13 days, 13 months

[karen_c]

Hey all,

So my partner and I are headin' down to SoCal to welcome our new niece into the world. Since we'll be in the LA area, and since my love of the parks has shined onto my partner, we're plannin' on hittin' up the parks for three days.

We haven't been for a little over a year and have been much missin' it. Sucks that we weren't able to catch small world one last time before they boarded it up, but we are plannin' on ridin' Midway Mania a few times. Wow, the last time that we were there was when the Nemo Subs were new.

Anywho, I'll post a trip report (poss durin' the trip) for ya'll to see. My partner is plannin' on goin' crazy w/ the digital camera, but my own Polaroid camera is busted. I think I'll pick up a disposable b&w & scan them when I get back to Oakland.

But I guess y're wonderin' what the title of this thread means. Go ahead and guess... nope it's not how long it's been since we've visited the park... nope it's not how long it is until we visit the par--oh wait, yeah it is: it's both!

So totally datin' this thread, but it's thirteen days until we are in the park for the first of three days. That day is the thirteenth. The last time that we went to the park was on July 13 (or maybe it was the 12 that we got there,) err well better said this way:

The 13th of July 2008 fell on a Friday, we had reservations for the Blue Bayou at 1 pm (thirteenth hour.) We have made reservations for BB again at 1 pm exactly 13 months after we had last dined there.

I thought it was cool when I realized that, however next month the 13th doesn't fall on a Friday. Oh well.

Anywho, since we have already made reservations for BB I don't think that we can afford to also make reservations for the Napa Rose. But do ya'll know of any other reservations we should/could make at the parks? Or should I just go for broke & book us at NP? Also, does anyone have the hours for NP, are they open for lunch or just dinner?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations ya'll post.

Wishin' I was at the Comic Con,
kc

Here's one other thing I could use yr advice on: my partner has never been to Universal Studies. I was kinda thinkin' that we could scoot over there for that Friday, but it's been so long since I've been myself. ET was still there, T2-3D hadn't opened yet, so I don't have the best of memories of that park. Is it still worth visitin'? Is The Simpsons ride worth it? Keep in mind that I scare easily on thrill rides and had barely ridden the Jurassic Park attraction a handful of times... so I don't even know if I'll get on the Mummy attraction. ... but if I do go to NP, I don't think I could afford USH - decisions, decisions.

[DisneyPro]

I would reccomend the Carnation Cafe. They have great food and it is situated in that cozy little nook.

Regarding Universal Studios:

1. ET was replaced with the Mummy. If you like roller coasters, this is a good little ride. Not that intense, just fun. T2-3D is open and may scare young children.

2. The Simpsons ride is a great ride that is a big improvment over BTTF. I would recommend it and it is fun for the whole family.

3. If you can go on Jurassic Park, you could ride any other ride in the park IMO. (EXCEPT THE HOUSE OF HORRORS) There are a lot more shows that rides, so If you'd rather go on rides, you will run out of things to do fast.

Hope that helped!

[drumbum67]

Definitely go to Napa Rose over Universal. I don't know if you've ever been to Universal Orlando, but that park is really fantastic. Universal Hollywood...isn't. Unless you are a real movie buff, you'll be sorely disappointed. The Mummy ride is a royal disappointment and most of the shows and attractions are nothing extraordinary.

If you like stunt shows, the Waterworld show is absolutely fantastic, though. The Jurassic Park ride is a very nice ride as well. The Waterworld show, the Jurassic Park ride, and backlot tour are really the only reasons to visit the park, and I really don't think they are worth the admission price. Just my two cents

[karen_c]

Yeah, I'm leaning towards goin' to NP over OSH, especially since I don't have very many good memories of that park... but does anyone know if Napa Rose is opened during the day for lunch?

Also, I was considerin' hittin' up Knott's to go to Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner - how long of a wait is it for dinner or would it be better to go to lunch? Has anyone tried their breakfast?

thanks again,
kc

[DisneyPro]

Knotts is a pretty awesome theme park, and the Chicken dinners are even more spectacular! When I went for Dinner, the line was about a half hour, wasn't bad with all the shops too. I did try the breakfast also, and was not disappointed! The food was perfect and I am a huge fan of buiscits and gravy, and that is like the "bread" of the meal. It is free and you can have as many rounds as you want. It was probably one of the best breakfasts I've had.

Knotts Theme Park is very high on thrills though, but not as bad as Magic Mountain. It is pretty split between thrills and family attractions. It is probably a better choice over USH.

Hope that helped also!

[drumbum67]

Yeah, I thought Knott's was a pretty fun park, too. It's more "Disney-esque" than other theme parks and offers a variety of attractions. I'm not a huge coaster-lover but there was enough to keep me entertained all day. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the chicken when I went, but overall it was a fun park.

[karen_c]

I haven't been to Knott's since Cedar Fair took over, but from what I have read most of the rides I remember are gone now. No more Dinosaur time.travellin' adventure, no more soap box racers.

I think I would only hit up that place for the chicken... and maybe the funnel cake/boysenberry slurpy combo.

[karen_c]

Alright, we've had a couple of days to let things settle down from our trip - I have (mostly) caught up on my workload at my nonprofit, I think it's time to start sharing some images.

Mind you this trip taught me two things: one is that my partner's new camera doesn't hold a light up to my old manual ones; however since most of those are busted now I had to regretfully use a digital one... a middle range camera whose settin's were not up to par w/ what I am used to. I think that this trip has convinced him on purchasing a higher end digital camera with more variability on the settings.

The other thing I learned was a good aspect to a digital camera: one can take a ton of pictures, especially with two 4GB memory cards - however I still feel like I didn't take enough, what with the excitement of the first day and having my precious niece with us on our second day. The third day was the most productive picture wise but unfortunately we have only been able to upload a few of the pictures from that day onto the web, so better pictures soon.

Instead of doing this chronologically or in any specific order, I'll just start by posting ones I think are pretty rad.

















For some reason, I got obsessed with getting a picture of the DD's spats all in a row... but I didn't want to have them pose for it, just capture them while they are performing. However, whenever their shoes would line up just right, one of them would move while singin' and shift their weight a bit.





I did eventually snap of pic of their legs aligned, but it is one of the ones that hasn't been uploaded yet.

[Dopey's Girl]

Enjoyed the photos! I don't know if it's the same person "being" Mickey, but the Parade/Band Leader Mickey does a great job of spotting people with a camera and giving them a great pose for a great shot. It's like Mickey is looking right at the lens. I love that!

[Aladdin]

Oh, just saw your thread now. If you want to get a Knott's Chicken Dinner, they have a take out Window. It's NOT in the park, it's just to the left of the main entrance to Knotts, in the string of shops near the entrance. They do have some limited parking in that area. Pratt's and I stopped there, and brought the meal to eat at the Picnic area near the entrance to DL, on a recent trip.