I was awake at 5:30 again. I got up at 06:15, got showered and dressed. Then I headed out. I took a few photos of the outside of the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. I hit the first snag pretty much as soon as I exited the hotel grounds. Security is now at the entrance to downtown Disney. It was also still closed. They opened at 07:00 and to give them credit, the lines moved very quickly. On my way through Downtown Disney, I picked up some breakfast at Starbucks. I had a piece of cinnamon coffee cake and a caramel cinnamon nitro cold brew. This was very nice, but the decision to stop by Starbucks turned out to be a tactical error.
When I had gone past the monorail, there was a dedicated line for resort guests with early entry. The same was not true at the main entrance. By the time I was inside the park, it was just about time for the park to officially open. This may well have been a blessing in disguise though. As soon as I was in the park, I made my first Genie+ reservation for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. When I got to Star Wars Land, the waiting time for Ride of the Resistance was 15 minutes. In the 5 minutes or so that it took me to find the ride, this had gone up to 45 minutes. Looking at the line, I thought that was optimistic. I gave up on that idea and headed to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This had gone down. I made a reservation Haunted Mansion Holiday instead, which is my favourite ride at Disneyland.
When I got to Haunted Mansion Holiday, I still had a few minutes until my window opened. To my delight though, the ride was a walk on. I rode it using the standby line and then got straight back on using my Lightning Lane. As soon as I had scanned in, I managed to get a reservation for Big Thunder Mountain that was due to open 5 minutes later. First, I had my second ride on Haunted Mansion Holiday though. This ride was every bit as good as I remembered.
After my second ride, I headed in the general direction of Big Thunder Mountain. However, I took a wrong turn and ended up back at Star Wars Land. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was back open and was showing a 5-minute wait. I decided to make use of the single rider line and that was a walk on. I have always had a bit of an uneasy relationship with simulators. Some I really enjoy and some I hate. This fell firmly into the second category. I am glad I experienced it, but it is a once and one for me. It is just too rough for my liking.
I stopped for some PhotoPass photos and then made my way to Big Thunder Mountain. This time I found it without any additional detours. My reservation got me past quite a sizeable line. In my memory, Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland was the best version of the ride. It is definitely great, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but after the massive refurbishment of the ride at Disneyland Paris, this just has the edge.
Once I got off the ride, I made my next Genie Plus reservation. This time round, I had to wait for about 90 minutes for the next reservation. I was perfectly fine with this. I picked Mickey’s and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. I had not even known until a couple of weeks before we left that this ride existed at Disneyland. I was definitely keen to experience this. I also swallowed my pride and booked an individual lightning lane for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Normally I would not dream of going down this route. However, everybody who has done this ride says that it is spectacular and needs to be experienced at least once. This includes people that like me are not really Star Wars fans. I had to choose the lesser of two evils. In the end I decided that I rather pay for the individual lightning lane than waste half a day standing in line. I made the reservation for straight after my reservation for Mickey’s and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. After this, I decided to cut through Fantasyland to Tomorrowland to see if I could do a couple of attractions there.
On my way to Fantasyland, I spotted Jessie from Toy Story roaming. I stopped to meet her and get some photos. There was no photographer with her, and the character escort was nowhere to be seen either. Fortunately, another family that had stopped to see Jessie was happy to take some photos with my phone.
Once I had crossed over into Fantasyland, I spotted a Photopass photographer near a teacup. I stopped for some photos and even got a magic shot with the Cheshire Cat. Then I pushed on towards Tomorrowland. I was considering the Matterhorn, but the line was very impressive. Instead, I headed towards Space Mountain as I know this ride has a single rider line. That ride was down. I went over to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The wait for that was 30 minutes. I was happy with this and got in line. I took a few photos and then worked on typing up some of the trip report on my phone. I also made a mobile order for lunch. This was a little later than I had hoped for, but I was sure that I would be able to amuse myself. Eventually it was my turn. I only scored 9000 points, which was disappointing, but I still enjoyed the ride. On this ride, you can email the ride photos to yourself, which I did. However, the image quality is abysmal.
I had a quick look at the attached gift shop and then I headed over to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for the third time that day. I had come in from a different direction and had no idea on how to get to the ride from where I was. Fortunately, there was a cast member nearby and he pointed me in the right direction. I am not a huge Star Wars fan, but have seen all of the main films. The ride is however very cleverly done, and I agree with the assessment that this needs to be experienced at least once. For people using the Lightning Lane, the experience starts in ancient caves that house a Resistance control centre where they are given a mission by BB-8 and a hologram of Rey to rendezvous with General Leia Organa on the faraway planet of Pacara. The recruits then walk past a number of different spaceships and enter a large spaceship that is meant to take them to the rendezvous point. This is a very gentle simulator with all kinds of special effects simulating space travel. The spaceship is intercepted by the First Order and taken to hangar. This was probably my favourite part of the experience. It is just stunning. While Kylo Ren is discussing the interrogation with somebody else, the recruits manage to get into escape pods. The final part of the ride is a trackless ride, but it is the most sophisticated trackless ride I have encountered. It has some very cool special effects. It is also over two levels and near the beginning of this part, you go up on a lift. There is also a part near the end where the vehicle is turned into a simulator, but this was smooth, and I did not mind this. The one element I was worried about was the drop. I had read before our trip that it uses the same drop shaft technology that Tower of Terror uses. People did tell me that this is a complete non-event and fortunately they were right. By the time the drop registered with me, we were at the bottom. I still think when it comes to the best ride Disney has produced, Pirates of the Caribbean at Shanghai Disneyland still comes out on top for me, but this is a close second. It is really one very special ride.
When I came out of Star Wars: Rise of the Residence, my window for my next ride had already opened. I cut through the bottom end of Frontierland and across Fantasyland. Fantasyland had become crazy busy while I was otherwise occupied and Mickey’s Toontown was downright chaotic. It did no help either that there is some extensive remodelling going on in this land. Fortunately, my destination was right ahead of me as I came down the ramp into Mickey’s Toontown. The ride is in the El Capitoon Theater. Even with a Genie Plus reservation, the line was moving pretty slowly. However, there was plenty to see in the line. The line features a special exhibit put together by the Toontown Hysterical Society called “Mickey Through the Ears”, showcasing Mickey’s career with costumes, posters, and props from the toon world In addition to the nine posters of Mickey Mouse shorts that are also present at the version of the ride at Walt Disney World, the queue also has multiple posters parodying live-action films from Walt Disney Pictures with characters from the Mickey Mouse universe such as Newsies (1992), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), The Parent Trap (1998), The Mighty Ducks (1992), Freaky Friday (1976), High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), The Rocketeer (1991), Hocus Pocus (1993), and The Happiest Millionaire (1967). This is very well done. I still found time to make a Genie Plus reservation at Disney California Adventure for the afternoon. I was also starting to feel thirsty and made mobile order for a Dole Whip float at the Tiki Juice Bar for a time slot that gave me time to enjoy the ride even with a slow-moving line and have enough time to get to Adventureland, but not have too long a wait.
I did not really have a clear idea what to expect of the ride. It is very cute though. There is a preshow that has the premise that the audience is attending the premier of a new Mickey short called Perfect Picnic. Things go wrong and the audience are invited to step into the cartoon. After another short line, the audience is then boarding a train. Shortly after setting off from the station. The train cars get separated from the engine and this turns into a trackless ride that goes through various different scenes. This is very well done. Eventually the train cars get reunited with the engine and returns to the station. I really enjoyed this ride.
Near the exit of the ride, Pete was meeting and greeting, and I was very tempted, but I am not sure how quickly the line was moving, and I had a mobile order window coming up . I made my way towards Adventureland. As I crossed the hub, I got an alert that the window for my mobile order had opened even though it was still 15 minutes until the time I had chosen. I did not mind this at all. I crossed over into Adventureland and when I was within sight of the Tiki Juice Bar, I confirmed that I was there. A couple of minutes later, I got another message telling me that my order was ready. I picked up my Dole Whip float and this was as good as I remembered. It was also very refreshing.
I figured that I would probably have enough time to do Pirates of the Caribbean before my mobile order window for lunch opened. However, I could not even see the end of the line when I walked past, and I gave up on this idea. I also had a look at Haunted Mansion Holiday and the waiting time for this was crazy, too. My multi experience pass that I got for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run breaking down earlier in the day was not valid for this. Instead, I took a wander around New Orleans Square and browsed in some of the shops. I walked past Club 33 and thought of the precious memories that I had made there over the years. I also tried to get a photo of Tiana’s Palace, where I would have lunch later. I sat down on a bench nearby for a while to have a rest.
Once I had rested enough, I checked out a shop near Pirates of the Caribbean. Outside the shop was a sign inviting people to meet a special visitor for Halloween. Halloween had been and gone. However, there was a short line next door to the shop. While I was browsing in the shop, I looked across to a courtyard area outside the far end of the shop and spotted Jack Skellington and Sally meeting people. This is what the sign was for. I finished looking around the shop and then got in line. There were about 20 people in front of me, most of which were in family groups. The line moved quickly and soon it was my turn. Jack Skellington was very sociable, and I enjoyed the interaction. I was surprised that there was no Photopass photographer at this meet and greet, but the cast member that was with Jack Skellington and Sally took plenty of photos with my phone.
When I was done with Jack Skellington and Sally, I quickly used the bathroom nearby and then I headed back towards Tiana’s Palace. This time round, my window did not open early and when I confirmed that I was there after my window opened, I had about a 15-minute wait until my food is ready. Tiana’s Palace had replaced the French Market restaurant and had been open a little over a month when I visited. I had loved the French Market restaurant on previous visits, but I was keen to try Tiana’s Palace. It was very busy, and I had to circle a couple of times before I found a seat. I had gone with the House Gumbo with braised chicken, andouille sausage and heirloom rice. This was a little spicier than what I would have liked, but it was still delicious. I had some Gumbo from a take-out window at Downtown Disney and I do not recall that it was as spicy. I had spilled some on my top and once I had finished my lunch, I headed back to the bathroom for a bit of a clean-up operation. Then I headed for the exit.
Things were a lot quieter at Disney California Adventure, which was very welcome. I headed over to Soarin’ Around the World. Normally this ride has a single rider line, but this was not operating when I got there as one side of the ride was down. The posted waiting time was a little long for my liking. Instead, I headed over to Carsland. I wanted to do the single rider line for Radiator Springs Racers. On the way, I found that Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters was open. This ride was being constructed when I was last at Disneyland in 2015. I knew that it gets a holiday makeover for both Halloween and the holiday season and as we were between those two seasons, I figured the ride would be closed. The posted waiting time was 30 minutes, but the actual waiting time was around 20 minutes. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters was the first trackless ride at Disneyland. Luigi is hosting a dance festival behind Casa della Tires, and all the vehicles dance to Italian music. It is quite cute, and I am glad that I got to experience this, but to me the ride does not have a lot of repeatability factor. I think its predecessor, Luigi’s Flying Tires, was a more compelling ride.
When I left the ride, I headed over to Radiator Springs Racers. This is the other ride at The Disneyland resort that has the individual lightning lane. It is a fun ride, but I definitely do not feel it is worth paying for. It also has been around for over a decade. This should just be an ordinary Genie Plus ride. Fortunately, apart from waiting in the standby line, which was 85 minutes when I got there, or paying for the individual lightning lane, there is a third option there, which is the single rider line. This normally moves pretty quickly, but this time I was faced with the longest single rider line I had ever experienced. In the end, it still only took about 30 minutes, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also finally got to see the second room just before the race started, which is Casa della Tires. We did not win the race, but it was a lot of fun.
By the time I got off the ride, my window for Toy Story Midway Mania was well and truly open. It needed some speedy legwork to get there before my window closed. I made it with 5 minutes to spare only to find that the reservation had disappeared from the app. I explained my predicament to the cast member, and this was obviously not the first time this had happened to somebody. She asked me for my reservation time and then did something to the scanner so that the Mickey head turned green. Ironically, when I checked something on the app in the evening, the reservation was suddenly showing up again. It did not take long from when I entered the line until I was in a car. I was at the loading dock just long enough to make a reservation for Soarin’ Around the World. I did enjoy the ride, but I was seriously out of practice and only managed to reach the bunny level.
I still had some time until my window for Soarin’ Around the World opened and decided to explore the rest of Pixar Pier. A number of things have changed in this area, and it is now a more coherent land. I stopped at the self-service restaurant at the end of Pixar Pier to get an orange soda. I have always loved Fanta in the USA, which used to taste completely different from how it does in Europe. Unfortunately, the formula seems to have changed and it now tastes exactly the same as it does in the UK. At least in quenched my thirst.
Once I had finished my drink, I walked over to Soarin’ Around the World. I still had my multi experience pass from when Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had broken down in the morning and I was able to redeem this at Soarin’ Around the World. The lightning lane was moving quite slowly, but eventually we were sent down one side and then straight to a boarding gate. I enjoyed the ride. I had done this ride a few times at Shanghai Disneyland where it is called Soarin over the Horizon. The theming of the ride building is different as is the pre-show, but the ride is exactly the same apart from the final scene. I had a bit of a scary experience at the end of the ride. Throughout the ride, I could see cast members go in and out of a door at the bottom of the screen. Once the ride was over, we did not return back to the ground level, but we stayed up and the lights were switched on. A cast member made an announcement that a lot of people had left their belongings on the floor, and it was therefore not safe to bring us down until the area had been cleared. I have never been great with heights. I also had never appreciated just how far up you are on this ride. I was freaking out a little. Eventually the area was clear, and we were brought down. I still had my Genie Plus reservation and the window for this was now open. I was in two minds if I wanted to do this again. In the end, I decided to just run with it. This time there were no problems. If I had sat this out, I am not sure if I ever would have gone on the ride again.
When I got off the ride, I was all parked out. I headed up to the entrance of the Grand Californian Hotel. I have always loved the lobby there. I was surprised that you now have to go through security to enter Downtown Disney from the hotel, but this did not take long. I was very sad in the morning when I realised that my favourite shop, Disney Vault 28, was no longer there. I did however check out the Disney Dress shop, which is right next to the entrance to the Grand Californian hotel. They had some Disney Dooney and Bourke bags, but nothing caught my eyes, and the shop did not inspire me. I then headed back to the hotel.
I quickly went to reception on the way to the room. In the morning, I had quickly checked out the laundry room. I had noticed that you had to pay to use this. The larger DVC units have laundry facilities within the unit, but the studios always had access to free laundry facilities. I went to check if this was no longer the case. The person helping me checked our reservation to make sure we were staying on points and then issued me a prepaid laundry card with enough value for two loads of washing and drying. I was also instructed to come back if I needed more. I am not sure why this was not done as part of check in.
When I got back to the room, Graham was not there. I relaxed for a while with my book, and he came back about 30 minutes later. While he was out exploring, he had come across a farm where you can pick your own watermelons. He brought one back for us. This was a lot smaller than the watermelons that are sold in the UK and colour of the outside was also different. I was excited to try this for breakfast.
We decided to go out for dinner before we became too comfortable. We walked through Downtown Disney and past the park entrances to the IHOP that is just across the road from Disneyland. We were seated straightaway. We shared some mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce. We both had some mango iced tea, which was delicious. Graham had the T-bone steak with the sharp cheddar mac & cheese. He had also wanted some broccoli, but they did not have any. Instead, he had the mixed rice pilaff. I had gone with sirloin steak tips sautéed with grilled onions & mushrooms. I also had the sharp cheddar mac & cheese and for my second side, I had gone with the bean medley. We enjoyed our dinner, but IHOP is no longer a cheap place to eat. In the end, this was the most expensive meal we had on this trip. Indeed, it was cheaper to eat at the Disney restaurants than at the IHOP.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We were both tired and got ready for bed as soon as we were back in the room. It did not take long until we were both asleep.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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