Mickey Mouse Monday!- Dia De Los Muertos!

Zocalo Park in Frontierland is celebrating Dia de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. Celebrated traditionally in Latin America, dia de los muertos is a way for the living to remember their kindred dead through a festival of colour filled decorations, food and events that honour the memory of their ancestors. The main festivals and celebrations are held on All Saints Day, November 1, and families party en route to graveyards to picnic, dance, and exchange small gifts and offerings to their families.

Disneyland has decorated a small courtyard between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Golden Horseshoe Review with vivid floral sculptures and banners that draw you in. It' a great photo op as you make your way past the shooting galleries and out to the Rivers of America.

Tucked behind the shooting gallery and next to Big Thunder Mountain is the Zocalo Restaraunt featuring Mexican cuisine. Beautifully decorated with terracotta floors, tiled side bars and lanterned ceilings the restaurant is spacious and a good place to rest. They have a gorgeous plant covered patio for out door eating as well. I have eaten there twice, both times I was underwhelmed. Average or below average Mexican dishes that are less than what you would expect for the price range. For me, I the best things about the restaurant are the photo ops, which abound! Beautiful fountains and other features lend themselves to great shots day or night.

That said, the bathrooms next to the restaurant are above average as far as cleanliness and availability.

Finding Nemo Subs!

(The video of this post has been removed to avoid copyright infringement)

Thor and I decided to make a pilgrimage to check out Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure, or whatever it is called....Finding Nemo.

Replacing (finally) the pond and subs that have been there stagnate for years. With a new bright yellow paint job (in honour of the Beatles?) and plenty of hype, we wondered...

Is the Finding Nemo ride worth the wait?

The day we were there it was a fairly slow day for Disneyland, meaning most of the other popular rides (Haunted Mansion, Pirates, yada yada yada) were walk ons. Nemo had a 45 minute wait. Granted, the day wasn't hot, and we did not have small children with us, however, 45 minutes is still a very long time. I can't imagine doing this with children. Especially when we finally got to the ride itself only to see a completely empty side, and rows of subs waiting for boarding.

Why does Disney insist on making their guests wait in line when it is not necessary? By the time these little ones finally boarded, they were exhausted, cranky, and the few minutes sitting in a dark sub waiting for it to actually start, was torture.

Climbing down the stairs was fine, roomy. The interior was comfortable enough. (If Thor and I were, say, laundry detergent...we would be sold in bulk at Costco. So trust me when I say you'd fit juuuust fine.) Each seat has its own porthole view. The first few minutes are very blue or green, and the cement "coral" reef, the artificial plants, and the near motionless figures are less than inspiring.

Then you get to the middle of the ride. That's when the magic finally happens. I took about 40 still photos and over ten minutes of video film. Unfortunately I was unable to get the video to you tube or anywhere else, so you get a video of all the blue green shots. And commentary.

The back ground was very dark, with vivid 3-D imagery, and a movie like storyline with Dory, Marlin, Bruce, Nemo, and others. A scary scene delightfully spooked the little ones and impressed all the parents. There was so much magic in fact, that the whole sub was relatively quiet until that particular scene. Everyone rapt and in awe of the show.

Long story short, Thor and I both thought that the middle scenes are worth that first time 45 minute wait. Thor, however, refused to wait in a line that long again. I would have, but not with kids.

Hint: Take your cameras, digital and video. Set the aperture open and low (3.5?), Speed up your ISO (800-1600?) or you can try to shoot in RAW. Perhaps experiment with someplace extremely low lit at home. Use a telescoping single pole type tripod (not much floor space between you and your porthole or seat neighbors). Understand that the noise vs. sound will be tricky; as will capturing the action that pops up here and there, dodging behind reefs and rocks, and then directly in front of your porthole. Go with a fully loaded battery and plenty of memory left on your flash drive chip. This is a long ride.