By BRODIE H. BROCKIE
A RIDE OUTSIDE OF THE PARKS
We left Ann Arbor at 7:15 to drive to Detroit and catch the smoothest flight I have ever flown out to Los Angeles International Airport. Disney had sent us bus vouchers so we only had to go pick up our luggage and catch the next Disneyland Express to the hotel. As we headed toward the baggage claim, we passed several of the drivers holding signs with the names of the V.I.P.s they were waiting for.
"Are you Brodie?" she asked.
I told her that I was, and she explained that she was just making sure I had found my driver. After a brief bit of worry that Christa's luggage had been lost (it was the last one to show up on the turnstile), our driver led us to the first surprise of the trip: a black stretch limousine.
This was my first ride in a limo, but it's the sort of thing you can acclimate to pretty quickly. It was stocked with various beverages and I poured a diet coke into one of the champagne flutes to enjoy on the trip. Did I open the sunroof and stick my head and arms out the top? How could I resist? Since this was Disneyland, though, I did wait until my ride vehicle had come to a complete stop.
We checked in to the Disneyland Hotel where we were given our park tickets and I was told to check in as a Dream Job winner in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse after 3:00 p.m. and then meet the rest of the winners in the lobby at 6:15 p.m.
Shortly after 3:00, we went up to the Mickey Mouse Penthouse. This suite is a new creation in the Disneyland Hotel. Extensively decorated in Mickey's signature colors of black, white, yellow, and red with Mickey himself all over the place, this room is currently only available to park guests who are selected, completely at random, to stay in the rooms. The penthouse has a great view toward the park; you can see the Matterhorn and Space Mountain in the distance. The lucky room occupants are greeted by Mickey in a magic mirror (though we were told he was "asleep" while we were there). There's a flatscreen TV embedded into the adult room's bathroom mirror. I was glad of the chance to check out this little bit of Disney design work that most people will never get the chance to see.
"Guess you're not important enough for that," Christa teased, just before we turned a corner to see a driver holding a sign that said "Welcome Brockie." There aren't too many Mr. Brockie's out there, so I thought pretty likely this driver was waiting for me. At the baggage turnstile, a Disney rep was waiting with a Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage clipboard. I pointed her out to mom and she overheard me.
Hey, that's me!
After the penthouse stop, we had just enough time to rush to the park for our dinner reservations at The Blue Bayou restaurant. Hoping to save time, we hopped onto the monorail and rode it into Tomorrowland. When we got off of the monorail, it took a moment to get our bearings. I know the Magic Kingdom in Florida pretty well, and even if you don't, it never takes too long to catch a glimpse of the castle and know where the center of the park is. Here, the Matterhorn mountain loomed large, but there was no sign of the castle. When we finally found the park's center, I saw why. Compared to Cinderella's castle in Disney World, the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland seems downright miniscule. We took to calling it the Baby Castle for Babies.
We fought through the crowds and were just a little late for our reservations. The Blue Bayou is a fancy restaurant connected to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Boats traveling into the ride first pass into a dark lagoon and past the tables of people eating at the restaurant. The dining area is illuminated by hanging colored lanterns and the illusion of being outside in the evening is pretty convincing, even though you know you're really inside while it's still bright out.
I enjoyed my dinner, but had to hurry too. It was time to meet my co-workers...
CONTINUE TO PART THREE: INTO THE CAVE OF WONDERS
