Disneyland

Orchestra in high school was nothing like Orchestra in Jr High. Sure we still played out instruments and learned music, but everyone acted more grown up about it. Looking back it makes sense that most of the people who were interested in playing an instrument in high school would be the ones who took music seriously. But at the time it bothered me. I really had no musical ambitions. I liked playing the string bass, but I only sort of planned to continue playing it in college. I was in high school orchestra for two reasons. 1. Because I had enjoyed Jr high orchestra and 2. The high school orchestra went on an annual tour to Disneyland.

However, the tour wasn't until spring so first I had to get through fall and winter. The bass section leader was a girl named Jamie. She was a 12^th grader and for some reason acted like I wasn't worth her time. In Jr high the older section leaders had helped the younger players become better musicians. But Jamie hardly noticed me. I don't know if she was too busy or if I was too shy, but we never even really had a conversation. Occasionally she would complain that someone was off key and it was hurting her ears. When she said that it made me feel like she was a music snob and I worried that I would be the person who was off key next. The other bass player was a guy named Chris. He was really quiet and also a little scary looking so I didn't get to know him either.

Some how I made it though the every other day routine of going to class, grabbing my bass, tuning, practicing with the orchestra for half the class, and then relaxing the rest of the time. No one ever explained the reason to me, but we only played our instruments during half of the class time. The remaining 45 minutes were spent doing homework, or talking to friends. I guess our teacher, Mr H thought that 45 minutes was the effective amount of time for us to work together. Maybe we were supposed to use the other 45 minutes to practice on our own. Or maybe (and this is what I think is the most likely reason) Mr H knew that most of the orchestra kids were involved with Honors/AP classes, Choir, Band, and/or Dance. He knew that we were all busy and needed sometime to get caught up in our other activities. Without the time to catch up or relax we might have to drop a class and orchestra just might be the first one to go.

I usually spent the downtime doing homework for World History which was my next class. If I didn't have homework I hung out with a group of Sr girls. I knew the girls from Jr High orchestra. Pam H and Desi played violin and Kim D played cello. They were the girls that I signed up to be roommates with on the Disneyland trip.

The trip cost $350 dollars. I'd signed up on the trip and paid a non refundable deposit of I think $100. Coming up with all the money was a problem because I wasn't 16 yet and so I couldn't get a real job. I did have a small job cleaning my neighbor, Joy's, house. But that earned me only about $20 a week. As the trip date got closer and closer I was getting nervous because I didn't have the money. One day I went into Mr H's office and told him I wouldn't have all the money in time. I was so disappointed about not being able to go to California. Mr H looked up from his desk and told me that it was okay. I could go on the trip and pay the money afterward. I was so grateful. In the end my parents paid for most of the trip with some money they received when my Great-Grandma's estate was settled.

The tour started the morning of Thursday March 29^th. Everyone met in the choir and orchestra rooms with all their stuff. The buses were loaded with our bags and instruments. Then it was time for the students to get on the buses. According to tradition Sr's were let onto the buses first and could pick the best seats. Kim, Pam, and Desi saved me a seat. We started driving south. Someone plugged in a movie and everyone sat back to enjoy to long ride. There were three buses full of orchestra, band, and choir students. Mr H and the choir teacher, Ms M (who looked just like Ursala from the Little Mermaid) were the only teachers on the trip. But several parents came on the trip as chaperons.

I had deluded myself into thinking that I would get some homework done on the bus ride. I brought the book I was reading for English, Anna Karenina. Each quarter we were supposed to read a book on our own and then write some sort of essay on it. I'd picked Anna Karenina off of the suggested books list because it was one that my family owned. Looking back I should have picked the shortest book. I thought I would have time to chug through that huge epic novel. I think I read 100 pages and gave up for the weekend. It wasn't until college that I finally realized it was futile to bring homework along on trips.

The buses stopped in Ceder City and we all got out to stretch our legs and go find lunch. I remember walking to a gas station and buying some stuff with my friends. Then it was back on the bus. As we rode we watched several movies. I remember that we watched “The Mummy” and “Dragon Heart” but I know there were more. We also spent the time playing cards and sleeping.

Eventually we arrived in Las Vegas. The buses pulled up to the Excalibur Hotel and Casino at about 7:00 PM and would stay there until Midnight. We were told to go have fun, not to take anything anyone handed to us, and to be back at 11:00 PM. Then we were turned loose. This was my first time in Vegas I'm glad I was there with people who had been on the trip before because they knew the best places to go. We headed North along the strip and walked past the castle shaped Excalibur, the sky line shaped New York New York,the M&M store, the amazing fountain outside the Belagio, and the inside of Ceaser's Palace.

We spent a lot of time inside New York New York. That hotel/casino had a roller coaster called the Manhattan Express that goes around outside the casino. The ride cost $10 which was both horribly over priced and yet worth it at the same time. It was so cool to get on the ride inside the building and then go out a little opening and be outside. As I went up the chain hill I could look around at all the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Then the chain hill ended and the roller coaster cars zipped around on the loops and turns of the track that went around the whole building. The ride was so fun that we all paid another $5 to ride it again.

The Fountain at the Belagio was another place that we spent a lot of time. We watched the fountain as it danced to “Luck Be a Lady” and something resembling “Moon river.” I was enchanted by that fountain. During my few hours on the Vegas Strip I'd seen why they called it “Sin City,” but every time I remember that trip I think of the fountain and smile. A lot of people say Las Vegas is a terrible place – and they are partially right. There's gambling and prostitution and smoking and burlesque acts. However, there is also a tremendous amount of creativity. Where else can you see a pyramid, a castle, the New York skyline, the Eiffel Tower, a volcano, a recreation of some of the best sculptures, a dancing fountain, and many other unique features all on one street? I'm so glad that I was able to see all these interesting things on this trip. Years later I'd take Brandon to Vegas just so he could experience the amazing things that I'd seen.

As instructed we were back at the bus loading zone of the Excalibur at 11:00. Everyone got into their pajamas and ready for bed. Then we climbed on the bus and claimed our territory for the night. People were sleeping across the seats, on the floor, and down the aisle. I think I slept on the floor below the seat where I had sat all day.

The buses left Vegas and Midnight and drove all night while everyone on the buses slept. Around 8:00 we arrived in Anaheim. The buses stopped outside a grocery store and we were able to go inside and buy breakfast. As soon as I walked into the store I knew I wasn't' in Utah anymore. There were liquor bottles for sale right at the front of the store. I bought yogurt and bagels and went back to the bus to eat it. But I'd forgotten to get anything to eat it with. Then I remembered that my friend Alan always had plastic knives in his backpack. He had brought that back pack with and still had the knives in it. He let me borrow one and that is how I ate my yogurt.

After breakfast we drove right to the Disneyland Parking lot. (I guess we also got ready for the day while we were at the grocery store parking lot, but I don't remember that) We were all given our park passes and let out to enjoy the Park. First we had to get there. When Disneyland was first built the parking lot was right next to it. The year before I went to Disneyland that parking lot was turned into a new theme park, Disney's California Adventure. A sort of outdoor mall with non-Disney businesses was built between the two parks. At the end of the mall was the new parking lot. The parking lot was so large that there was a little open air cart shuttle that you could ride from the side of the lot into the mall area. From there you could get off and walk to the entrances of Disneyland and California Adventure.

The entrances to the two parks were right across from each other. We had $86.00 3 Day VIP FLEX Passes. These passes allowed us into either park for the whole day, but we had to stay in that park. A more expensive pass would have allowed us to go back and forth between the two parks all day long. My group chose to go to California Adventure on the first day, Disneyland the second, and then pick which one we wanted to go back to for the third day. We ended up picking Disneyland for our third day.

California Adventure was a new park and so even though it was Friday it wasn't very crowded. We worked our way around the park in a counter clockwise motion. We started out in the Golden State Area. We rode Soaring Over California which was a ride where you sat in a chair that lifted up and moved as you watched a screen that projected images from California in front of you. It had been hyped up as this amazing ride and it was an interesting experience, but not worth the hype. We also went on the Grizzly River Run which was like Lagoon's rattle snake rapids only better. We also watched a 3-D movie called “It's Tough to be a Bug” starring the Bug's Life Cast. The chairs were all rigged up to enhance the experience. For instance when a bunch of flies were accidentally set loose the chairs would blow air on you to make you feel like they were flying right next to you.

In the Paradise Pier area we went on California Adventure's signature ride – a roller coaster where the loops make Mickey Mouse's head. That roller coaster had the unique feature of not having a chain hill. Instead of a slow scary climb up the hill we were blasted right up the top of the hill. We went on the Maliboomer which was just like Lagoon's rocket except it had plastic throw up shields in front of the chairs. We also went on the scariest ride I have ever been on – The Sun Wheel. It was a Ferris wheel, but the little seats that you sat in were on their own little tracks that allowed them to swing back and forth as the wheel carried them up and down. The chairs seated six people and you sat facing each other so 3 on one side and 3 on another. The chairs were enclosed with a wire mesh cage to keep anything from falling out. As the ride began and the chairs started swaying we all started freaking out. The chairs didn't just sway a little bit, the rocked back and forth uncontrollably. One minute I would be looking at the person across from me and see the sky behind them and the the next minute I would see the ground. I felt like I would fall ride out of my seat and land on the other side. I remember grabbing the wire mesh that was behind me and hanging on for what seemed like dear life. I've never even wanted to get on a Ferris Wheel since getting off that ride.

The last place that we went to in California Adventure was the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. We watched a show staring the Muppets. We spent a lot of time at the Disney animation area and learned about animation techniques.

My opinion about California Adventure was that it seemed like just a money making gimmick. Sure it had a few cool rides, but it lacked the charm and magic of Disneyland. There also wasn't quite enough to do to entertain us for the whole day. I think we'd seen everything we wanted to by halfway through the day. According to the itinerary that I've saved we checked into the hotel at 11:00 that night. But I think that we actually left the park for a little while around 6:00 PM and checked into the hotel and then went back to the park. I think this is what happened because I remember getting my hand stamped for reentry and also seeing the hotel for the first time in daylight. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Anaheim. I stayed in the same room as Kim, Pam, and Desi. I shared a bed with a girl who also hung out with us, but she was quite and I don't even remember her name. Kim and Pam shared a bed and Desi slept on a couch bed in the little living room area of our hotel room. I think there were only us 5 in the room but there might have been one more person.

In the morning we had a continental breakfast and then went back to the parks. This time we went into Disneyland. From the very first moment we were inside the park I was enthralled. Everything seemed to glow with “fun.” We walked down Main Street USA and peeked into the shops there. At the end of the street we turned right and went into Tomorrow Land. We rode Space Mountain, and Star Tours. We watched Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Throughout the day we worked our way around the park in a counter clockwise direction. Between the two days that we spent in Disneyland we went on the following rides. In Fantasy land we rode Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Matterhorn, Peter Pan's Flight, and went in Sleeping Beauty's Castle. In Mickey's Toon Town we didn't ride any of the rides there, but we did ride the railroad that made a stop there. In Frontierland we road the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and I lost my hat on that ride. In Critter Country we rode on Splash Mountain. In New Orleans Square we rode the Haunted Mansion. Our favorite ride was in Adventure Land. It was the Indiana Jones Ride. We rode it the most out of any ride in either park. It was a fun ride where you were strapped into cars that looked like Jeeps. Then you rode through a jungle temple and tried to escape poison darts, rolling balls, and other booby traps. I loved it. Another reason we rode the ride so much was because Pam thought one of the ride attendants was cute. We'd stand in line and check him out and hope that he would be the one to help us get strapped into our car.

Everything about Disneyland is an experience. Even waiting in line was fun. At most amusement parks you wait in a long line with only the cement, an occasional tree, and the ride to look at. At Disneyland the line is the prelude to the ride. The Star Tours ride had R2D2 and C3PO anamatronic robots that talked to the people waiting. Splash Mountain had the Song of the South Characters tucked in little wall recesses. Indiana Jones's line started outside with bamboo all around. Then it took you inside the jungle temple. As you waited in line you passed excavating sites. There was even a part where there was a well you could look down. Down in the well was an anamatroic Indiana Jones who called out for someone to throw him a rope so he could get back up.

Of course as interesting as the lines were they could still waste a lot of precious time. So the most popular rides had what were called “Fast Passes.” You could pick up a fast pass ticket at a ride such as Splash Mountain. The pass guaranteed you a ride in the next hour. Then you could go do something – preferably something that would earn the park money like buy food or gifts- and then come back to the ride during the specified time. You would only have to wait in the special “fast pass” line for about 5 or 10 minutes before going on the ride. Here is what my fast pass ticket for Splash Mountain says: “FASTPASS Please return anytime between 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM. Another FASTPASS ticket will be available after 2:30 PM.”

At night we watched the best fireworks show I have every seen. It was called Fantasmic. Fireworks and music were perfectly syncroised. After the show we went on a couple more rides and then went back to the buses.

The next day was Sunday. Since most of the students were Mormon we didn't go to the park. A church service was held in the morning, but I slept through it. In the afternoon the buses took us to the beach. It was really rainy at the beach so all I did was touch the ocean and pick up a few little shells. Then I went with my group to go window shopping a the stores that lined the road next to the beach. We did that for a little while and then got back on the buses and went back to the hotel.

On Monday we checked out of the hotel after breakfast. Since California Adventure had been so lame it was a no brainer to decide to spend the day in Disneyland. The park was not very crowded at all and so we didn't even need to use fast passes during most of the day. We went on more rides and re-rode Indiana Jones several times to see if we could find the guy Pam liked.

At noon we met up with the other Orchestra members in front of Toon Town. Then we were taken back stage to get ready for our performance. Throughout the trip the bands and choir had preformed on one of the Disneyland stages and now it was our turn. Back stage Disney looks like the area behind a grocery store. Boring walls and asphalt. Our guide took us to a warm up room and we got our instruments ready. I have no memory of how my bass got back there. Maybe I carried it, maybe it was brought in on a cart – I don't know. But it was there. I do remember carrying it to the stage that we preformed on.

We had been rehearsing for this for weeks so I was pretty disappointed when we got to the stage. It was tiny. It was tucked into a corner near the merry go round. There were maybe 10 people there to watch us preform. The audience was made up of the chaperons and some elderly people in wheel chairs that were probably left their while their family members rode the rides. We played our songs, were applauder by the chaperones and got off the stage. I've heard a lot of people try to justify the music tours to Disneyland as a great preforming experience for young musicians. In my opinion it is not. I think that for a performing group to travel hours to perform in another state, when they only do two concerts a year in their own city, is stupid and wasteful. School groups should perform more in their own cities if they want to improve. That doesn't mean I don't agree with tours. They are great incentives to participate in music groups. But lets not kid ourselves by pretending they are great performing experiences.

After we were done with our “performance” we went back to playing in the park. We knew the buses wouldn't be leaving until midnight so my group stayed in the park as long as possible. When all the rides started shutting down we went to Main Street USA and bought souvenirs. I bought a little glass rose like the one in Beauty and the Beast. After we bought everything we wanted we sat on the side of the road and talked. We watched everything shuts down. Some street sweepers appeared at the top of the street and started sweeping the street. When they came to where we were sitting they told us it was time to leave. We got up, took one last look at the park, and left.

Back at the buses we arranged ourselves in our sleeping positions and fell asleep as the buses took us home. We stopped in Vegas for a breakfast at Excalibur and then we drove on home. It had been such a fun trip.

I thought that I would go back the next two years, but I didn't. Money was one of the main reasons I didn't go. I couldn't afford to go to OYA and Disneyland. I chose OYA.