So I went to DL solo, as planned. Here is a little trip report.
Thursday 11/5
Touched down at LAX a little before 10am. I didn't check any bags, so I walked quickly to find the my rental car shuttle. As I was walking out of the airport, the Hertz shuttle was just pulling up right in front of me, so I jumped on. Picked up my rental car by 10:30am, and I was on my way. That is, as soon as I figured out how to drive the Prius.
I had a minor lapse of memory and jumped on the 405 instead of the 105, so I ended up backtracking a little in order to get to Anaheim. Lost about 20 minutes, but no big deal.
Rolled into the
Candy Cane Inn a little before noon. The service was good, and I bought a couple bottles of water at the hotel's little gift shop so I wouldn't need to buy any $3 bottles at the park. I stopped by my room, organized my small one-shoulder backpack for DL, and headed out.
It felt really great being in Anaheim again, especially being near the parks. My grandparents lived in Anaheim throughout my childhood, so I have many fond memories of visiting them and Disneyland over the years. They both passed away several years ago and I miss them terribly, which adds to the nostalgia.
As I walked towards the park entrance, the first thing that struck me is that it sure felt strange walking to Disneyland. I have visited the parks many times, but have never walked out of my room and headed straight for the gates. It was cool.
I entered DCA at a little after noon to check fastpass status for Tower of Terror and Soarin. Well, TOT was not doing fastpass that day, and there was no wait. So I went ahead and rode a couple of times. I particularly enjoyed taking in the details of the decor. They sure got it right with that one.
After TOT, I went to check out Soarin. Same thing, no wait so I went ahead and just rode it. After that, I headed over to DL.
I don't really remember the order of everything I did the rest of the day, but suffice it to say, I went on every ride I wanted to several times. No crowds, not much of a wait time for anything. At one point, I think I saw Indy with a 30-minute wait, but most of the day it was more like 15-20.
Haunted Mansion Holiday is something I had not seen before this trip, so I was looking forward to it in particular. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the ride did not disappoint. I rode 3 or 4 times over the course of my stay.
As it got darker, I remember enjoying riding BTMRR, Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, Screamin, and TOT. I particularly like those rides at night, because they seem to take on a completely different character.
I was in line for the Matterhorn a couple minutes before closing time at 8pm. Then I went to a couple of shops to find small gifts for my wife and daughters.
The walk back to the CCI at the end of the day was quick and painless. I had done everything I wanted at the parks that day, and still had one almost full day to look forward to.
Saturday 11/7
I have a confession to make (shhh, don't tell my wife...). When I planned this trip, I bought myself a 3-day hopper--even though I would only be at the parks on 2 days--just so I could get early entry on Saturday. Am I sick or what?
The previous day's convention had turned out to be less...well, just less than anticipated, and Saturday promised more of the same. So I decided to spend most of Saturday at the parks, and attend a couple of convention sessions during an afternoon break.
I rose early Saturday morning, and I think I was the first person to the security checkpoint. So, I strolled around DTD for a few minutes, and then read my book for a few minutes. (I was reading Thomas' biography on Walt. It was, obviously, the perfect setting which added considerably to the book's impact.) I ended up at the front of the line at the gates. A nearby family was chosen to open the park, and obviously needed someone to video-record their special moment. I happily volunteered, and they had a great time doing the countdown. Hopefully I didn't screw it up or chop their heads off or whatever.
When the park opened for early entry, this near-40-yo dude (me) headed straight for Peter Pan.
Yeah, part of me, albeit a very small part, was thinking, "
you've really lost it. Yep, the senility starts here." But the rest of me was thrilled to leave behind all my cares and just be a kid again for a while. After Peter Pan, I rode both sides of the Matterhorn, and then went back to run through most of the other Fantasyland dark rides. It was almost 8am and time for the park to officially open, so I walked to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain and pick up a fastpass for later.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent wandering from land to land, taking in whatever I felt like at the time. They were filming the Christmas parade on Main Street, which at first seemed like it would be interesting. But apparently they filmed it one section at a time, and would repeat that section over and over to get several takes. I didn't need to watch the young girls' dance routines once, let alone 5 times. So I pretty much just stayed away from Main Street for the morning, and did my thing elsewhere.
At around 2pm I walked back to my hotel, splashed some water on my face, and headed to my convention. More of the same.
Fast forward to about 6pm, I had returned to my hotel. Headed back to the parks, planning to close DL down at midnight. I decided to wander around DCA for a while before heading back to DL for the fireworks. Rode TOT, and Screamin about a million times. The single rider pass on Screamin is a great thing.
And there is nothing like a fun rollercoaster after dark. The lights and other sights and sounds were just surreal.
Around 8:30pm or so I decided to head over to DL to find something to eat and watch the fireworks. I strolled into the Plaza Inn, picked up some food, and looked for a table that would give a good view of the show. The fireworks were cool. Then I rode BTMRR a couple times, and decided to hang out for the 10:30pm showing of Fantasmic. It was pretty good, and I saw the new dragon for the first time. The last hour or so was spent riding Space Mountain and the Matterhorn, and I am sure some other things I can't remember right now.
Happy to have spent a couple fulfilling days at one of my favorite places on earth, I walked down Main Street thinking back through the years, of all the times I must have seen the same sights, and heard the same sounds. Specific memories often elude me, so I just enjoyed the nostalgia of the moment. At park closing I was heading out the exit gate, and the real world was starting to come into focus again. I had about five hours before I needed to drive to the airport and head home. And I was already trying to come up with a plan to make it back to Walt's land sometime soon.
Ok, sorry for the Oprah moment there. Sheesh, maybe there really is something wrong with me, I've become a blubbering sentimental.
A few take home lessons from this trip:
On Indy, single rider is
way better than fastpass. In fact, single rider is probably better than fastpass on any ride that has SR.
The Candy Cane Inn is great. On the next family trip, we will definitely stay there. Way better than crossing the street from one of the other hotels, IMO.
Right after a major holiday is a great time to visit the parks. The crowds are lower, and few attractions are closed.
Howdy, folks! Been lurking for a while, time to come out of the closet I guess. 
Well actually, it probably started long before that. My grandparents (RIP) lived in Anaheim throughout my childhood, so we visited yearly and always spent at least a day at Disneyland. So I have fond memories of the place (more so than my memories of my immediate family through those years, but that's another story!). Maybe that explains it. Maybe I am experiencing a midlife crisis in which the object of my lust is not a fancy new sports car, but to walk down Main Street eating a Tigger Turd (uh, I mean Tail). 
However, I fly in to LAX Thursday at 10AM and the convention doesn't really start until Friday, so:
Thanks Hound dude! Yeah, like many other folks, I have heard that joke on the JC for as long as I can remember. Somehow, I still laugh a little every single time.
Nevertheless, I do recognize when that mode is coming on, and I can usually temper it somewhat. 
)
