Hello, hello! I'm James, and this is my pre-trip report... well, that goes without saying, really. What follows here is not just a summation of the build-up and eventual fulfillment of my first Disneyland vacation, but my first vacation that I'm taking on my lonesome. Every other trip, be it three to Walt Disney World (the most recent being in 2005 with my Mom when she was attending a conference being held there), or a quartet of trips to Las Vegas (the last one having been in 2008 with my Dad) have all been with at least one family member, if not the whole brood, my younger sister included.
But, as of last December, I'm a grand whopping 30 years old! GASP!! Oh, the unmittigated horror! So before things like senility and gravity start really taking a toll on me, it's time to make a wish I've had since my first WDW trip come true: to visit the park that started it all.
Cast of Characters
Well... principally it's just me, a 30 year old customer service rep and secondary policy administrator for a TPA that handles disability insurance. It's not as impressive as it sounds, honestly, and it doesn't even sound that great!
How This Trip Came About
Well, you can indirectly blame a young lady who works at the park. She doesn't know me from Adam, and I only know of her through her copious YouTube videos, photographs from the park, and fan art. But the videos she took of the Mad Hatter and Alice riding the Storybook Canals somehow struck a chord with me around the begining of 2009, and I started immersing myself once more in theme park culture. Though attempts to contact this woman to provide thanks have prooved... fruitless (she's a figure of such popularity on-line that she gets positively overwhelmed with messages on a daily basis), I have in fact forged a few on-line friendships with other folks who are park regulars.
So all this, combined with all the activity surrounding the park with it's 55th Anniversary, the pending return of Captain EO, and the (increasingly remote, I must add) chance to be one of the first to see the new World of Color show, I had enough incentive to get off my rear end and start saving up for this trip. It just seemed to me that the stars were lining up just right.
The Plan
On Thursday, April 29th of this year I will be departing from Rochester, NY on a flight to John Wayne International, with a stopover at Chicago's O'Hare Airport inbetween. Once there, I'll be checking into the Howard Johnson Anaheim for my four night stay. It's going to be a good 6 hours of flying, all told, so I'm not planning on visiting the parks proper that first day, but I am planning on using that day to check out Downtown Disney, do some shopping (particularly for my nieces), and maybe grab a bite there, too.
Friday is all about Disneyland itself. I'm going to get in the park first thing, grab a Fastpass for Splash Mountain, and hit at least Indy, Peter Pan and the Haunted Mansion in short order before using that Fastpass. I'll admit trepidition regarding Splash, since I'm not exactly a thrill ride person, but I figure if there's one ride I should be making an exception for, it's this one. I'm also planning on getting priority seating for Blue Bayou.
Saturday is going to be spent primarily at DCA. Again, getting there bright and early so I can take in both Soarin' and Midway Mania with a minimum of hassle. Beyond that, I know I need to take in Aladdin before that vanishes. And I'm hoping against hope that WoC will be ready by the time I get there, but at this point it just looks like a roll of the dice. A return to Disneyland proper to re-hit a ride or two will likely be in order, since DCA is still on the limited side.
Sunday will begin with a breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen, and then I'll basically be spending most of the day letting the aforementioned on-line friends set the pace.
... and on Monday I'll just have to tear myself away from the park magic and return to my mundane life.
Naturally, I'll be taking a multitude of pictures and maybe a video or two, most of the former will be going on my flickr account, but I'll be posting highlights here as well once I'm back. In the meantime, I'll be checking in now and then to update this thread with my progress and anxiousness.
Thanks for reading!
But, as of last December, I'm a grand whopping 30 years old! GASP!! Oh, the unmittigated horror! So before things like senility and gravity start really taking a toll on me, it's time to make a wish I've had since my first WDW trip come true: to visit the park that started it all.
Cast of Characters
Well... principally it's just me, a 30 year old customer service rep and secondary policy administrator for a TPA that handles disability insurance. It's not as impressive as it sounds, honestly, and it doesn't even sound that great!
How This Trip Came About
Well, you can indirectly blame a young lady who works at the park. She doesn't know me from Adam, and I only know of her through her copious YouTube videos, photographs from the park, and fan art. But the videos she took of the Mad Hatter and Alice riding the Storybook Canals somehow struck a chord with me around the begining of 2009, and I started immersing myself once more in theme park culture. Though attempts to contact this woman to provide thanks have prooved... fruitless (she's a figure of such popularity on-line that she gets positively overwhelmed with messages on a daily basis), I have in fact forged a few on-line friendships with other folks who are park regulars.
So all this, combined with all the activity surrounding the park with it's 55th Anniversary, the pending return of Captain EO, and the (increasingly remote, I must add) chance to be one of the first to see the new World of Color show, I had enough incentive to get off my rear end and start saving up for this trip. It just seemed to me that the stars were lining up just right.
The Plan
On Thursday, April 29th of this year I will be departing from Rochester, NY on a flight to John Wayne International, with a stopover at Chicago's O'Hare Airport inbetween. Once there, I'll be checking into the Howard Johnson Anaheim for my four night stay. It's going to be a good 6 hours of flying, all told, so I'm not planning on visiting the parks proper that first day, but I am planning on using that day to check out Downtown Disney, do some shopping (particularly for my nieces), and maybe grab a bite there, too.
Friday is all about Disneyland itself. I'm going to get in the park first thing, grab a Fastpass for Splash Mountain, and hit at least Indy, Peter Pan and the Haunted Mansion in short order before using that Fastpass. I'll admit trepidition regarding Splash, since I'm not exactly a thrill ride person, but I figure if there's one ride I should be making an exception for, it's this one. I'm also planning on getting priority seating for Blue Bayou.
Saturday is going to be spent primarily at DCA. Again, getting there bright and early so I can take in both Soarin' and Midway Mania with a minimum of hassle. Beyond that, I know I need to take in Aladdin before that vanishes. And I'm hoping against hope that WoC will be ready by the time I get there, but at this point it just looks like a roll of the dice. A return to Disneyland proper to re-hit a ride or two will likely be in order, since DCA is still on the limited side.
Sunday will begin with a breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen, and then I'll basically be spending most of the day letting the aforementioned on-line friends set the pace.
... and on Monday I'll just have to tear myself away from the park magic and return to my mundane life.
Naturally, I'll be taking a multitude of pictures and maybe a video or two, most of the former will be going on my flickr account, but I'll be posting highlights here as well once I'm back. In the meantime, I'll be checking in now and then to update this thread with my progress and anxiousness.
Thanks for reading!
Hiya neighbor! I got back about a month ago from DLR. We stayed in the Hojo too!
