An August 2019 (kind of) Solo TR! Updated 3/3!

[momtohms]

Hello! Welcome to my latest trip report! I just got back a few days ago, and am really excited to get this started!

My PTR can be found HERE

First up, the details!

This was my 6th trip to Disneyland! I went twice in High School, and then didn’t get back until 2015 with my own family - and have gone almost every year since then. Twice with my husband and kids (those TRs are in my signature), and once with just DH, and this last trip I was with my parents - but spent quite a bit of time solo. Hence the “kind of” solo title for this TR ;-)

We were down in California for my cousin’s wedding on Coronado, which was so gorgeous and so much fun! DH and I had decided early on that it just made more sense for me to go alone to the wedding. Then my parents started talking about doing Disney after, and I couldn’t pass up a chance to go. With DH being military, we not only were able to use the military salute tickets - but we also used the hotel discount and stayed at the Grand Californian!

I should warn you... I took a LOT of pictures and crammed a TON into my 4 days. I went on the rides 108 times (lots of duplicates - I’ll post the numbers later), and racked up over 133,000 steps! This trip literally killed my Fitbit - not even joking! I’ll likely be updating a few times a day too, but I’ll try not to go TOO fast ;-)

Anywhoo....Let’s get this party started! Thanks for following along!

 

[momtohms]

Table Of Contents

The Before

Part 1: Coronado
Part 2: Arriving at the GCH and a Night in DTD

Disneyland Day One (8/19)

Part 3: An EARLY DCA Morning!
Part 4: Pixar Pier, and the Rest of My DCA Morning
Part 5: Disneyland and Donuts!
Part 6: Big Thunder Wait Time
Part 7: Adventures & Mountains
Part 8: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 1!
Part 9: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 2!
Part 10: Pirates & Spirits of New Orleans Square
Part 11: Snacks, Straw Hatters, Spacemen, and Star Wars!
Part 12: Splash! Then Time For Lunch and Shopping!
Part 13: Where Is Everyone?!
Part 14: Getting Those Steps In!
Part 15: Not the Experience I Was Hoping For...
Part 16: Fantasyland & Fireworks!
Part 17: The One Where I Did a Bunch and Didn’t Take a Single Picture!
Part 18: Smuggler’s Run and a Second Wind
Part 19: Day One Overview

Disneyland Day Two (8/20)

Part 20: Spoiler Alert! I Rode Jingles!
Part 21: More Fantasyland Morning Fun
Part 22: Breakfast With a View!
Part 23: Lunch in a Galaxy Far, Far Away!
Part 24: Island Exploration
Part 25: A Sunny Disney Afternoon
Part 26: Dining & Driving
Part 27: Sh Boom! Sh Boom!
Part 28: A Colorful End to Day Two
Part 29: Day Two Overview!

Disneyland Day Three (8/21)

Part 30: Another EARLY DCA Morning!
Part 31: First One on the Ride!

 

[momtohms]

Part 1: Coronado!

I left on August 15th and flew from Seattle to San Diego on Alaska Airlines. By total coincidence this was my plane for the trip down!


My usual airline travel set up - the Mediterranean Tapas snack box, coffee w/Bailey’s and a fun rom com on my tablet (watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” here).


I got a better look at my plane once we had landed in San Diego!


We stayed at the El Cordova hotel in Coronado, which is basically right across the street from the famous Del Coronado Hotel.

Most of the weekend was full of wedding festivities, but I did get to spend an afternoon on the beach and explore Coronado a bit! Such a fun & charming little town!

Enjoying the sunshine!


The beautiful Del Coronado!


Downtown San Diego from the rehearsal dinner restaurant


Some water & wave pics from the beach




A selfie from the wedding! Enjoying the specialty drink from the open bar :-D


We left San Diego in the late afternoon of Sunday the 18th, and drove up to Anaheim! Originally the plan was to take the train - but I’m glad it worked out to drive since we got to stop at In n Out for dinner and get some animal style goodness! Yum!


The Disney stuff starts in the next post, I promise, but I wanted to get a few Coronado pics in too

Thanks for reading!

 

[momtohms]

Part 2: Arriving at the GCH and a night in DTD!

We pulled up to the Grand Californian just after 8pm, gotta love the feeling when you pull onto Disneyland Drive!


Since my Dad was going straight to SNA to return the rental car, he dropped my Mom & I off at the hotel entrance. We were met immediately by bell services who helped unload our luggage onto a cart to be brought to our room after we were checked in.

I love this lobby! I wish I had taken more pics, but I did get a video clip (which will be in my trip video if I ever get around to making that, haha!)


After a brief wait, it was our turn to check-in! The guy helping us out was super helpful and shared a few tips with us. We were given our keys and a map of the hotel and off we went. He also gave me a birthday button to wear when I mentioned the trip was partially a birthday present (my actual birthday was about a week earlier, haha).

Our room was #4221 - a standard room overlooking the front of the hotel. It honestly was kind of meh after the grandeur of the lobby and I also have to admit it was my least favorite of the three onsite hotels. I love the size of the PPH rooms and the magic of the DLH rooms more. It didn’t help that I think we ended up with one of the last rooms to get an upgrade. It still had carpeting, and I think most have hardwoods now? I was also kind of bummed to end up with the tub/shower combo. I almost called ahead to request a walk in shower room, but it seemed like those were the majority now so I figured we had good odds to get one. Nothing against the tub/shower - it definitely did the job, but the dual shower head was faulty and a bit annoying. The overhead waterfall shower head constantly dripped cold water, no fun In hindsight I should have said something to the front desk. Anyway, more hotel thoughts later!

It took a few attempts to get ahold of bell services for our luggage. The guy who took our bags at the entrance didn’t write the number we had to call very clearly on the tag he gave us - so we had to call around to get the right place. Once we did get ahold of the right people, they had our bags up in under ten minutes.

Since my Dad was still out dropping off the rental car, my Mom and I decided to head down to Downtown Disney and walk around and go over and walk around the DLH grounds as well!

We had a bit of a wait to get into DTD from the GCH security check point, the line was super long and I think my mom & I were both worried this would be the norm for our trip. Thankfully that was really the only time we saw a huge line there!

I didn’t get any pics of our first walk through, we were trying to get our fitness goals met on our fitness trackers so it was a bit of a power walk through DTD and around the DLH! Haha! Once that was accomplished, I stopped and grabbed a Dole Whip Float with Rum at the window outside the Tangaroa Terrace☀. Then it was back over to Downtown Disney to browse the shops

However, in my excitement, I totally didn’t think about where I’m allowed to bring alcoholic beverages and got busted at security trying to bring my Dole Whip float through! Lol! Whoops! I had to go over by the DLH and finish it on the sidewalk before they let me through. The security guards were good sports about it though and told me “Definitely don’t throw that away! Just finish it over there!” Ha!

Our first stop was the World of Disney! I had promised my girls that I would get them each a pair of ears on this trip to add to their collections, and I wanted to get them early on so I could wear them during ;-) Before I left, I’d had them pick out their favorites and easily found the pairs my oldest and middle liked best (the Donut & Ariel ears respectively). My youngest had wanted the ears that were all rainbow ombré, but I couldn’t find them anywhere in the store. I decided to wait until I was in the parks to buy any ears, just in case they had more options in specific stores.

Some of the cute things I saw!


(I ended up getting these ears for myself later in the trip!)

Such a fun shirt!


Wall of ears!


Giant plush Baymax!


Some really cute Minnie gear


We left the other side of the store just in time to catch the start of the fireworks!


Since we were still waiting to hear from my Dad, we stopped and watched for a bit until my mom got the text that he was back and waiting in the lobby. She went back to the hotel to give him his key, and we planned to meet up later. I watched the fireworks for a few more minutes, and then went back through World of Disney to shop some more!

They had the patch I wanted for my bag, but the lines at all the cash registers were long so I decided to wait and get it later. I ended up finding it at the Disney Dress Shop and buying it there! I didn’t take a pic of it that night, but you’ll see it in a few of my selfie pics to come. Haha!

The Dress Shop also had the Potion Purple ears that matched my water bottle, and my nails! Lol!


My first purchase of the trip! (The stick on patch I mentioned earlier!)


I met back up with my parents down by the security check near the DLH (they had decided to walk around to that one since the line at the GCH into DTD was still really long). We then walked back through DTD and World of Disney one last time so my Dad could look around. Then it was back to the hotel room for bed! We had an early start the next morning and it had been a busy weekend in Coronado

Stay tuned for the first morning in the parks! Thanks for reading!

 

[momtohms]

Part 3: An EARLY DCA morning!

Let me just start this off by saying that my parents are total rockstars! Haha! They know from doing a Disney trip with me in the past that I am all about the early mornings - and were both onboard with being up at an ungodly hour to make it happen this trip. At least for the first day when we all had to be together to activate our tickets ;-)

My alarm went off at 5:45am, and I was dressed and ready to go just before 6:15.

Outfit of the day, and my “before coffee” face...


See the D on my bag strap? That’s the patch I bought the night before! I have better close up pics of it later

By 6:30am, we were all ready to go! My mom was only coming down to get her ticket activated and then planned to go back to bed - but my Dad and I were hitting the parks. Since my Mom would be going straight back to the room, we opted to use the GCH entrance. When we arrived there was only one other family in the line, and another showed up around the same time as us. By 6:45am, the line was down the hallway as more and more people came.

We had been told that they weren’t going to start letting people through security until 5 minutes before 7, so my Dad went off to explore since we had a good twenty minutes at that point. Well, they ended up letting the line move early and as my Dad wasn’t back yet - my mom & I had to step out and let other people by until he showed up. Thankfully he was just down the way and it was only a small delay that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things! But naturally when you are excited, a two minute hold up can seem like an hour. Lol!!

We made it through the bag check, successfully activated the tickets, said farewell to my mom, and my Dad and I took our place just outside the GCH to wait for the park to open!

The early morning crowd!


We decided to make our way over to Cars Land first thing and go standby for Radiator Springs Racers! I also made my first Max Pass on the way, booking an 8-9am return time for Guardians of the Galaxy!

This is definitely still the thing to do first for most people, as the majority were heading in the same direction ;-)


Good Morning, Radiator Springs!


I grabbed some pictures from the queue as we sped through.




Despite having quite a crowd in front of us, I don’t think we waited more than a few minutes! We got the front row, I was the driver with my Dad next to me - and our car won!

I’m pretty sure I take a picture of this scene just about every time I ride RSR! The way the music swells just as you are coming out of the tunnel and see this ahead of you? Pure magic!


Playing around with the portrait mode, it didn’t focus where I wanted but still turned out kind of cool.


Our ride pic! I loved getting all my photos included with Max Pass! Definitely worth the cost there alone


Next up: over to Pixar Pier!

 

[momtohms]

Part 4: Pixar Pier, and the Rest of My DCA Morning!

My plan for the morning was to hit the 5 big rides in DCA in the first hour or so (RSR, which we had just done; followed by TSMM, Incredicoaster, Soarin’, and finally GOTG).

It was really fun to see Pixar Pier for the first time in person! I love the new theming!




7:20am and still quite empty in this part of the park!


We made our way to TSMM and walked right on! After finishing, the plan was that I would ride the Incredicoaster, and my Dad would wait since he isn’t a big fan of rides that go upside down. However, as we approached the entrance and saw the group of CMs stationed just outside - and noticed the obvious lack of movement from ride vehicles & a lack of anyone in the queue - it wasn’t a surprise to find out the ride was down. Bummer.

We made our way over to the Grizzly Peak area of the park, en route to Soarin’!


The Standby line at Soarin’ was about ten minutes, and we lucked out by getting middle seats in row one! It was really fun to see the California version again, and smell the delicious oranges!

No ride pics obviously, just this one of Patrick going over the important safety information. Haha!


After our flight over California, it was just about 8am - time to use my GOTG MaxPass and book another one I knew that I was going to be heading to Disneyland after riding GOTG, so I made a Hyperspace Mountain MP with an 8:30-9:30 return.

My Dad didn’t have any desire to ride GOTG, and was ready to find some breakfast - so we parted ways then. He went over to Flo’s and then was planning to meet up with my Mom, and I headed to Guardians!

I got to take the red line timing card through (the first of three times this trip, haha!)


Inside the Collector’s office




Hello Rocket


I made my way down into the area where they load the gantry lifts, and ended up sitting next to a guy who was on his 652nd ride! Yep! Six HUNDRED and fifty two! He’d also ridden RSR over 12,000 times (I think it was 12,000 - maybe it was only 1,200 though. I was still before coffee at this point! Lol!) We talked a bit before it started about favorite songs - I’d only ridden it once previously on our 2017 trip and gotten my favorite then (Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”). He told me that “Free Ride” was the most rare, and that’s the one we ended up getting that time! It was a blast!

Ride pic! I’m middle row on the right with my face mostly blocked by a hand ;-) The guy in the red plaid was the one who had ridden a ton of times!


Next up: Disneyland and Donuts!

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Loving everything about this report, can't wait for more!

 

[momtohms]

Loving everything about this report, can't wait for more!

Thank you!!

 

[momtohms]

Part 5: Disneyland and Donuts!

Once I had finished up a fun ride on GOTG, it was time to make my way across the esplanade to Disneyland!


There was hardly any line to get in, and I was soon greeted with this view <3


Obviously, I had to stop for the entrance tunnel plaque picture!


As it was still about ten minutes until my Hyperspace Mountain MaxPass was ready, I decided to grab breakfast and take a little break from the “go go go” of that morning! I already had a treat in mind, so off to Jolly Holiday I went!

Making my way down Main Street USA!


It’s so fun to see the castle for the first time! I am so in love with the latest upgrade, and how the colors just pop!

There was no line at Jolly Holiday, so it took only minutes to order and get my food. Any guesses as to what I was there for?!

Behold! Absolute deliciousness.


Yes, that is a Pineapple donut. Also known as a Dole Whip donut! I was thrilled when they announced it was back earlier this summer, but didn’t think it would still be around for my trip. I’d been stalking the #dolewhipdonut tag on Instagram, and people were still posting that it was available - so I knew it had to be my first priority on my first Disneyland day!

I sat at one of the tables closest to main street to people watch, and enjoy my donut and a couple shots of espresso. A very yummy and much needed breakfast for sure!


Gotta love this breakfast view!


After finishing, it was time to head to Hyperspace Mountain! I was also able to make a new MaxPass, and booked one for Indiana Jones (9-10am return, I believe).

Inside Hyperspace Mountain on my way to boarding


Ride pic! In hindsight, I should have sat in the other seat so I wasn’t so blocked It’s a nice pic of my forehead though!


It wasn’t quite time to use my Indiana Jones MaxPass yet, and I noticed that BTMRR had a five minute wait - so it was off to Frontierland!

A picture while walking back through Tomorrowland.


Next up: Big Thunder Wait Time

 

[momtohms]

Part 6: Big Thunder Wait Time!

I made my way over to Frontierland and headed straight for Big Thunder!


While both the app & outside the ride were still showing a 5 minute wait time, I think half the park had the same idea as I did and a bunch of people showed up to ride just as I was. That 5 minute wait quickly became at least 20! It was no problem to wait though, and the line moved pretty quickly. I took several pictures in the queue to pass the time

A couple shots of the Dino skeleton




My epic tan line. Lol! I had sat out in the sun the day before when I was still in Coronado, and was wearing crop yoga pants. Apparently my legs got more sun than I thought. Whoops! I rocked the reverse sock look all week (still am, actually)


More ride queue details!




Love the town scene!


Finally getting to the top of the loading deck! Yay!


Big Thunder Mountain is my absolutely favorite ride in DL, and it was down on our most recent trip in 2017 for refurb, so my last ride on it was 2016. It was just as fun as I remembered!

After getting off, it was time to go use my Indiana Jones MaxPass and to book another one. I picked up a MP for BTMRR that had an almost immediate return and then headed to Adventureland for Indy with plans to come back for another ride on BTMRR!

Pics from my walk to Adventureland along the Rivers of America




Up Next: Adventures & Mountains!

 

[momtohms]

Part 7: Adventures & Mountains

Time for Indiana Jones! I grabbed a quick shot heading into the ride.


And a shot from the video they show in the queue. Don’t look into the eyes of the idol! Eek!


Once I was done with my ride on Indy, it was back over to BTMRR for another ride. This time
I grabbed some shots on the ride too







Afterwards, it was time to make another MaxPass. I grabbed a later afternoon MP for RSR over in DCA, and headed over to Fantasyland to use the single rider line for Matterhorn. My plan was to do that, then ride some of the Adventureland and New Orleans Square attractions that don’t use MaxPass.

Castle pics on my walk over!



Scaffolding on the Matterhorn where the rock work had fallen off the exterior


Stole a pic of Gaston who was our greeting guests and showing off his swagger ;-)


My Matterhorn plans were thwarted when I showed up and found out they had temporarily closed the single rider line. Boo! With one of the tracks down for maintenance, the wait time was quite high my entire trip and the Fast Pass return times went pretty quick too. I decided to cancel my RSR MP and pick up a Matterhorn one instead for later in the day as I wasn’t sure if/when the single rider queue would ever be going again.

It was still early enough in the day that most rides had short waits, so back over to Adventureland & New Orleans Square to hit up my favorites there!

A quick pic in Fantasyland though


Next up: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 1!

 

[StarlitNight05]

Loving your trip report so far!

 

[momtohms]

Loving your trip report so far!

Yay! Thanks for following along

 

[momtohms]

Part 8: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 1!

Next up, it was off to Adventureland! I like the new wider entrance into this area of the park, and am happy that the sign was not gone for long and back up for my trip!


First up was a trip on the Jungle Cruise. This is another favorite of mine (and one that I rode several times on this trip!) My skipper was pretty funny this time also, I’m a sucker for the jokes!

I ended up with a great spot on the boat, so you get to enjoy all the pics I took! Haha! Half are in the rest of this post and the other half are in the next post

Off we go!

The infamous leaping tiger. Depending on who your skipper is, he can jump from 10 to 50 feet! Who knew?!


Appropriately attired in their swimming trunks ;-)


Longest. Shower. Ever.


These guys are clearly up to no good...

I always want to hum that “Trashin’ The Camp”
song from Tarzan at this part.


Continued Next In, Part 9: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 2!

 

[momtohms]

Part 9: It’s A Jungle...Cruise! Part 2!

Stripey Horses, Long Necked Cheetahs, and the New Guys


Lions and a “sleeping” Zebra ;-)


I’d hate to be that guy on the bottom...yikes...


I am sure this has always been there, or maybe just the joke they used was new? But I honestly didn’t remember this part. Either way, it’s a nice “skull”pture (that never got old, lol)


A little hokey pokey


O2H! O2H!


Hello Trader Sam!


Now that I’ve thoroughly satisfied your Jungle Cruise picture needs, moving on to more adventures!

Up Next! Part 10: Pirates & Spirits of New Orleans Square

 

[momtohms]

Part 10: Pirates & Spirits of New Orleans Square

After finishing my cruise through the Jungle, it was off for another thrilling boat ride! I made my way over to Pirates, which was practically a walk on (under a 5 minute wait for sure).

I love the outside of this ride, the architecture is gorgeous and doesn’t get nearly enough attention
IMO


Looking down into the queue area


Floating past the Blue Bayou. It was still early enough in the day there wasn’t anyone dining yet though.


I only used my phone to take pics on this trip, and overall it worked out really well - unless I wanted to capture something on a dark or fast ride. I definitely missed my DSLR then!

A couple of ride shots that turned out okay-ish




It was off to the Haunted Mansion next! I was so glad they didn’t have it down for the NBC overlay refurb when I was there. I hadn’t seen the original version since my 2016, and was looking forward to that as well.

The line wasn’t quite a walk on, maybe around 10 minutes.



I had to take a pic of this because that poor frog croaked on my birthday (a decade and some years earlier though!). Also the opening day of the Haunted Mansion!


The only on ride pic that wasn’t a blurry mess! Ha!


I was ready for a drink & snack after that, and decided to head back towards Main Street to see what I could find!

Next Up: Snacks, Straw Hatters, Spacemen, and Star Wars!

 

[momtohms]

Part 11: Snacks, Straw Hatters, Spacemen, and Star Wars!

Buckle up! I cover a lot in this post! Haha!

I made my way over to Fantasyland and grabbed a garlic cheddar twist and the red rose lemonade from Maurice’s Treats! Heading back to the hub, I found an empty bench to sit at while enjoying my food & a little people watching.

Refreshing Red Rose Lemonade. It wasn’t my favorite, I definitely prefer the Boysen Apple Freeze, but it hit the spot and I’m glad I gave it a try


The garlic cheddar twist was just as yummy as I remember! I neglected to grab napkins though and this definitely needed it, as it was quite greasy/buttery.


During my snacking & people watching, I also got to enjoy the fun musical entertainment of the Straw Hatters!


After finishing my snack and taking a little break to enjoy the sights & sounds - I was ready to hit another ride! It was too soon to make another MaxPass selection, and my next booked MP wasn’t for a few more hours (the later afternoon Matterhorn pass that I’d booked earlier). Since the Buzz Lightyear ride didn’t have a terrible wait for standby, I went there next.

Overall, I think it was around a 15 minute wait - but the line moved fast! I only grabbed one pic from this attraction.


I was hoping to get my ride pic too, but the photo quality on those is so horrible I honestly couldn’t tell which one was me! Plus about half of them were just the stock “error” photo. It wasn’t worth the time trying to figure it out. Lol!

It was time to book another MaxPass, so I grabbed one for Splash Mountain that had a close return time (within 30 minutes or so). I figured I would just make my way to Critter Country, and see what I found along the way.

I decided to go fill my water bottle at the refill station by Autopia since I was nearby. However, when I went to pull it out of my side pouch, it was missing. I realized I had no idea when I’d last seen it, and it could have easily fallen out anywhere that morning If you didn’t read my PTR, the water bottle I’m referring to is the potion purple aluminum bottle they used to sell in the parks (I don’t think they do anymore, at least I didn’t see it anywhere). I think you can still order it online, but DH had found mine on eBay and bought it for me as a birthday gift before my trip - so even though I probably could’ve found another somewhere, I would have been sad to have lost this one in particular!

I started to retrace my steps, and walked back over to Buzz and talked to a CM outside the ride. She called someone inside the ride, and they had found it! Yay! I’m so glad I hadn’t lost it earlier in the day where I would have had a lot more retracing to do. They had me go through the exit and once I got back into the loading & unloading area it was sitting there waiting. I was much more aware of it the rest of my trip, especially after realizing I couldn’t buy another in the parks!

Back over to Autopia I went, this time with a water bottle to fill! Haha!

Since it was only about 20ish minutes until I could use my Splash MaxPass, I figured it was a good time to have my first peek at Galaxy’s Edge! It was also convenient that I was near the Fantasyland entrance and wanted to head to a ride near the Critter Country entrance. A perfect excuse to pass through!

First looks! This was the first day that the Deluxe APs were back after their summer block out, and while Disneyland itself wasn’t as crowded as I thought it might be - Galaxy’s Edge definitely had a lot of traffic!


Love the rock work.


Millennium Falcon


An attempt to take a selfie with the Millennium Falcon in the background


Chewbacca was playing a game with some kids, it was pretty cute!


I’m sure this has a name, I’m not a huge Star Wars person otherwise I’d probably know it. Haha!


It was fun to explore for a bit, and a great way to get to Critter Country! By the time I made it through Galaxy’s Edge, my Splash Mountain MP was almost ready to use.

Next Up: Splash! Then Time for Lunch and Shopping!

 

[mamamary]

Great trip report so far! Hitting up Disneyland for my first trip very soon.

 

[momtohms]

Part 12: Splash! Then Time For Lunch and Shopping!

My Splash Mountain MP was ready to use a few minutes before the 12:30-1:30 window, so I scanned in and was on the ride pretty quickly! Being on a solo trip, was a lot like being a single rider - even when not using the single rider line - so I ended up in the back of the log. Which was fine by me, since it’s easier to stay dry back there ;-)

I was with a family who had a great time, I think you’ll be able to tell from the pic who was the biggest source of entertainment! Haha! It’s always the best to be on a ride with enthusiastic people!


I took a moment to enter the ride pic code in my app, and make a new MaxPass. The Incredicoaster was finally back up and running, so I quickly booked that one. It was in the same return window as the Matterhorn pass that I’d made earlier, but I figured I’d easily be able to do both in the hour window. Gotta love how easy it is to park hop!

Even though hadn’t been too long since my snack, I was ready for lunch. What can I say?! All that walking at Disney makes me hungry! I decided on Red Rose Taverne so I could try the Pommes Frites and get another Grey Stuff dessert.

Off to Fantasyland again, but not not before grabbing this pic of Splash as I passed by


Another castle pic, since I basically can’t walk by without taking one ;-)


Since Red Rose Taverne has mobile order, I had to give it a try for the first time! It was really easy to use and I am so glad they have this option now! I ordered the cheeseburger & pommes frites, the grey stuff, and a Diet Coke. Because it was still the lunchtime rush, my window was about 15 minutes out before I could hit the “I’m here make my food” button though.

The carousel was practically a walk on, so I decided to take a ride on that while I waited. I wanted to try and get Jingles, since it was a bucket list item for me this trip. With hardly anyone in the line - it seemed like a good time to try! I get up to the front, and wait by the entrance that’s closer to the ride operator stand so I could go left to get to Jingles faster. As I’m waiting, a young couple comes and stands beside me and the girl is eagerly discussing her strategy to get to Jingles. Since it was my Day 1 of 4, I knew I’d have plenty of chances so I gave up on my plan. I picked a blue & yellow horse instead, and had a great time!

Carousel selfie!


Looking ahead


Afterwards, I headed over to Red Rose Taverne. From the time I hit the “I’m here” button, to having my food in hand was about 5 minutes! It took about that long to find a table though, it was quite crowded still and there were only a few options outside - all in full sun.

My delicious tray of food!


The burger was really good, and I enjoyed the fries and grey stuff but only ate about half of each. My Diet Coke was also super good, fountain drinks can be hit or miss at places and all the ones I had on this trip were perfectly mixed. All in all, a really satisfying meal and one I would definitely get again. I would have loved to have stayed and sat and enjoyed the atmosphere there, but it was really hot in the sun Next time I do mobile order, I’ll try and scope out a good table first. Though I’m not sure how well that would have worked being there solo. Oh well, at least I know for my next family trip!

Back to the rides! Mad Tea Party had a very small wait, so I got in line and waited for the current spin to finish.

This ride is my favorite at night, but I love how it looks during the day too!


I picked the aqua blue tea cup, and grabbed a selfie



I was feeling a little awkward being in a teacup all alone, when a group of adults comes up and asks if they could share. I was happy to say yes, and we all squeezed in together! Two were from Canada and the other from the UK, and we had a fun convo during the ride. I love meeting people at Disney, it’s always easy to strike up conversations there in line and on rides. One of the reasons I didn’t mind being there (mostly) solo, I never felt lonely.

After the ride, I headed into the Mad Hatter shop to see if I could find the Rainbow Ombré ears for my youngest. After not seeing them there, or at any other store or stand that I’d checked earlier on, I decided to just FaceTime home and show her the choices. I ended up talking to all 3 of the girls and showing them around the store so they could pick out their ears with me. So fun! I love technology

I didn’t get any pics of the ears they picked in the park, so here’s one from after I got home!

Donut for oldest, Ariel for middle, and the black w/rainbow for youngest!


From there it was more walking around, and enjoying the sights! My Matterhorn MaxPass return window was finally getting closer, so I wanted to stay in the area. My plan was to ride Matterhorn as soon as my window opened so I’d have plenty of time to get over to DCA to use my Incredicoaster MP too!

I walked over past Small World and grabbed a pic as I passed by.



Then headed into Toontown for a quick walk through...pics of that to follow

Up Next: Where Is Everyone?!

 

[momtohms]

Great trip report so far! Hitting up Disneyland for my first trip very soon.

Thank you! You are going to love Disneyland, how fun!!