MeishkaD
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2015
Repeats, Fireworks, and some Brief Solitude
So we made our way safely out of the jungle and into a jungle of strollers. Seemed to me that Adventureland has the least available stroller parking and they are everywhere. We knew that our fast passes for a second round of Star Tours were coming up shortly so we began to weave our way through the crowds to the hub. We spotted Aladin, Genie, and Jasmine in the distance, but as there was a line (surprise!, not really) so that was a no go. Onward we marched.
My daughter really got a kick our of using our "special tickets" to jump past the majority of lines. Thankfully we still got to enjoy part of the queue pre-show as she was completely enchanted with this robotic fellow.
We also grabbed a quick group shot in an area that had a little more light.
She was particularly delighted when he mistakes a camera for a bomb and eliminates it from some luggage.
Now as we approached the load zone I decided to give her some tips on being chosen as a rebel spy. I am not sure where I came across the information, although I believe it was an IAMA on reddit. (TIPs: The spy is choosen by one of the attractions hosts. They all have slightly different methods of choosing, but they will NOT choose anyone who has their glasses on and/or face covered/turned to the side prior to the announcement to put your glasses on. Things that can help: wearing a Star Wars shirt, being a child, wearing any kind of celebration button, and if all else fails, ask quietly (so as not to spoil first time riders) and politely.) Low and behold, it worked and Rebel Spy she was. Afterwards she said she was very grateful that C3P0 and R2 got her home safely.
Once again, we excited into a gift shop. My sister supervised while my daughter checked out the build your own light saber area (very cool, but a bit spendy at $29.95) while I shopped around for a gift for my husband. I found the perfect shirt:
In an attempt to be a good example I declined purchasing the shirt and decided to wait in case I spotted something better. (SPOILER ALERT: I didn't, and failed completely to return and the only other place I found it was missing his size. Lesson learned.)
About this time everyone was absolutely starving. Even though my sister had sneered at the idea of Tomorrowland Terrace earlier in the day it was close, (relatively) cheap, and had plentiful seating. My daughter happily selected a burger and I believe my sister and I split one as well. They had some nice music playing and there were kids out on the floor area that is used during the Jedi Academy during the day. My daughter quickly lost interest in eating and wanted to join in on the impromptu dance party. Some chaos happened, and then my daughter got a few minutes to dance before we went off in search of further activities.
The lines in Fantasyland were still fairly busy, so my daughter decided she wanted to take another voyage on the happiest cruise that ever sailed. My sister once again balked at this, so this time I just told her to pick a location and we would meet her in twenty minutes. I was fast nearing the end of my patience for skipping everything that didn't have a sister approved wait and/or fell in line with her attraction preferences. (TIP: Split up instead of wasting time fighting over itineraries. There is no excuse not to do this in a place with so many options and easy communication via cell phone).
My daughter was once again enchanted with the ride and this time we had a great time trying to note all of the Disney characters and discussing the countries represented in each scene. When we met up with my sister it was almost time for the fireworks to start. Another item on my daughter's list was a large lollipop and there just happened to be a cart close by so we rushed over to purchase an evening treat. The cast member pointed out some benches right across the way that she claimed had a good view (as it was way to late to get a best view in front of the castle). (TIP: Somewhere in this process I completely lost my VISA card. Thankfully it was truly lost and not stolen so I didn't need to cancel. I had already set it up to work for charges to my hotel room so I could continue to use it and canceled upon my return home. If you are using a card anyway and staying on property, just leave your card in the safe and use your hotel key. They won't allow purchases without showing ID and a hotel key is much faster to replace in the parks than a VISA) We got settled and then after struggling to open said treat for a bit, I walked back over to see if they might have some scissors that could help. They were happy to assist. The fireworks began just as I sat down and handed my daughter her treat.
I had packed my tripod for the trip and had lots of photography goals. These were one of the first things that just completely went by the wayside. Sadly the tripod never even made it out of my bag. So much for great shots of the fireworks.
My sister had decided previously that we should return immediately to the hotel following the fireworks. My daughter and I both still had plenty of energy so as we made our chaotic trip around the Matterhorn we finally settled on riding the subs as the line was the smallest we had seen all day. In hindsight a nighttime ride may not have been the best idea as some of the on ride moments were a little intense for my daughter and I think opening and closing the ride with bright sunshine would have helped. Then again, had we waited for a daylight ride it may have never happened due to wait times.
I ended up resorting to quietly whispering how some of the effects are achieved to my daughter. My sister initially started to explain, but I cut her off a bit as she was speaking loudly and I am a firm believer in not ruining the magic for anyone who still believes. Upon exiting the subs, my daughter of course wanted to ride the monorail back and my sister once again balked a the idea of walking a few extra steps required. This was also when I was informed that Tomorrowland was my sister's least favorite part of the parks. This would have been good information too know earlier in the day. (insert exasperated sigh and eyeroll here). (TIP: Wheteher traveling with frequent visitors or total newbies, find out if there are anythings they don't want to do, or areas they prefer not to spend much time in ahead of time, and plan accordingly) She had mentioned wanting to call and check in with her husband earlier in the day, so I recommended we split up and she could make her call when she found a quiet spot and we would meet back at the hotel.
Chaos temporarily handled, my daughter and I happily skipped up the ramp for our second ride. We arrived just as the train was leaving and were the only ones on deck at the moment so I kindly asked if we might be allowed to ride in the front with the captain. The wonderful cast member said that would be fine so long as they were not doing a training run. He also proceeded to stay and chat with us while we waited and even swapped spots with the incoming driver so he could personally drive us back to DTD. I made extra sure to drop off a compliment for him at Guest Relations.
By the time we made it back to the hotel, it was only about 10:30 and both my daughter and sister were ready for bed. I however was still bouncing with energy. My daughter had completely crashed out at this point. I managed to convince my sister to let me return to the parks, although she insisted I wait until she was done showering. Minutes that felt like hours passed and I was finally out the door. I didn't really realize how stressed I had been throughout the day until I launched out on my own. I booked it through DTD making plans all the way. My goals were to hit a few rides and possibly accomplish some souvenir shopping before returning to the hotel. I breezed through the gates at about 11:10 and made a beeline for Big Thunder Mountain.
It has always been my favorite and I was very excited to ride it and see the new end scene. It ended up being everything I had hoped for and more. I did make note that it was very dark at night, so I figured we would need to hit it up early in the day for my daughter.
I thought I might feel a bit out of place touring the park solo, but I have to admit it was quite the treat. I got to do what I wanted, when I wanted, at the pace I preferred. Bliss. (TIP: If there is anyway to make it possible, I highly recommend giving everyone who is old and responsible enough at least an hour or so to experience the park on their own. Ride the rides no one else is interested in, track down a favorite treat, do a little shopping, whatever floats their fancy)
Next up I had planned on trying to ride Haunted Mansion as my daughter had zero interest and it was fast becoming apparent that leaving my daughter and her aunt alone for extended periods of time was just not going to work out at all. It was a walk up, but I think only one elevator was running so after waiting about 5 minutes for it to appear I gave up and launched my way over to Indy. Boy was I glad that I did. I had thought this was a ride my daughter would enjoy, but after riding it again I realized that many of the simple effects would have been just too much for her. Once I exited the ride I realized I had about 10-15 left before park close to attempt to make it to Space Mountain. I made it with about 5 minutes to spare, but the line was still listed at 40 minutes and I just didn't think I could push my alone time that long.
So off to Star Tours again! Love that the scenes switch up and each ride is just a little different. Quickly became one of my new favorites and I can't wait to share it with my husband someday. Upon exiting the ride I really should have picked up that shirt, but c'est la vie.
I stopped by the photo center to upload our Jedi Academy shots to our PhotoPass account and I was out the gates and off to World of Disney to do some shopping. I had been told they would remain open until an hour after park closing, but at least on this night, that proved to be incorrect. So I slowly made my way back to the hotel and settled in for a brief amount of sleep.
I will leave off her and return with our second day at Disneyland. Thanks again for following along. Love the feedback and can't wait to work my way through all of your trip reports when I have the time!
So we made our way safely out of the jungle and into a jungle of strollers. Seemed to me that Adventureland has the least available stroller parking and they are everywhere. We knew that our fast passes for a second round of Star Tours were coming up shortly so we began to weave our way through the crowds to the hub. We spotted Aladin, Genie, and Jasmine in the distance, but as there was a line (surprise!, not really) so that was a no go. Onward we marched.
My daughter really got a kick our of using our "special tickets" to jump past the majority of lines. Thankfully we still got to enjoy part of the queue pre-show as she was completely enchanted with this robotic fellow.
We also grabbed a quick group shot in an area that had a little more light.
She was particularly delighted when he mistakes a camera for a bomb and eliminates it from some luggage.
Now as we approached the load zone I decided to give her some tips on being chosen as a rebel spy. I am not sure where I came across the information, although I believe it was an IAMA on reddit. (TIPs: The spy is choosen by one of the attractions hosts. They all have slightly different methods of choosing, but they will NOT choose anyone who has their glasses on and/or face covered/turned to the side prior to the announcement to put your glasses on. Things that can help: wearing a Star Wars shirt, being a child, wearing any kind of celebration button, and if all else fails, ask quietly (so as not to spoil first time riders) and politely.) Low and behold, it worked and Rebel Spy she was. Afterwards she said she was very grateful that C3P0 and R2 got her home safely. Once again, we excited into a gift shop. My sister supervised while my daughter checked out the build your own light saber area (very cool, but a bit spendy at $29.95) while I shopped around for a gift for my husband. I found the perfect shirt:
In an attempt to be a good example I declined purchasing the shirt and decided to wait in case I spotted something better. (SPOILER ALERT: I didn't, and failed completely to return and the only other place I found it was missing his size. Lesson learned.)
About this time everyone was absolutely starving. Even though my sister had sneered at the idea of Tomorrowland Terrace earlier in the day it was close, (relatively) cheap, and had plentiful seating. My daughter happily selected a burger and I believe my sister and I split one as well. They had some nice music playing and there were kids out on the floor area that is used during the Jedi Academy during the day. My daughter quickly lost interest in eating and wanted to join in on the impromptu dance party. Some chaos happened, and then my daughter got a few minutes to dance before we went off in search of further activities.
The lines in Fantasyland were still fairly busy, so my daughter decided she wanted to take another voyage on the happiest cruise that ever sailed. My sister once again balked at this, so this time I just told her to pick a location and we would meet her in twenty minutes. I was fast nearing the end of my patience for skipping everything that didn't have a sister approved wait and/or fell in line with her attraction preferences. (TIP: Split up instead of wasting time fighting over itineraries. There is no excuse not to do this in a place with so many options and easy communication via cell phone).
My daughter was once again enchanted with the ride and this time we had a great time trying to note all of the Disney characters and discussing the countries represented in each scene. When we met up with my sister it was almost time for the fireworks to start. Another item on my daughter's list was a large lollipop and there just happened to be a cart close by so we rushed over to purchase an evening treat. The cast member pointed out some benches right across the way that she claimed had a good view (as it was way to late to get a best view in front of the castle). (TIP: Somewhere in this process I completely lost my VISA card. Thankfully it was truly lost and not stolen so I didn't need to cancel. I had already set it up to work for charges to my hotel room so I could continue to use it and canceled upon my return home. If you are using a card anyway and staying on property, just leave your card in the safe and use your hotel key. They won't allow purchases without showing ID and a hotel key is much faster to replace in the parks than a VISA) We got settled and then after struggling to open said treat for a bit, I walked back over to see if they might have some scissors that could help. They were happy to assist. The fireworks began just as I sat down and handed my daughter her treat.
I had packed my tripod for the trip and had lots of photography goals. These were one of the first things that just completely went by the wayside. Sadly the tripod never even made it out of my bag. So much for great shots of the fireworks.
My sister had decided previously that we should return immediately to the hotel following the fireworks. My daughter and I both still had plenty of energy so as we made our chaotic trip around the Matterhorn we finally settled on riding the subs as the line was the smallest we had seen all day. In hindsight a nighttime ride may not have been the best idea as some of the on ride moments were a little intense for my daughter and I think opening and closing the ride with bright sunshine would have helped. Then again, had we waited for a daylight ride it may have never happened due to wait times.
I ended up resorting to quietly whispering how some of the effects are achieved to my daughter. My sister initially started to explain, but I cut her off a bit as she was speaking loudly and I am a firm believer in not ruining the magic for anyone who still believes. Upon exiting the subs, my daughter of course wanted to ride the monorail back and my sister once again balked a the idea of walking a few extra steps required. This was also when I was informed that Tomorrowland was my sister's least favorite part of the parks. This would have been good information too know earlier in the day. (insert exasperated sigh and eyeroll here). (TIP: Wheteher traveling with frequent visitors or total newbies, find out if there are anythings they don't want to do, or areas they prefer not to spend much time in ahead of time, and plan accordingly) She had mentioned wanting to call and check in with her husband earlier in the day, so I recommended we split up and she could make her call when she found a quiet spot and we would meet back at the hotel.
Chaos temporarily handled, my daughter and I happily skipped up the ramp for our second ride. We arrived just as the train was leaving and were the only ones on deck at the moment so I kindly asked if we might be allowed to ride in the front with the captain. The wonderful cast member said that would be fine so long as they were not doing a training run. He also proceeded to stay and chat with us while we waited and even swapped spots with the incoming driver so he could personally drive us back to DTD. I made extra sure to drop off a compliment for him at Guest Relations.
By the time we made it back to the hotel, it was only about 10:30 and both my daughter and sister were ready for bed. I however was still bouncing with energy. My daughter had completely crashed out at this point. I managed to convince my sister to let me return to the parks, although she insisted I wait until she was done showering. Minutes that felt like hours passed and I was finally out the door. I didn't really realize how stressed I had been throughout the day until I launched out on my own. I booked it through DTD making plans all the way. My goals were to hit a few rides and possibly accomplish some souvenir shopping before returning to the hotel. I breezed through the gates at about 11:10 and made a beeline for Big Thunder Mountain.
It has always been my favorite and I was very excited to ride it and see the new end scene. It ended up being everything I had hoped for and more. I did make note that it was very dark at night, so I figured we would need to hit it up early in the day for my daughter.
I thought I might feel a bit out of place touring the park solo, but I have to admit it was quite the treat. I got to do what I wanted, when I wanted, at the pace I preferred. Bliss. (TIP: If there is anyway to make it possible, I highly recommend giving everyone who is old and responsible enough at least an hour or so to experience the park on their own. Ride the rides no one else is interested in, track down a favorite treat, do a little shopping, whatever floats their fancy)
Next up I had planned on trying to ride Haunted Mansion as my daughter had zero interest and it was fast becoming apparent that leaving my daughter and her aunt alone for extended periods of time was just not going to work out at all. It was a walk up, but I think only one elevator was running so after waiting about 5 minutes for it to appear I gave up and launched my way over to Indy. Boy was I glad that I did. I had thought this was a ride my daughter would enjoy, but after riding it again I realized that many of the simple effects would have been just too much for her. Once I exited the ride I realized I had about 10-15 left before park close to attempt to make it to Space Mountain. I made it with about 5 minutes to spare, but the line was still listed at 40 minutes and I just didn't think I could push my alone time that long.
So off to Star Tours again! Love that the scenes switch up and each ride is just a little different. Quickly became one of my new favorites and I can't wait to share it with my husband someday. Upon exiting the ride I really should have picked up that shirt, but c'est la vie.
I stopped by the photo center to upload our Jedi Academy shots to our PhotoPass account and I was out the gates and off to World of Disney to do some shopping. I had been told they would remain open until an hour after park closing, but at least on this night, that proved to be incorrect. So I slowly made my way back to the hotel and settled in for a brief amount of sleep.
I will leave off her and return with our second day at Disneyland. Thanks again for following along. Love the feedback and can't wait to work my way through all of your trip reports when I have the time!
