"I Think I Might Be a Disneyland Person!" - Feb. 2016 ~ Updated 2/19/21: TR Complete!!!

[Dugette]

Lurker here who's followed your WDW trip reports. I can't wait to read about your Disneyland trip. I live in AZ, so we go to Disneyland almost yearly, and I've only been to WDW twice (although my third trip is already planned for October!).

to another lurker! I love it when lurkers say hi! How cool that you get to Disneyland so often! I would love it, though I think it would be dangerous for me to be so close...I'd end up there every weekend and never have weekend time to clean or grocery shop. When in October are you planning for WDW? We plan the 8th-14th, but still don't have airfare, so hopefully prices for those dates will drop.

Here to follow along - got a bit worried by the title that you meant you would be fully converting to Disneyland and not be doing Walt Disney World any more, but then saw your line "But, don’t worry, we still consider WDW our Disney “home.” We’re going back there in October, actually (and have Annual Passes). But we definitely want to return to Disneyland" I think that is how I felt after our Disneyland trip - it confirmed that WDW is our home, but I would be up for another trip to Disneyland .... and actually thinking about one for 2019 connected tot he D23 event as I suspect there will be a bunch of things related to Star Wars Land at that point.

You always do so good maximizing your credit card benefits and coupons and stuff!

Seems like a really smooth flight - and definitely smart to just let everyone else clear out before you get off the plane with the car seat, etc.

good planning to have Dug pick you up at the airport like that - glad things worked out well ... and good to know that Izzy, was in fact, in the back seat of the car

Haha, I couldn't NOT go back to WDW. Though, if I'm being honest, I would prefer our October trip be to Disneyland instead of WDW. But there's that whole free-WDW-room and APs thing that thinks otherwise. But, obviously, I do love WDW...but Disneyland has its own special draw.

I am actually working on getting better with maxing out various deals and credit card benefits (not to be confused with balances no debt here). I'm honestly VERY lazy about these things compared to the people who are "really" into it. But I steal tips from them and implement the ones that don't take a lot of effort. But I recently decided that the only way I can make France AND Alaska happen in 2018 is to really get my act together, learn what points/rewards/bonuses will get me the most bang for my buck on airfare and hotels and then buckle down on a plan (still figuring the details out, though). There is a great thread on the budget board about CC deals and I got some good tips there that I need to look into.

Flight and travel day in general went exceptionally well this trip...I actually wonder if that's part of why I have such fond memories of Disneyland!

I'm here, I'm here! Happy to be starting a TR with you, rather than catching up on one!


It really is, isn't it?!


Stripe Day?! I'm on board! At least half of my non-Disney wardrobe consists of stripes!


Oh, is that all?! But in all honesty, that's really good! I know how much my sister and brother-in-law travel with with their kids and I would say you were traveling lightly!





Not your first rodeo, is it? That would be my strategy as well - better to avoid the impatient masses.

Great start and I'm so happy to be along for another Dugette TR!

So glad to have you here! I missed having you around the DIS! Stripe Day is a regular occurrence around here. Luckily, I have a fair amount of striped shirts as well. But Izzy goes all the way and "matches" her striped shirts with striped PANTS as well. Only a 4 year old can pull that look off.

I really tried to travel as light as I could, since I knew I'd be on my own with her for the flight out. The stroller is always the worst, as it's just heavy and awkward to have a stroller in a bag over your shoulder. But the car seat is light and everything else was minimal, so not too bad. It's harder when the kid needs to be carried too, but luckily we've moved beyond that stage.

Former trip report lurker and fellow Minnesotan joining in! Your daughter is a few years older than ours, so I love reading your reports to learn more about traveling with a little one.

Wow, another lurker! I am kinda loving this because I started here as quite a lurker and I still lurk some other (non-Disney) forums often without even joining. And yay for another Minnesotan! Izzy called today's weather "Disney World weather" - if you got out in the 90+ degrees at all today (Saturday). I am like you and really enjoy reading reports about kids that are just a bit bigger...love to know what to expect.

Looking forward to reading about your Disneyland experience! I totally agree with you about how when you go, you just become a Disneyland person even if you're a Disney World "native." Your points about how close things are and how it is the original just ring true to me in so many ways. It feels so familiar, yet so very different.

It looks like things are off to a pretty good start. Izzy seems to be a really good travel companion. Getting through the airports and on the plane could be so much harder.

Ha, exactly, you are forced to become a Disneyland person! I LOVED how close things were. I'm a naturally speedy walker and love it, but I'm always with two slower folks - toddler and back pain sufferer, so the proximity really helped us do more stuff. And, yes, there were so many "that looks like X, but wait - it's NOT X!" moments.

It was an exceptionally good travel day. I lucked out that time!

Ah, flying with a toddler. I don't miss that. Luckily, since my son was born before Izzy, we weren't always required to have a car seat for plane travel. So we didn't do it all the time. Can't wait to hear more. We have been once and are planning on going back next summer for a few days before we go to Aulani.

Actually, the car seat isn't required, but I preferred it because it kept her in her seat and calm and also provided a place to nap comfortably if she was so inclined. On our last trip, she didn't want it on the plane, so I gate checked it and she was great. But those younger days, it was a lifesaver. Woohoo, a combo Disneyland AND Aulani trip?! Amazing!! Hope you have the best time!

 

[Dugette]

Here and ready to learn!

Glad to have you here, as always.

I love the matching shirts! Glad you had a smooth flight. Flying by yourself.

The funny thing is the matching shirts really don't show up in the same pictures, as I had a jacket on in MN/travel and then Izzy put hers on at Disneyland (claimed she was cold - it wasn't cold ) and I took mine off. I'm really glad the flight went so well that day!

I'm here! I think I still need to finish reading your Hawaii TR, too! I've been to DL once but loved it for all the reasons that you mentioned. Plus, the DL Space Mountain is 100 times better than the WDW version.

Nice that you have a relatively short flight to get there. It's such a long flight for us from Boston.

I'm glad that Izzy was a good travel companion and that you had a relaxed airport experience!

Interesting about Space Mountain. I did enjoy it (Hyperspace Mountain while we were there). I liked the side-by-side seating. But I don't love all the spinning type parts (like the end of WDW SM) and that's what most of Disneyland's felt like to me. I actually love those little drops where your stomach falls out, so I was missing that.

Oh, yeah, you have a cross country flight! We are close to the same flight times for either WDW or DL (3.25 WDW, closer to 4 for DL).

I'm really glad that Izzy was on her better behavior that day and travel went well.

Great report so far. Your little girl is so sweet.

Thank you so much!

So excited to read this one! Sounds like a great start! We spent one day there in 2005 and lived it. We are planning to some day drive across country to Disneyland and check out the west. Or course not while our kids are this young!

Ha, much like us with our 1 whirlwind day in 2006! I am with you on wanting to do a major west coast road trip when she's a bit older. I grew up doing road trips out west (as did Dug, actually), so I for sure want her to experience that!

 

[Dugette]

Where’s the Bubble?

We enjoyed our drive from the airport to the Disneyland area, but it really seemed to be lacking purple signs and magical archways :



And, of course, seeing the Tower of Terror from a city street was different :



But, you know, I have to admit that I kind-of enjoyed the whole lack of Disney bubble. I mean, at WDW, I like to stay in that bubble, but this just felt different and fun. I mean, you can see it RIGHT THERE!

Since we had to return our rental car, we stopped at a nearby gas station for a top-off, then headed on towards our "home" for the next several nights. It was about 2:45pm by now.

You can see our hotel up there, past the IHOP – the Best Western Park Place Inn:



However, we somehow drove straight past it and had to turn around up the street at Howard Johnson’s (where we almost stayed, until we decided to get as close as possible to the Disneyland entrance…and I’m glad we did!)

You can actually see the monorail track from that HoJo’s area, though:



Look, a Disney bus (I think from the parking ramp?):



We pulled into our hotel’s lot and parked in a designated check-in spot. Izzy had fallen asleep on the ride, so Dug stayed in the car with her while I went into the lobby and got in line to check in:



Fireworks overhead, nice touch:



Looking back out the door, you can see another building just across the entryway. That was some sort of restaurant, but the upstairs level was where guests of our hotel were able to get complementary breakfast items each morning:



Check-in was on the slow side, but they were very friendly and thorough. I think I had to do some crazy multiple payment thing to get the best deal – I believe I had two Best Western Gift Cards to apply (from cashing out BW rewards before the trip – I didn’t have enough for a full night, but like $20), then I believe both of our AmEx cards had a deal where if we put like $100 Best Western on them we’d get about a $25 credit each. And I just put the rest on a cash back card, I think. So, yeah, I was part of why it was slow, but they were happy to work with me. I like my deals!

They also were able to find us a room that was ready, as our pre-assigned one was not. We ended up in 329, which was perfectly fine. They also told us it was okay to temporarily park our car over by the room while we got settled (they charge for parking). So, off we went. Got a spot right by the elevator (also slow) and headed up to the third floor. The room was nothing super special (I mean, it’s a Best Western), but it worked just fine for us. They even brought a crib for Izzy (she requested that vs. a bed):



I did like that the room had a bit of separation for us to set up an area for Izzy to sleep:







Fridge and microwave was nice to have!

Ridiculously long counter in bathroom:







The room was fairly spacious and was a good place to sleep, as that’s pretty much all we did there with the parks right outside.

Dug headed back down the car and drove over to Alamo in Downtown Disney to return it. Izzy and I would be walking over to meet him, as we didn’t want to have to lug her car seat around the rest of the day. First, Izzy needed a drink of water:



And if you’d like a behind-the-scenes idea of how this TR magic happens :



After that, we grabbed the stroller and headed out:



You see that blue-ish thing kind-of in the middle? It’s this:



Yep, we were literally just across the street. Walk across one crosswalk and….you’re in the bubble!!! Suddenly, there was ambient music and magic around us.

You walk along this corridor next to the bus area:





Not as far as it looks. In fact, I really think it's a shorter walk from BWPPI (our hotel) to the park entrances than the walk from the Disney-owned hotels to the esplanade. And soon you’re here:



We did have to go through security, but it wasn’t bad at this time of day.

As we walked across the esplanade, we passed both parks:





I was in a great mood. Nothing like that “just arrived” feeling! So happy:



And then on to Downtown Disney:



A familiar sight:



We had to walk to basically the other end of Downtown Disney to get over where Alamo and our lunch destination were:



I thought these Mickey and Minnie balloons were amusingly posed :



There’s the big hat back there. And also the Disneyland hotel:



Alamo was down here:



Right behind this place:



I think it took a while for Dug to find a distant lot they had him park in, so we hung out at Alamo for a bit:



I remember seeing a giant stack of new-in-box car seats behind the desk there, so I guess you’d probably get a safe car seat renting there.

After we got the rental return taken care of, we headed back over to Earl of Sandwich for some lunch (keep in mind that Izzy and I were still on MN time, so it felt like dinner time, even though it was mid-afternoon).

Up next: Our first meal of the trip!

 

[Dugette]

Earl of Sandwich

As per my usual, I tried to get all the deals I could. I had signed up for the Earl of Sandwich birthday club to get a free sandwich. However, when I hadn’t received anything by the time of the trip, I moved my birthday up a couple weeks to that very day. Still nothing, bummer. So, I had Dug sign up for the club, as they used to give you a free sandwich upon sign up. I guess they discontinued that, though, as he only got a free side and drink. Well, that’s still something, I guess!

We checked out the menu:



I think Dug was happy to be at Disneyland too :



We ordered and got a table inside. Izzy had brought her little light-up spinning Minnie toy along. She discovered that it sometimes got stuck in the “on” position:

(click if you’d like to see Minnie twirl)

We ordered Izzy the macaroni and cheese, which was a huge portion and very tasty:



Dug got his favorite, the Holiday Sandwich:



Oh, and here’s a pic of Izzy’s before she dug into it:



I got a Caprese Sandwich:



We all enjoyed our food quite a bit. And it was nice that the restaurant was pretty quiet and empty, since it was mid-afternoon. At one point, Izzy needed to go potty, so I was able to use the Disneyland app to see what was close by, which was handy :



Izzy and I were both in a happy vacation anticipation mood as we strolled back:

(click for random video of us walking)

Even between the three of us, we couldn’t finish that huge serving of mac and cheese :



Tummies full, we headed out:



And made a stop into the Lego store as we walked back towards the parks:













Izzy played at the Duplo table for quite a while:



She was so immersed in building that she didn’t even care that I ran off to the restroom (while Dug stayed with her) – that was nice, as it seems I always have a kid and dog following me into the bathroom at home.

Izzy didn’t want to leave the Lego store, not even to go to Disneyland , but we finally convinced her to move on:





Saw a lot of cute things in the Build-a-Bear windows:







Had to get a picture of the Star Wars window at World of Disney:



Oh, yeah, it was also Disneyland’s 60th anniversary celebration when we visited:



The wheel moved too – pretty cool:

(click to see it spin)

We passed by the bakery:



Izzy liked this fountain:



And then we made it over to the Disneyland gates:





It was about 4pm as we got our tickets printed. We showed them the electronic version on our phones, then I believe they took our pictures and printed tickets. It was nice to do this now vs. at rope drop with the crowds.

And then we were in! Familiar, yet different:



We stopped for Photopass right away, which Izzy wasn’t thrilled about, as she was just ready to get into the park:



And then we got to enter Walt’s magical family playground:



Up next: Hey, it’s a parade!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I can't wait to see all the fun you had!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wow, your hotel really is super close! We love bed the HoJo, but you can't beat your location!

It is pretty cool to walk under that sign - it's like you can feel the excitement building as you get closer

that is a huge portion of mac and cheese!

I saw something on Facebook that said the reason dog she follow you to the bathroom is because you go with them outside when they go, so they just think that is how it works

Very smart to get the tickets taken care of not during rope drop!

 

[andera42]

I had one day at Disneyland last year, but I really think I need a few more days to really take it all in. How cool that your hotel is steps away from the parks.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

It's really amazing the different experience between land and world. We almost did our last trip at land because Bob wanted to try something new, but I was nervous anout how I would feel without the bubble. It seems aweful convient to just walk across the street.
Looks like a great first meal! I love EoS.
Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[ajsary]

Joining in! We are going to Disneyland for the first time in a couple weeks. I'm enjoying reading all the details of your first visit!

 

[MeghanEmily]

We enjoyed our drive from the airport to the Disneyland area, but it really seemed to be lacking purple signs and magical archways :



And, of course, seeing the Tower of Terror from a city street was different :

Woah. Weird!

Yep, we were literally just across the street. Walk across one crosswalk and….you’re in the bubble!!! Suddenly, there was ambient music and magic around us.

Wow, awesome location!!

I love the Beast in this...but is it just me or is it weird that the Beast is done like he looks in the movie but Belle is done as a minifigure?? And they didn't make Woody or Buzz a minifigure, so I'm not sure why its just Belle...

 

[kahrani]

I'm catching up! Just finished reading Aulani so I thought I'd pop over to this one next!

We stayed at HoJos last year when we went but definitely looking at staying at the BW PPI next time we stopover in LA. I try to visit my sister in Boston every year (not this year tho, boo) and Disneyland makes for a good stopover on the way back to New Zealand! I think next time I will be braver and hire a car at the airport now I've successful managed driving around the Boston area - before we've used the 'disneyland express' bus and airport shuttles and neither were good experiences. Great that you can drop off at DTD and then stroll on into the parks!

 

[amazingact21]

Whoa, you guys were so close to the park entrance! That amazes me. I'm so conditioned to Walt Disney World, where you have to plan in half an hour travel time just to get to bag check. That had to be such a nice change of pace, especially with a kid. You guys made a good choice with Best Western. (Especially if you weren't in the room that often.)

Holy smokes, that was a huge serving of mac and cheese!

Both sandwich choices looked delicious.

Not that you're not excited at the start of a WDW vacation, but I could really see how happy you were to be DL. It definitely came through in the update.

 

[Verstehen]

Earl of Sandwich is always a great start to anything! And a great end. And a great middle. It's kind of a sandwich metaphor.

I wonder how close you were to where I stayed last August. My coworker and I were at the Carousel Inn, which I guess isn't there anymore. But it was right across the street from the entrance. We only had a day so we wanted to be as close as possible.

 

[tac08]

to another lurker! I love it when lurkers say hi! How cool that you get to Disneyland so often! I would love it, though I think it would be dangerous for me to be so close...I'd end up there every weekend and never have weekend time to clean or grocery shop. When in October are you planning for WDW? We plan the 8th-14th, but still don't have airfare, so hopefully prices for those dates will drop.

Yes, it's very dangerous having Disneyland so close!

We are going to be in WDW October 8-14 as well! We are actually flying into Atlanta a couple days prior and renting a car to drive the rest of the way (we needed to rent a car anyway since we aren't staying on Disney property). It's so expensive to fly from Phoenix to Orlando, that it's much cheaper to fly to Atlanta, rent a car and get a hotel room, than to fly to Orlando. Crazy, right?! I hope you're able to find decent ticket prices!

 

[Tracy161]

So glad to have you here! I missed having you around the DIS!

Awww, thanks! I missed everything about the Dis - including good friends like you! - and am so happy to be back

We enjoyed our drive from the airport to the Disneyland area, but it really seemed to be lacking purple signs and magical archways :

Yep, we were literally just across the street.

Yay!!!!!!!!

Nothing like that “just arrived” feeling! So happy:

Nope, nothing beats that, does it?!

I got a Caprese Sandwich:

That's my sandwich, too! Yum!

Excited to hear more. Sounds like a great start to your Disneyland adventures!

 

[krrrristen]

Yay! I'm here! Ready to read all about my dream vacation

 

[jessrose18]

i have read several of your reports and not realized you were from MN till now. ! Were in St paul!

 

[Dugette]

I can't wait to see all the fun you had!

Thanks, can't wait to relive it all here!

Wow, your hotel really is super close! We love bed the HoJo, but you can't beat your location!

I am really glad we changed from HoJo to BWPPI. I've heard lots of great things about HoJo, but for our priorities, BWPPI was perfect! Yay for the DIS or I would have never known to look into it.

It is pretty cool to walk under that sign - it's like you can feel the excitement building as you get closer

Definitely!

that is a huge portion of mac and cheese!

It was giant!

I saw something on Facebook that said the reason dog she follow you to the bathroom is because you go with them outside when they go, so they just think that is how it works

I actually was thinking about that same idea the other day. I think she just follows me because she follows me EVERYWHERE. Clearly, whatever I am doing is the most interesting thing in the world (unless someone has dropped food on the floor ).

Very smart to get the tickets taken care of not during rope drop!

Glad it worked out that way!

I had one day at Disneyland last year, but I really think I need a few more days to really take it all in. How cool that your hotel is steps away from the parks.

Yes, more time is always good! This was the first visit we had that was more than a day and I'm glad we took enough time to enjoy it at Izzy's pace. The hotel location was SOOO nice. Loved that!

It's really amazing the different experience between land and world. We almost did our last trip at land because Bob wanted to try something new, but I was nervous anout how I would feel without the bubble. It seems aweful convient to just walk across the street.
Looks like a great first meal! I love EoS.
Looking forward to hearing more!

I loved doing something different. I mean, we've done a LOT of WDW in recent years, so it was a fun change for me. Not that I was bored with WDW exactly, but I missed that feeling of newness and novelty and got that with Disneyland. Walking across the street was amazing and SOOO much better than waiting for a crowded bus. Can't go wrong with EoS!

Joining in! We are going to Disneyland for the first time in a couple weeks. I'm enjoying reading all the details of your first visit!

Oh, yay, have fun! I'm jealous!

Woah. Weird!

First indication of lack of bubble.

Wow, awesome location!!

It was so great!

I love the Beast in this...but is it just me or is it weird that the Beast is done like he looks in the movie but Belle is done as a minifigure?? And they didn't make Woody or Buzz a minifigure, so I'm not sure why its just Belle...

Haha, that's true! You are more observant than I am!

I'm catching up! Just finished reading Aulani so I thought I'd pop over to this one next!

Thanks for joining!

We stayed at HoJos last year when we went but definitely looking at staying at the BW PPI next time we stopover in LA. I try to visit my sister in Boston every year (not this year tho, boo) and Disneyland makes for a good stopover on the way back to New Zealand! I think next time I will be braver and hire a car at the airport now I've successful managed driving around the Boston area - before we've used the 'disneyland express' bus and airport shuttles and neither were good experiences. Great that you can drop off at DTD and then stroll on into the parks!

That does sound like a perfect stopover! I looked into the various transportation options and found, as you said, nothing had great reviews. And, given that Dug had to get up to Anaheim from Palm Springs, the car rental route worked well for us. And it was fairly cheap. I think our rates were about $80 each way. The Downtown Disney location was really convenient!

Whoa, you guys were so close to the park entrance! That amazes me. I'm so conditioned to Walt Disney World, where you have to plan in half an hour travel time just to get to bag check. That had to be such a nice change of pace, especially with a kid. You guys made a good choice with Best Western. (Especially if you weren't in the room that often.)

This really is one of the biggest things I loved about Disneyland. It's easily walkable like you're staying at the Contemporary or something, but a fraction of the price! I was so happy to not have to rely on transportation or have to fold up the stroller!

Holy smokes, that was a huge serving of mac and cheese!

It was more than adequate!

Both sandwich choices looked delicious.

They were!

Not that you're not excited at the start of a WDW vacation, but I could really see how happy you were to be DL. It definitely came through in the update.

Glad it came through. I really was on .

Earl of Sandwich is always a great start to anything! And a great end. And a great middle. It's kind of a sandwich metaphor.

That's great! (and true!)

I wonder how close you were to where I stayed last August. My coworker and I were at the Carousel Inn, which I guess isn't there anymore. But it was right across the street from the entrance. We only had a day so we wanted to be as close as possible.

I just looked it up and I think the Carousel was somewhere between BWPPI and HoJo, so not too far away!

Yes, it's very dangerous having Disneyland so close!

I bet!

We are going to be in WDW October 8-14 as well! We are actually flying into Atlanta a couple days prior and renting a car to drive the rest of the way (we needed to rent a car anyway since we aren't staying on Disney property). It's so expensive to fly from Phoenix to Orlando, that it's much cheaper to fly to Atlanta, rent a car and get a hotel room, than to fly to Orlando. Crazy, right?! I hope you're able to find decent ticket prices!

Oh, wow, exact same dates! I actually looked into flying into Atlanta, but it wasn't much cheaper. We're renting a car this time too. I keep stalking airfares and hope to snag something reasonable!

Awww, thanks! I missed everything about the Dis - including good friends like you! - and am so happy to be back

Glad to have you back!

Yay!!!!!!!!

Nope, nothing beats that, does it?!

Can't top that feeling!

That's my sandwich, too! Yum!

Excited to hear more. Sounds like a great start to your Disneyland adventures!

Good sandwich choice! I've had it a couple times now. I like to switch things up, though, and they've all been tasty.

Yay! I'm here! Ready to read all about my dream vacation

Happy to help with that!

i have read several of your reports and not realized you were from MN till now. ! Were in St paul!

Ha, we're not too far away (St. Paul suburb). Love to "meet" other Minnesotans on here!

 

[Dugette]

The Original Main Street

We passed under that welcoming archway and took in the attraction posters:





Love seeing the reminders of some of the different-than-WDW rides!

Izzy was very excited to finally be in Disneyland (as were we)!

City Hall welcomed us:



And we took in the familiar-yet-different view:



And soon realized it was just about afternoon parade time:



Then we got our first look down Main Street towards the miniature castle :



It really is different when you’re used to seeing the grand, towering castle at WDW.

We commemorated things with a quick family selfie:



Then we skedaddled down towards the Hub to make way for the parade. My first order of business was to activate our Photopass package. As background, Disneyland used to have an option to pre-order Photopass for $69.99 for your whole stay, I think. Within a couple months of our trip, they got rid of that option and switched to One Day Photopass, which was like $39/day…and we had a 5-day trip planned. Ugh. Thankfully, I was randomly browsing the DIS one day and saw someone posted a link to a still-active portal for pre-purchasing the package. So, I did it and it worked! I followed the thread and reports were that they still accepted the voucher and CMs were often quite surprised and impressed to see them, as they had done away with them. Also, the package I got included actual prints at character meals, in addition to all Photopass and on-ride photos. Not bad! Thankful I saw that on the DIS! (I believe they have brought back some sort of length-of-stay option again these days. Yay!)

Sure enough, the CM in the photo store was very impressed to see I had the pre-purchased package, since it had been out of commission for maybe 2-3 months. He got my lanyard together, explained how it worked, and posed for a blurry picture to celebrate:



While I was in the camera shop, Dug and Izzy stood out with the crowds and checked out the parade:













Even the baby in that carrier likes the Three Cabelleros:





Hey, look, it’s a restroom…oh, wait, not WDW :







I came out of the camera shop at some point during the parade and managed to scoot Izzy up near a rope for a better view:









Once the parade wrapped up, we headed on over to Tomorrowland, as we had to pick up our first paper Fast Passes here:



You actually have to walk all the way up and into the attraction to find the kiosks.

Dug was happy to see Star Wars stuff:



A look around:





Tomorrowland without a Peoplemover seems strange.

Stormtroopers were out and about:





That guy was wearing a baby and introduced him to the Stormtrooper (and took a selfie), which was cute. You can kind of see it in this video:

(click to watch)

You may also hear Izzy ask to ride Buzz’s ride. She was obsessed with riding both of his rides (Astro Blasters and Toy Story Mania) this trip.

Dug tried to wait patiently for his chance to meet a Stormtrooper – it was one of those disorganized meets where people just run up at random and he was trying to wait for a good break. He eventually got up there for his Stormtrooper selfie:





Such a happy Dug :





And the video that I had to take over people’s heads:

(click to watch)

Up next: Let’s ride some stuff!

 

[Dugette]

Crossing the Park

We made a stop at the giant spinning ball:



I love how amused that guy on the left looks, seeing Izzy walking up to join all of the grown-ups. Apparently, another little kid snuck in there too (in front of Izzy):



Then we moved on to Izzy’s request:





I guess we saw this stuff in the outdoor part of the line?



Ha, apparently couldn’t fit Izzy in the picture :



Ah, there’s good ol’ Buzz:





Soon, we were on board:





As you can see, Izzy wanted to control the spinning of our vehicle.

I don’t know which score belongs to which person, but here’s some scores:





Here’s my wild ride:



Pretty much what my view looked like:



I am not sure, but I might have used our Hyperspace Mountain Fast Pass and got a Rider Swap for Dug to use later. I can't remember if I actually rode this day or not, but have a Photopass picture that may or may not be from this time :



It was a cool ride. Again, nice to try something a bit different. Side-by-side seating (would have been more fun if Izzy was tall enough), Star Wars theme, different track, etc. I actually like the WDW track better, though, as I love the sudden drops and don't care for the fast turns. But if you are opposite of me on that, then this is the ride for you.

After that, we actually had to start making our way over towards our dinner reservation (yes, not too long after “lunch”).

We stopped for some iconic photos:









(@Imagineer5 – looks like someone in the background stole your stroller, haha).

We also spotted some Disneyland ducks:



And then made it to Adventureland around dusk:



There was a crazy sky full of birds :



I think we grabbed a Fast Pass for Indiana Jones:



Checked out some of the attractions as we walked through the area:







And made it to New Orleans Square:



We checked in right on time (5:40pm) for our dinner at Café Orleans. Izzy got to hold the pager:



Pretty umbrellas back there:



I think I ran to the restroom and tried to get a picture of Club 33 afterwards:



Then we were called in to dinner.

Up next: Too much food!