sure wish Elias & Co. sold clothing like this!



The bass player was appropriately playing it cool.



As a bonus for today, here are a few photos of the Hollywood Land area, completely free of guests.





See more DCA Buena Vista Street photos on my Buena Vista Street web page.