All Nighter...at Disneyland!?!? Grad Nite TR

[DisneyMartian]

Yay! My first ever trip report! I love reading through these things: they really get me pumped for Disney and they really helped me get pumped for this trip.

I just got back this morning from my senior trip, which included the Blast Off party at DCA and, of course, Grad Nite at Disneyland. Needless to say, I literally had a blast (yay puns ) and I'm looking forward to chronicling my all-nighter at the happiest place on Earth. At the moment, I'm just waiting for my dad to return with my camera from his kayaking trip (my camera is waterproof and his isn't) so I can get pictures uploaded and begin the first part of my report.

To be honest, I didn't take as much as I probably wanted to and most of them are not the best of quality, so I apologize for that in advance. I hope they won't be too harsh on the eyes .

In the meantime, here's a little about me, since I this is my first report and I'm still pretty new here.

Me (ace reporter): As obvious from the term "senior trip", I'm a high school senior (set to graduate on June 11 ) who is known by the name "Veronica"--or "V" for short. I'm a long time Disney fan, have been ever since I was a wee little girl watching the movies and occasionally going to the Disneyland park. Even though I'm now an adult, my love still burns strong. I'm a character girl: I collect plushies and always get at least one from each trip. My top three favorite characters above all are Marvin the Martian (thus the "martian" portion of my user name and my current avatar as of 5/25), Mickey Mouse, and Jiminy Cricket. I'm also a Star Wars/Star Trek nerd (more emphasis on the former) so Star Tours is always a MUST for my trips...and to stare in wonder at that adorable Yoda backpack I always see at the Star Trader store (too pricy for a backpack that small, but someday I'll give in and get it ). I'm quite spontaneous: I usually walk around in circles before I get an impulse to do something, and this includes taking pictures

I'll try to get the first half uploaded by this evening.

Also, I wanted to once again express my gratitude to those who answered my questions about Grad Nite at the Disneyland section of DIS. You guys are awesome!

Catch you all later! Take care!

 

[Tasscrapper]

Hi V! I'm signing up for the ride.

 

[Vixen]

cant wait to read you TR!

 

[DisneyMartian]

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. Today was horribly distracting: in between studying for a Spanish test and just plain ADD moments, I didn't get a chance to get my photos onto my Photobucket account. But I'd thought I'd go ahead and get this thing started with an account of the travel to Southern California from our little town north of Sacramento.

I could hardly contain my excitement the night before, so I ended up with much less sleep than I had hoped. But regardless, whenever it comes to a trip for Disney, I usually have a natural caffeine dashing through my system. At least, as soon as I get there

I woke up at about 5am, got ready, showered, nibbled a little, did last minute packing, and then headed out to the school to catch the charter bus that would take us on a 12 hour journey to Southern California for three days of high paced (well, ok, maybe the trip to Newport beach wasn’t exactly high paced) events with very little sleep in between. Yee-haw!

We finally left the school at about 7:30am, about 30 minutes past the initial departure time. Our delay was due to the absence of one student; part of me was thinking “hey, he/she knew the time we were leaving. If he/she is not here, then he/she should face the consequences.” The other part, however, was saying “c’mon, maybe the individual got in traffic or got a late start. After all, everyone paid good money for this—it’s only fair”.

The person finally arrived and we hit the road, stopping by Sacramento to switch bus drivers and for a potty break. Of course, the girl’s bathroom line was insanely long while the boys just walked right into their own. Typical.

I spent the morning hours slipping in and out of a napping cycle---it’s very hard to sleep in cramped places, let alone on a bus. But it was better than nothing. Once we hit high noon, I added the factors of listening to my iPod and reading my AP English novel into the cycle of being awake and being semi-asleep. Didn’t past the time really, but I still felt as if I were getting some rest, so it wasn't bad.


(passed by scenes like this for a couple hours. Just like home, only...more "hilly" :rofl )

Stopped a couple times, once for lunch and then for a potty break before we hit the worst part of the whole ride. It was around 5pm when we hit LA and I’m pretty sure the notorious nature of its freeways is self-explanatory to those who don’t live in the area. In short, it kept us from reaching our destination for a good couple hours.





At this point my knees were in so much pain from lack of movement and each stop in the traffic felt like someone was viciously tugging at my veins, and the eventual brief movement of the bus was the signal for that someone to let go. And the moan and groans of my classmates didn't help either.

Twilight was upon us when we finally reached our hotel: the Radisson Inn Suites in Buena Park, right next door to Medieval Times Dinner Theater (which was actually another event we were scheduled to attend). It was 7:15ish pm: only an hour or so to get settled and prepare for the Blast Off pre-party at DCA.

Or so we thought. Wandering the hallways and taking some pictures, I ran into one of the chaperones, who informed me that we would be departing at 8:45pm instead of 8:15pm as originally planned. Bored and hungry, I went downstairs into the gift shop and bought a small bag of Cheetos to calm my stomach until I got a dinner at DCA.




(from the courtyard of the Radisson Suites in Buena Park)

Wandering back and forth both physically and internally, the time finally arrives and we all make our way to the buses. Once everyone was on board and we left the parking lot of the hotel, the second wind kicked in for everyone, myself included. One could taste the excitement that now agitated the atmosphere of the bus. Watch out Disney: here we come!

Next up: It's Party Time!! Blast Off Party at DCA.

 

[PirateFish989]

I remember my Grad Nite in 2007! One of the best trips to Disneyland I've ever taken! It is just so much fun. You can feel the energy in the air. It gives me chills thinking about it. It seems like just yesterday, yet is also seems like a million years ago.

Anyways, I can't wait to read more!!!!

 

[maryr1oz]

Your trip sounds great, i don't think i've read a grad nite report before!

Can't wait to hear more and see your pics...

 

[DLR29]

Sounds good. I can't wait to hear more about your Grad Night. And congrats on almost graduating!!!! I'm one year behind you and I'm so excited to be (almost) done with junior year.

 

[hurleysweety]

This sounds like so much fun! I'm a youth leader and the girls that I have just finished sophomore year. I've already talked to them about doing grad night and they are so excited. I wish I had known about it when I graduated! I can't think of a better way to celebrate and have a last hang out with all my friends!

And I totally understand those charter buses! I've been on many trips where I forget what it feels like to actually have my legs straight. Luckily, most of these trips have been as a leader and I would "kick" some unsuspecting junior high students out of their seats to get a "row" for myself. I know I know, I'm selfish, but at least they didn't have a grumpy leader, right? I mean afterall, they had more energy than me, right? But thats when the girls were all small - now some are taller than me. So we all sit uncomfortable - boo. At least you had the charter bus and not the 15 passenger vans I travelled around in when I was in high school. We weren't cool enough for the bus yet (or had the budget, ).

Can't wait to read more!

 

[shishigirl]

How fun to have your grad party at disneyland!!! I cant wait to read more!

 

[DisDancerina]

I'm here Going into 10th next year and I REALLY want to do Grad Night in 12th!

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I've always been curious about Grad Night at Disneyland. Unfortunately for me, the high school I graduated from is banned forever from Disneyland because some idiots from my school decided to check out DCA while it was under construction when they were at DL for Grad Night and scaled the chain link fence.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I've always been curious about Grad Night at Disneyland. Unfortunately for me, the high school I graduated from is banned forever from Disneyland because some idiots from my school decided to check out DCA while it was under construction when they were at DL for Grad Night and scaled the chain link fence.

 

[DisneyMartian]

Whew. This week was just insane for me. Sorry to keep you guys waiting: here's part 2 of my night: the Blast-Off Party at DCA.

A 10 minute cruise down the highway and soon we found ourselves parked at the very end of the shuttle area of the DLR (which was packed with people waiting for buses and shuttles, since Disneyland itself had closed not too long earlier before we arrived). As soon as we were parked, our excitement had to be held in for a few more moments as a CM came on board to explain the security procedures to us. After the spiel, we got off the bus in a linear fashion, being handed a plastic bag, a ticket, a food voucher, and a yellow paper wristband.

Security was TIGHT that night. I mean, REALLY tight. So tight that it made me take back what I had said once about the “laughable” nature of the security checkpoints at Disneyland. It seriously was like going through the security at an American airport. Those plastic bags we were given were for us to dump the contents of our bags and pockets, which were examined keenly, as well as our empty bags. Everyone also got padded down: this was a first for me so it felt kind of odd. Yet I can understand the need for beefed up security, especially knowing teens these days and the tendencies for many to make some “stupid” choices whilst partying.

Once I got through that mess, I was in the center courtyard, which was practically empty except for a cart selling light-up merchandise. I walked over to the DCA gate. To my surprise, the size of the crowds was VERY small compared to what I had anticipated. Perhaps it was because the pre-party was optional and actually more expensive than Grad Nite itself ($90 a ticket for the party compared to $57 for Grad Nite).



I walked through the entrance (oooh, I just love that magical “ding” you hear when they scan your ticket ) and immediately headed straight for the ToT. Since I only had about 2 ½ hours, I was determined to get on at least one ride, and I was even more determined to do ToT since I promised a friend that I’d ride it for her (she couldn’t make it that evening ) Being how I had gotten a chance to nibble beforehand, I decided that my stomach could wait.

I was utterly AMAZED at how empty the park looked. I’m so used to dodging crowds that it felt very odd to just be able to speed-walk through an empty Hollywood Backlots without watching for people. It was quite fun actually.



I did however let out a small groan when I saw that the Disney Animation building was close (I'm a geek for that place, and I love "Turtle Talk with Crush"). I made a mental note to get a picture with Minnie sometime later as I passed by a well-lit photo-op area.

The line for ToT wasn’t bad; a 30 minute wait. I jumped in line and lo and behold, I run into some friends waiting in line also. I now had a scream posse. Huzzah!



The wait went by VERY fast and before I knew it I was transported into the Twilight Zone, laughing like a maniac who had little breath in her lungs. The ride is incredible at night; it really adds to the initial theme I think. A highlight of my night indeed

Someone in our small group bought a photo of us. I couldn’t bear to look at my acne-speckled face doing the “hang loose” gesture with a big smile on her face

Afterwords we all agree that it was time to put those food vouchers to good use. We headed over to the area by “a bugs land” (which I am sad to report was closed) and the group splits off. I decided to stick around a bit with a couple of my friends.

The food vouchers were good for one free meal at selected snack bars in the park, each serving a designated dish. We ended up eating at the Farmer’s Market next to “a bug’s land”, which had chicken strips and fries. Beverage was given too; I chose water since I already had a soda that day and I’m trying to cut back.

It wasn’t half bad. And it was free so I’m not complaining, even though I would've rather had the burritos being served over at "Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill". We didn't look at the map guide beforehand to see what kind of food was offered .

The two girls wanted to hit CS while I lingered behind to get a snapshot with Minnie (as I said, I’m a character girl). So we parted ways and I headed back over to Hollywood Backlot, only to notice a CM at the entrance of Monsters, Inc. and...no chain blocking the entrance. I took a brief detour from the Backlot and cruised on over to the semi-hidden dark ride. Sure enough, it was open. But it was empty. My mouth dropped. I had wondered, were attractions like these not popular with my generation or was it overshadowed by the intensity of other more popular attractions like ToT and CS?

Either way, I didn’t care: a walk on to a very cute ride based off one of my favorite Pixar movies was like a golden ticket for me Especially after waiting almost 45 minutes the last time for it the last time I was at the park.

I glazed through the queue (while recording my facial reaction to “no lines!” ) with a couple chaperones who also decided to jump in and within seconds I was locked in the temptation to jump out of my seat to tackle-hug the fuzzy auto-animatronic of Sully

The ride may not be very exciting, but it’s adorable. Plus I’m a fan of audio animatronics. Ah, a geek moment...which got even geekier when Roz decided to interact with me, the “young lady in the second row” She liked my glasses and wanted to trade. I shouted back to her “no thanks!” Oooh, I wish I recorded THAT. It was a magical moment for me.

I was still giggling like a dork as I made my merrily way over to the photo op place. But to my surprise it wasn't Minnie who was there but my old buddy Mickey! More geeky giggles (just add in Star Tours with Crow T Robot and Spock and I’ll be on the ground having a giggly, geeky fit ).

As my turn came up, one of the two attending CMs came up to me to receive my camera. He saw my shirt (which had the character Gir from “Invader Zim”) and complimented it. A nice gesture; I thanked him. Then he proceeded to show me his tattoo of the same character on his calf. “That is awesome!” I said as I high-fived him.

I got a picture with Mickey (which I’m kind of hesitant to show since I’m not quite comfortable posting pics of myself on the internet) and then decided to head over to Paradise Pier to see if I can get on CS. On the way over, I took some time to admire the new Mickey wheel and the empty bay.





CS was about a 30 minute wait and I had less than 45 minutes left. So instead I decided to walk for a bit in the area to see if people would begin to clear out to the point where I could sneak in a ride before I went over to DL. As I was heading over to the Mickey Wheel (for some reason I thought maybe I could get on for a while), I saw Toy Story Midway Mania for the first time. I didn’t even realize that it was opened yet (I was a bit behind on my DLR knowledge; I’m usually the guru in our home ). And to my surprise: it was another walk on. This time however I guessed this was probably because people were starting to head over to DL or catching one last ride on ToT or CS.

Again, I didn’t wonder too much: I got on.

3-D effects normally make my eyes feel sore, but this time it didn’t, which really made the ride a lot more enjoyable than it initially was. I found myself giggling throughout as I was shooting at the screen (and at Woody at the beginning--couldn't resist )


(I'm the blue one. The Hitch Hiking Ghost who sat next to me was a bit shy at giving it a shot. Poor fellow!)

I got a humble score, but it was my first time (and I even didn’t realize that the ride was similar to that of Astro Blasters at DL) and I had a lot of fun so it didn’t matter to me.

After getting off and taking a few seconds of observing Mr. Potatohead in action at the entrance of the ride, I realized that the park was even emptier than before. I checked my cell phone: 11:45ish pm. I decided it was time to head on over to the entrance. Especially after I saw that CS closed its lines to any newcomers. Oh well, maybe next time.

Wandering through the maze of “under construction” walls by the entrance to Paradise Pier, I made my way to the entrance and saw an amoeba of a crowd heading out. I took one huge breath and smiled. I had a blast that evening at DCA. And then it dawned on me that this was only the beginning. My smile grew; I knew I was in for a fun filled night.

Next up: I'm home! All-Nighter at the Happiest Place on Earth!

 

[DisDancerina]

That sounds like so much fun! Don't worry, I'm a DGeek too!

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

That sounds like so much fun! Don't worry, I'm a DGeek too!

me too!
love the TR so far! Can't wait till I have my grad nite in 3 years xD (hope its at Disneyland!)

 

[DisDancerina]

me too!
love the TR so far! Can't wait till I have my grad nite in 3 years xD (hope its at Disneyland!)

I have 3 years too!
I REALLY want to go... right now!

 

[roxy72]

What a fun trip report. You are bringing back so many memories for me. My grad night was in 2003, which feels like ages ago.

My high school was up in the East Bay Area, and I swear that it also took our bus 10-12 hours to get down south. It took SO long, and I hated the long lines for the girl's bathrooms at rest stops!

We stayed at the *same* hotel as you, which is pretty funny. I recognized it from your pictures, and since it was right next to Medieval Knights. I remember getting a terrible stomache-ache the night after Grad Night, when we spend the day at CA Adventure. Bleh. My friends rode Grizzly River Runs about 5 times when I spent the time in the bathroom.

 

[DisneyMartian]

Sorry for the lack of responses and updates everyone. This was my last week of school so I had all the finals to worry about (as well as some farewells). I'll try to get the next part up by tomorrow but after that you probably won't hear from me until the week after next due to the fact that I have my senior community service project next week and then my actual graduation--with the clan coming up so I'll be spending less time on the computer.

Until, take care you all, and thanks to those sticking around! I promise I won't keep you on the edge for too long

love the TR so far! Can't wait till I have my grad nite in 3 years xD (hope its at Disneyland!)

I have 3 years too!
I REALLY want to go... right now!

I completely understand the feeling. I was on the high school newspaper staff for all four years of my high school and when I first heard of the Grad Nite trip as a freshman, I immediately jumped on and said "I'll write it!" Man, the anticipation REALLY built up for me as I was doing my interviews.

Three years seems like an eternity, but trust me, time flies especially after your first high school year. And the wait is totally worth it. You'll have a blast!

What a fun trip report. You are bringing back so many memories for me. My grad night was in 2003, which feels like ages ago.

My high school was up in the East Bay Area, and I swear that it also took our bus 10-12 hours to get down south. It took SO long, and I hated the long lines for the girl's bathrooms at rest stops!

We stayed at the *same* hotel as you, which is pretty funny. I recognized it from your pictures, and since it was right next to Medieval Knights. I remember getting a terrible stomache-ache the night after Grad Night, when we spend the day at CA Adventure. Bleh. My friends rode Grizzly River Runs about 5 times when I spent the time in the bathroom.

Aww, I'm really sorry you didn't feel well after the event...that's never fun

Pretty awesome though that I was in the same hotel as you. Do you remember what room you stayed in? Mine was 203. Did you guys also walk over to Medieval Times for dinner?

I've always been curious about Grad Night at Disneyland. Unfortunately for me, the high school I graduated from is banned forever from Disneyland because some idiots from my school decided to check out DCA while it was under construction when they were at DL for Grad Night and scaled the chain link fence.

That really stinks Don't ya just hate it when a small handful ruin it for the rest?

 

[Belle Ella]

I am so jealous reading all about your Disney Grad Nite! I was so jealous when my sister graduated in 2007 because her class got the experience. When I graduated, we had crappy class officers who failed at everything our whole 4 years and we didn't get anything fun, and certainly didn't get to do Disneyl Grad Nite, and now I'll never get to experience except living through others - and right now that's you!!

Can't wait for more. Post as many pics asyou can

 

[DisneyMartian]

Hey everyone! I'm finally back after all the chaos here

I'm currently working on the next update for my trip, pics and all. I'm about more than half way through the writing portion and the pics are all ready to go onto photobucket. I will get all this up by tomorrow evening the very latest (unless my internet goes down).

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and haven't forgotten about you

Take care everyone!