Pumpkins for Halloween!

This past weekend Eric and I ventured out to the mysterious world Arcadia, CA!!! It's a maze of upscale homes and streets lined with massive trees. Adjacent to this neighborhood is the Santa Anita Racetrack, which was our destination for the evening. Our friend Erin had heard of a pumpkin themed event, Rise of the Jack-o- Lanterns, taking place near her home. She invited us along with her boyfriend Jimmy to see what it was all about.

As with most outings I write about, we didn't pay full price for entry. There are actually a few different ways to find cheap tickets. I definitely know that Goldstar was advertising the event with reduced pricing. For our passes we visited www.therise.org/secretcode and that took us to the site to choose a time. They sell tickets in 15 minutes increments to avoid too much congestion. Now it was time to plan the evening.

Eric and I absolutely love the Arcadia eatery called Moffet's. They have excellent pot pies. So we chose the 8:15 PM pass and planned to have dinner prior. Fast forward to the day we went, a Sunday,  Moffet's was closed. It's a small business, family run, so I guess they were allowed a day off. There were no pot pies to be eaten (sad face). We ended up at BJ's, the antithesis of a small business, but the pizza is definitely satisfying.

The parking to the pumpkin event was included. Rise of the Jack-o-Lanterns was to take place in the same parking lot. It is important that I mention that the parking lot and entry area was lit by temporary light towers that are loudly run by generators. The "venue" was fenced in by an average sized fence (rent -a -fence) and had a green tarp covering the chain links. As we approached the location it was difficult to see what was going on within. Through the tarps we could make out a lot of orange lights, we assumed they were the lit pumpkins.

The entry way had a few photo opportunities and was lined with booths selling what one might call "CRAP". In these booths I saw the usual plastic light up swords, light up jewelry, and there was even a light up stick. Eric joked that it resembled a crowd control stick from a Disney park. Although it was all junk, seeing all this made me wish our nephews lived closer so that we could bring then along. I bet they would've wanted the light up pirate sword.

               Their attempt at creating a mood.

The four of us headed further into this lobby area to the queues that were divided by times. It was still around 7:45 PM, but people had already began to line up in the "bull pin" for our entry time. The 7:45 queue was very long at this point. They were obviously all ready to enter. At this point, all of us were a tad unimpressed with their set up. We began to brainstorm how else this could be done. Erin made an excellent point by saying she'd gladly buy a bottle of water in this heat while we wait. Also, we began to joke around about what market hadn't been tapped for this sort of thing. Think about it for a moment. People are paying to go see pumpkin displays. What else would people pay to see and for which holidays?

                  (Light Pollution!!!)

When it was time to pass into the pumpkin gallery, our tickets were scanned on our iPhones (convenient). Their staff reminded us there were no lines and to keep moving forward. Once we entered the enclosed area, a path that formed a very wide "U", we noticed an issue of light pollution from the surrounding lights.

The lighting would be our biggest complaint. The entire experience was affected by the flood lights set in the parking and entry areas. The light pollution really ruined a few of the scenes they had created. Too bad there wasn't a way for them to get taller fences or even have this in a tent. The event occurs rain or shine, so a tent definitely would have helped.  I hope that maybe in the future they will consider that option. We were hoping for a questionnaire, but we never saw one.

The larger displays were further away from the wide path while the singular pumpkins were right against the ropes.

                                                              Any OITNB fans?

Eric brought up a good point that a lot of these images are owned properties and how did they work around legal action. Of course that is something the coordinators need to worry about, not so much the attendees, but it was just something to think about. To name a few, we saw properties such as Orange is the New Black, Disney, and Sesame Street.

The dinosaurs and Chinese dragon were pretty successful. We liked those because rather than scraping the exterior of the pumpkin, these pumpkins had been fully carved through. There are obviously many ways to bring about a cool design on a pumpkin. Eric and I feel using the more traditional hollowing/carving technique to create a striking scene or  image is much more impressive. The difficult part is to get the thin parts of the carved pumpkin to NOT break! Even after saying that, this event definitely has some true talent behind it. Eric and read that the carvers are constantly carving new ones to replace the ones used. It is a lengthy event, all of October.

Would we recommend Rise of the Jack-o-Lanterns to anyone reading this? It is very cute and kids would definitely love it. I would say one should enter while keeping in mind that these are merely pumpkins, not at Disneyland or Universal Studios where large sets are created. Here they have the designs speaking for themselves with a few areas containing background music. It was festive to see large families out for an innocent Halloween event. I'll add what I feel is an obvious point. This is not a scary or horror filled event, so kids very young can go. We all agreed that it was a nice "been there, done that" outing. If you can get cheap tickets, like we did, you should check it out. It takes about 30-40 minutes, depending on how slowly you walk.

Halloween is creeping up toward us! Do you have your costumes ready?

Halloween Presents Itself at DisneySea

The excitement on our third day didn’t falter what so ever! Now that we had a little experience under our belts, we were ready to take on DisneySea with full force. We weren’t at all experts, like the locals, but the overwhelmed feeling was gone. We even felt better at the local Lawson convenient market, near our apartment rental. I noticed the female clerk was still wearing her huge, strawberry blonde wig. Good for her.

The bus ride was still interesting for us. Every seat has its own button to notify the driver that you’d like to exit. And, we enjoyed the fun signage that each told his own cautionary tale of why you shouldn’t disobey safety rules. Seeing the various citizens heading to their daily routines, in their various uniforms, is something we don’t see often at home. Yes, we do see folks headed to work and school, but this was different. The independence shown by these young kids either headed to the trains or on the bus we rode was impressive. Eric and I were baffled to see what appeared to be 8/9 year olds heading out alone.

This time around, Eric and I were “in the know” and we stayed on the bus until it arrived at the DisneySea terminal. As fun as it is to ride, we avoided the Monorail fee of approximately 2.50. There was definitely a chill in the air that was multiplied as we entered the turnstile area. We were under the covered walkway with everyone else, waiting for the gates to open. Just like the day before at Disneyland, Eric and I were very close to the front of the queue. We had about 45 minutes to wait in anticipation.

Upon entering the park, we had the same plan as we did on Day 1. We would head straight to Journey to the Center of the Earth,  grab a fast pass and then ride it. This attraction is at the top of our list for Tokyo Disney Resort attractions. The excitement of the morning dash was just as fun as previous days. If any of you readers visit these parks, I can’t stress enough that you must see this for yourself! It all plays out like the Black Friday footage we see on the news broadcast!

                              Cool aqueduct structure in Mediterranean Harbor

                                  Journey to the Center of the Earth queue

After enjoying both 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, we again bumped into some USA pals. Tom Bricker and wife Sarah, as well as Guy Selga and wife Jennifer asked us along to ride the gondolas. At this point, Eric and I had forgotten about the gondolas. How could we? They are tucked away in an almost hidden area of the park. If one were to enter from the main entrance, the attraction is nestled behind the shops on the left. The group also felt we should join them at the lottery for the DisneySea show “Big Band Beat”, which plays in American Waterfront. But, first we all headed to the Venetian themed canals to board a gondola.

They were very spacious, but since the queue was short they didn’t seem to load it as heavy as that might at busier times. Unlike the propelled gondolas at the Las Vegas Venetian hotel, here it appeared that Cast Member was using manual force to get us through the canals. The waterway themed to the canals wasn’t very long. When the canal ended we turned away from that area and coasted along the main lagoon, where Fantasmic is performed. The morning was slightly gloomy so it didn’t make for great photos. As we headed in the opposite direction, heading back to the station, the gondolier began his rendition of an un-named aria. He did pretty well until the last few moments when he struggled a bit. Still, we all applauded his performance. It’s tough to put yourself out there.

Thankfully the posted lottery schedule was near the gondola attraction. As we walked over, we all exchanged stories and opinions of what we had seen on our trip. All of us seemed to agree that we loved how crowded Disneyland was on the previous rainy day. I say we “loved” it because as I mentioned in a previous post, the determination of the Tokyo fans is amazing to see.  Our group soon found out that the show “Big Band Beat” would not offer the lottery for today. The show would load on a first come basis. Well, all that really meant was that we would need to arrive in time to wait for entry. Eric and I didn’t mind that. It was early in the day and there was plenty of time. We parted ways with the other four, but made tentative plans to meet at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge a little later.

Although Eric and I had a pastry for breakfast, with a famous Coke Zero, it was time for another snack. Again, thanks to the helpful TDRExplorer.com we knew that the Halloween themed hot dog was nearby in American Waterfront! It was just a matter of finding the right location. It wasn’t hard at all. Starting from a parked vending truck, there was a small queue formed for the popular “black” hot dog with a ghostly white bun. We had been waiting to sample this for about a month!

The hot dog tasted like any other hot dog, but the texture of the meat itself was slightly different. I would say the texture seemed a little fake. But, has anyone ever had a hot dog with the same texture as a slab of beef right off the grill? I doubt it. The novelty of the whole thing was good enough for us. As we ate, on the back steps of the McDuck’s merchandise store, we could hear some interesting voices approaching our way. My next action may have come off as rude, but I assure you all that it was out of excitement.

I practically snatched Eric’s hot dog out of his hand, what was left of it, and may have shouted, “GO! GO!” as I pointed at the approaching skeleton family. I’m not proud of my actions, but Eric got some great shots of the family on vacation! They had their eerie sounding voices as they interacted with the crowd. They seemed to be in a hurry, maybe late for a fast pass, because they didn’t stop. Since they continued on their way, my understanding husband was able to return to enjoy his hot dog.

Once we finished our snack or mid-day meal (depends on one’s perspective) we took a stroll through McDuck’s. As reported on many sites before, it is a mecca to the Duffy enthusiast. Even though we already knew this fact we had to take a look for ourselves. Everywhere we gazed  guests jumped or shrieked with the excitement of a lottery winner. Even if they weren’t about to make a purchase, the love for Duffy, along with now Shellie May and Gelatoni, was infectious. There were Eric and myself joining in the fun as we examined all the various outfits for these three plush dolls. Nearing the front of the store we heard a familiar sound, and we both dashed out the door!

Behold!....more skeleton friends!!

This time the skeletons were from various backgrounds. One appeared to be a bell hop from the cursed hotel nearby and another looked like she may have been a celebrity of some sort. Maybe the bell hop wasn’t from Tower of Terror as his hat had the word “Chattanooga” across the front of it. They seemed to be improving with the guests as they posed for photos. I wish I knew what they were saying. As they spoke in Japanese, they had voice modulators to give them a high pitched, electronic sounding voice.

In our morning so far, we had some positive experiences with their Halloween offerings. There was still “Big Band Beat” and the “Follies” show we hoped to see. The only drawback of the “Follies” show is people seem to wait up to four hours for that one. I don’t know if we had that long to set aside in our day. Maybe we were wrong in thinking we had a lot of time? And don't forget that I'm still on the prowl for my Mickey popcorn bucket! 

 

Surviving Tokyo Disneyland in the Rain

Upon exiting the Winnie the Pooh attraction ones nose is bombarded with the sweet smell of honey! I can't say that either myself nor Eric are fans of honey, but after that ride it smells so nice. The parks have various popcorn flavors and it is fitting that the "Honey" cart is near Pooh's Hunny Hunt.

Something else we quickly notice about this Fantasyland is that it resembles the Disney Wold version (prior to the remodel). The Hunny Hunt theme ends as quickly as it begins. As we head to Space Mountain, we notice a few things we didn't see as we ran here. Without any sort of transition Mickey's Toontown exists in an open area, free of borders. Unlike Disneyland, there isn't anything that separates Fantasyland, or its other neighbor Tomorrowland, from its little corner. And, the parade route passes right through it!

As we continue to Space Mountain, I almost feel like I'm back in Florida. I had mentioned that Fantasyland felt VERY Florida-esque, so did this walkway through Tomorrowland. Even the planters are laid out the same. I regret it now, but I should have taken a photo of this to illustrate my point. The Autopia is right across from their version of Tomorrowland Terrace. I was expecting these types of moments, but when they happen, your mind starts to think you're somewhere else. This will sound like an odd thing to notice, but even the restrooms are in the same spot as Florida's version.

When we reached the Space queue, it was posted at 30 minutes. Who doesn't have 30 minutes to wait for Space Mountain? I couldn't tell if the area walkways were busy or if it was calming down from the "morning race". We still had hope that the rain would keep people away. When we saw only one group awaiting the show "One Man's Dream", it appeared that we might get our wish. 

They're the first in line. Good on them!

These folks here are dashing to and fro!

I was more than excited to take the speed ramp up to the Space Mountain concourse. As a kid we had this ramp over at Disneyland in California, but I never rode it at that time. I was too young/scared. 

This version of Space Mountain seemed to lean toward an electronic theme. The colors were various greens and a few deep blues. We didn't have onboard audio as we road, but as we went up the two lifts, sound effects played. And, as we moved through the lifts we saw a type of circuit board grid on the walls (possibly a blacklight effect). It was a fun change from what we are used to seeing. The track is the exact same one we have in Anaheim. That didn't matter to us because we never tire of riding it. It's nice to have these subtle changes. My observation of the main "domed" area was that it was much darker and had no planet projections. Only the small pinhole type lights were shinning through giving the starfield effect. This would be the only time we rode this and it's too bad we didn't ride again. 

We now were getting closer to our Monsters Inc fast pass return time, but not close enough. Eric suggested we take a quick lap to see more of Fantasyland and grab a Haunted Mansion fast pass. When our return window for Monsters arrived, we'd be allowed to get our second fast pass. I was very curious to see Haunted Mansion in its odd location, across from Dumbo. 

You can see the top of Haunted Mansion in the background. 

As mentioned a little bit ago, we saw more evidence that Tokyo's Fantasyland was crammed together. It wasn't ugly, but the attraction placement seems odd. Eric didn't feel this area was very pretty, but we were happy to see the difference. The Oriental Land Company, the business that runs these parks, announced huge changes to this area, so we were lucky to see some would consider "the before". The favorite nook of ours is right behind the castle. They have these cute trees lining the walkway that leads one from the drawbridge toward the carousel. An added touch at this Disneyland we find a Halloween decorated Fantasyland. Eric and I have never seen that area decorated for a holiday. 

The clock was approaching 10 AM. We had so far only seen Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and the entrance area of the World Bazaar. We still hadn't had that usual "castle moment" everyone sees when they walk into the p[ark from the Main Entrance. Remember, we made that hard right turn for our fast pass pick up. 

We were always told that obtaining the Monsters fast pass was a must do for Tokyo Disneyland. I have to admit that although I enjoy the attraction of the same name here in California, I at first didn't understand the big deal for Tokyo. After seeing the show building in person I was already getting a little excited. The folks that run this place already set the bar high with the exterior design. The impressive interior is no stranger to the internet. The height of this lobby's ceiling was phenomenal. At the reception desk they even had a waste basket with paperwork crumbled. On that paper we could see text pertaining to the business, Monsters Inc. 

The loading area was very bright and the Cast Member's outfits are so cute! It's a basic two toned jumpsuit with a blue beret. Eric and I love the use of the costume accessories because they really add the special touch. We don't have a photo of it, but they are seen on the youtube videos I have posted. I don't  know why I was so embarrassed to ask if Eric or I could take a photo with them. However; we do have a Toontown photo with a Cast Member to share on a later post. 

For this attraction they were very serious about cameras needing to be put away. Once we saw how quickly the vehicles spun us around, the reason is quite clear as to why that rule is enforced. As Eric and I walked over to our assigned row I was finishing up a tweet or text. A Cast Member bounced over and told me right away to put my iPhone away. "No photos!" He was nice about it, but i was surprised that it was almost as though he waited for me to do it. 

The ride itself followed the movie's storyline, as the one in California does, but it really bumped up the standard. We see the one eyed Mike Wazowski just as frantic about having a human child in Monstroplolis and James P. Sullivan trying to stay level headed. Boo has gotten away from her pals, but only because she wants to play "Hide n Seek". When Boo giggles or cries out in excitement all the electrical posts around he practically sizzle with overloaded circuits. I absolutely loved that addition to this attraction! 

Our ride vehicles were equipped with flashlights that would activate different sensors. Those sensors appeared as hardhats, with the Monsters Inc logo. I believe we were to use them to find Boo and other hidden Monsters. We shine the light onto the hardhat, set off flashing sensors and hear bells ring! If we find Boo in a hiding place, the bell rings, she pops out, and lets out a huge laugh which overloads the surrounding circuits. As all this is going on the soundtrack is playing, other various noises from the city are heard, the vehicles whip you to and fro, character dialogue is heard, and guests laughter fills the room...let's say there was a lot going on. This attraction is total sensory overload. 

We of course find Boo and then she has to head back home. Just like in California's version, we are then debriefed by everyone's favorite cranky lady, Roz. She sounds just as annoyed with us in Japanese! So the morning dash to grab this fast pass was definitely worth the effort, especially since the queue was at now nearing 2.5 hours. 

Looking away from the castle toward the main entrance.

It was now around 10:15 AM and our Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare fast pass window was rolling around. We really felt like it was later because so much had gone on since we woke up at 5:30 AM. The rain was back again, but what are we gonna do? I would say what made it disappointing was that we weren't able to take as many photos with our new camera. We bought it specifically for this trip, but we didn't want it to get wet. Most of the photos of our morning are from the iPhone 6. 

When it comes to Haunted Mansion exterior, we have a few decent photos on the new camera from our Day 2 at Disneyland. Since we used fast pass the both times we rode, we didn't get any queue photos. From what I could see, because you really do bypass it to the point that you don't see it, the queue appeared interesting. A fun change is that although the structure is the same as Florida's, the building is not left in pristine condition. The windows are broken and shutters are near the point where they would detach completely.

The "maids" that work the attraction really have a persona that can be summed up with the phrase: "Dude, I've seen shit...and I don't wanna see it again." It's almost as if all of them don't want to look up in fear of seeing another ghost, a ghost that scared them a little too much. Their long black hair drapes down and frames their faces and they move about cautiously and quietly. We were all waved toward the circular gallery, but that Cast Member didn't join us. She stood motionless, while keeping her gaze down, and the double doors slid shut. Ok! That was already creepy! I think our advice to other Mansion Cast Members around the world would definitely be "Less IS More"! Rather than trying to BE the show, just be apart of the well thought out show already in place.

The vehicle ride path was laid out just like the one in Florida's Magic Kingdom. It was nice to see that right at the start we were greeted by both Jack Skellington and Sally. Eric and I were huge fans of the stronger presence of these characters. Back home we see Sally once, at the very end. In Tokyo we see her in about three different scenes. That might not sound like a huge difference, but it really adds to the experience. A favorite room of mine is the library where the ghost dog Zero is decorating a Christmas tree. The tree spins and he's applying some shiny garland to it.

Eric was quick to point out that in the graveyard scene, the ghosts are a lot brighter. The ghosts in Japan must have a stronger connection from the supernatural world? I think when it came to that detail, I prefer the ghosts back home. In the American parks, the ghosts in the graveyard appear to be a little more "see through" than those found in Japan.

Again, at the unload area the Cast Members are addressing the guests as minimally as possible. A subtle gesture saying "Please get out" is our cue to hop out and be on our way.

We were very much surprised as Eric and I stepped out of the building the parade was passing right in front of us. The parade step off is adjacent to the attraction's exit. I had heard that a "rainy day" cavalcade would replace the usual parade that takes place. Apparently in Tokyo it meant the parade would go on, but everyone would wear rain gear ponchos. However; the dancers that travel with the floats were cut.

It was our intention to try watching The Happy Harvest parade in two days time, when there would be a sunny day. But, Eric and I couldn't step away from this. The music was catchy and the costumes were all so cute! Winnie the Pooh as a bumble bee was oh so adorable! I think someone as huge as Mickey Mouse was up a little too high. He's the main man and they have him perched up on top of a huge pumpkin. I would prefer him a little lower. But, as I keep saying, the designers of this parade really know how to get everyone's favorite word "Kawaii" (cute) to be said over and over again. 

The cuteness will continue to grow as we progress further into our day. It was now a little after 11 AM and hunger was beckoning us to eat. Right across from where we watched the parade is the Queen of Heart's Banquet Hall. Ever since I was a kid I have been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, the film. So, eating at this restaurant was a must do on our list. I know Eric was also wanting to eat there and he was just as hungry as I was. When we continue next time, unless you cheat by googling photos on your own, you'll get to see how fun it was inside!