Douglas & Nicole: Disneyland, California Adventure, Club 33

Today was a blast! Mom, Jared, Douglas and I arrived at Disneyland just barely after it opened and went on Splash Mountain first (a family tradition.) It was Jared's first time and when he saw the drop, he was terrified. We told him it was fun. So, he went on it. And he hated it. I went on it when I was 3 because there was no height limit. We'll teach Jared how to enjoy Splash Mountain. Needless to say, he refused to go on Space Mountain later, so I stayed with him since I was still full from lunch. But I'm getting ahead of myself. After Splash Mountain, we went on Winnie The Pooh since it was right there. By that time, it was 11:00 and we decided to head on over to Club 33 for our 11:30 reservation where we met Michelle and Liz. We rang the doorbell at about 11:20 and gave our name and they let us inside. It was so elegant! The service is top-notch and the food is incredible. The pictures say it all. Thanks a BUNCH, Richard!

The only indication that you are in the right place

All of us (minus Mom who is taking the picture.)
Michelle is thrilled to be there

Ok, let's go in now

The receptionist (who apparently fell asleep)

The chandelier in the foyer

The picture straight ahead

The famous glass elevator that Walt Disney patterned after one he fell in love with in a Parisian hotel

Jared posing in the foyer

Let's go upstairs

One of the pictures next to the stairs

The statue next to the stairs

Next, the Lounge Alley on the second floor...

...leads to...

...The Main Dining Room

The chandelier in the dining room

If you take a sip of water, the waiters are right there to refill your glass with bottled water

The plates were set out on the table, but they were only for show

All of us (except me)

And here's one with me (Liz fell asleep)

I thought Jared was so cute hiding behind the centerpiece

He's looking for Club 33 on the Disneyland map

The outside of the menu

And the inside.
(Notice there aren't any prices listed.
If you have to ask, you can't afford it)
You order the entree first and then...

...help yourself to the appetizer bar

More of the bar (the machine on the left is lentil soup)

There is much to choose from. I decided on salad and seafood

I've never seen so many forks
(BTW, when you leave the table,
the waiter refolds your napkin for you)

I'm not sure what we're doing

Douglas drinking soup from a cup (notice the pinkie)

I decided to order lamb for my entree

Jared's Mickey Mouse pasta

And after lunch, you help yourself to the dessert bar!

Yum! (I got smores in a glass!)

I got it because it was purple

Jared got a free dessert for his birthday! Mickey Mouse ice cream!

The mints

Let's explore the restroom

The sitting room

Some tasteful artwork

The chandelier

The sink

The paper towels (I thought this was neat)

And the toilet!

The harpsichord in the Lounge Alley (Elton John has played this)

The inside of it is hand-painted

Michelle and Liz wouldn't move out of the way until I took their picture at the end of the Lounge Alley

The table immediately to the right was used in "Mary Poppins."
I didn't find out about it until after we had left, otherwise I would have gotten a better picture of it

This is the display on top of the table

Just relaxing in the Lounge Alley

And another angle

The sofa at the end of the Lounge Alley

Opposite the sofa

The lovely table at the far end

I'm not sure where this is

Or this

The other half of the Lounge Alley

Things for sale

Pirates!

Sketches for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride

There are many original works of art

Walt Disney (and reflections of Douglas)

The phone booth used in "The Happiest Millionaire"

I love the fact that you can plainly see Douglas taking the picture

The Trophy Room (second dining room)

There are microphones in the chandeliers originally designed to listen in on people's conversations...

...and the animatronics turkey vulture would join in on the conversations. The mics were never used but they are still there

The eagle over the doorway

Walt Disney's personal butterfly collection

Walt Disney and Shirley Temple

One of the walls in the Trophy Room

Views to the outside world

Ok, we're done. Let's go to Disneyland now

Views from the outside

After we left Club 33 about an hour and a half later, we went on Pirates of the Caribbean! It turns out that is now Jared's favorite ride. I'm so proud of him. He is his sister's brother. Most of the rides we went on were geared towards Jared, but that was perfect for me because I was full from lunch all day and the low-key rides were great! I especially loved Dumbo. I hadn't been on that ride in years! We also buckled down and stood in line for Peter Pan. There is ALWAYS a long line. Even 10 minutes before closing. I don't get it. It's a cool ride, but it lasts for 2 minutes (I timed it.) Michelle, Liz, Douglas and I went over to California Adventure for about an hour and talked to Crush and went on Monsters Inc. Douglas and I went on Soarin' Over California first thing. That's my favorite ride in California Adventure. So fun!

Our first "ride": the tram!

I was trying to stick out my tongue, but I look terrified.
Douglas is apparently bored.

Seriously, I don't know what's up with Douglas

Douglas couldn't catch up to us while we were getting on the ride so I had to go by myself

Douglas went up against himself and lost

Our scores didn't come through on the picture.
Douglas beat me by 300 points (he was so proud)

I wish I knew how to pose cuz this would be a really good pic

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best so I put both

And the other one

Again, I couldn't decide which one I liked best so I put them all

Close-up

Douglas was pointing at us as he was spinning (he couldn't find us)

Pirate's treasure

Douglas bought some keys he's been wanting in the Pirates gift shop

Goofy!

And the evil Emperor Zurg

Jared found a birthday hat

And another one

Jared was given this pin at Club 33 when we told them it was his birthday. So, he wore the pin all day and everywhere he went, people wished him Happy Birthday

Just his size

I found Mary Poppins and Bert!

The only picture I took from California Adventure

So cute! He's so little, he has to crane his neck to see over the elephant

BTW, this isn't the actual ride;
there is an elephant to pose in next to it

King Arthur Carousel at night

Pretty castle

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to go on Snow White?

This is our favorite picture. Jared also got a hug and a high five from Mickey

After Disneyland, we walked over to Downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Michelle and Liz had to leave so it was just the four of us. That place is so much fun! I love the plants and the fish all around. And how every half hour or so, it "rains." You hear the thunder and the lights flicker to make it look like lightning. Mom and I shared a shrimp/spinach pizza. It was delicious! And then for dessert... the Volcano! We all shared it and it was quite a feat! What a fantastic day for a 6-year old to spend a birthday!

At the Rainforest Cafe

When you order a volcano, the waiters/waitresses bring it out and yell "Volcano!" so everyone in the restaurant knows you ordered it. I started the video just after they yelled it twice, so you can't tell, but they make a big deal out of it.