ociana
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2011
- Messages
- 293
I just got back from a solo trip down to Disneyland and thought you all would like a bit of a trip report. My photos are up at My google image album if you would like to see all of them, but I am putting some in posts below.
My trip started out in San Diego where I cleaned out my grandmother's apartment to move her up to Oregon. I got the pleasure of driving her car (loaded with stuff) up to Oregon myself while the rest flew up with her. San Diego was a trip down memory lane for me because I lived there for 5 years as a child and had not been back since I was 13. Seeing my old house was really amazing. We took a trolley tour around to Balboa Park and Coronado and even hit the beach for a bit in Coronado.
Monday the 20th I drove up to Disneyland and checked into my room at the Camelot - right across the street from the entrance. They had overbooked, so they upgraded me to a 2 room suite that I had all to myself! Parking was very lit and safe, the room was clean and quiet and they even did folded towel animals. The bed was comfy and I would stay there again in the future. I walked over to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. I went to the enchanted Tiki Bar over at the Disneyland Hotel and enjoyed a drink (hoo boy a strong one) and a meal. This is when I picked up my travel companion, Beaker, who appears in many of my photos over the next two days.
Tuesday I arrived at the DCA gates about 10 minutes before gates opened and there was already a decent line about 20 people deep. Before this I had breakfast over at Mimi's Cafe which was nice, but not phenomenal. The park stayed very manageable all day though. I used single rider lines at Screamin, Soarin and RSR with a very short wait at all three of them. Longest line of the day was Toy Story Midway Mania which said 40 minutes but really took 25 minutes. Overall I rode Screamin 5 times, Soarin twice, RSR once and TOT once - as well as one ride on just about everything else in the park. While in line for Soarin I spotted Blake Jenner who plays Ryder on Glee. He and his girlfriend were there with another woman, I assume the mother of one of them.
Lunch was at Carthay Circle where I had the duck wings and the lamb roll. Both were delicious! I got to sit right at the pass so it was entertaining to watch them track the food coming out of the kitchen. I got to see them huddle when they messed up and the chef came out to try and see what was next and what ticket got missed.
Dinner was a chef salad at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta - seated at an outdoor table where there was an outlet to charge my cell phone. I also charged my cell during Aladdin! I saw an outlet on the wall and plugged in then sat so I could see my phone behind me. After the show started a CM saw the phone and I waved to show it was mine. He explained that since they use a different voltage I have to be right by the phone while it is charging. He showed me another outlet and an empty seat near enough to it that I could switch to that one. Very nice of him! The outlet/seat are on the right side of the orchestra in the back by the entrance doors. At night I saw World of Color from the Carthay dining area and it was a great show.
Wednesday was my visit to Disneyland. I got to the gates a bit earlier and was right at the front of a line this time. I chatted with the CM who talked about how they are preparing for the 24 hour event in a few days. She said that last time they did it there were people who climbed the gates to get in after they closed for capacity. She also said that during her stint working security she was shocked at how many guns, knives and even a sword that people tried to bring into the parks.
Once inside I went to the Emporium to see if they had anything left from 2012 to put in a time capsule for a friend of mine's baby (about to turn 1). The CM asked me to wait while she checked in the back and after 10 minutes she returned with a 2012 pin AND the two vinylmation figures they were giving away last year for the anniversary. She said it was a gift from them to put in the time capsule. So so nice!
I spotted Oscar and wanted to take a photo with him and Beaker, but he was chatting for quite a while with some ladies at their table. After a bit of lingering I decided that it would be rude to interrupt and headed off to be at "rope drop".
I started out in fantasyland and blew through all the rides nice and fast before crowds settled in. I then hopped on the train back to main street and got on the list for a Lilly Belle ride at 11:45. After that I cut over to winnie the pooh, the haunted mansion, and pirates to get those done while they were still walk on lines. (No Splash for me - I don't like the risk of wet feet all day.) The crowds were very very thin still, with no line longer than 20 minutes even for the big rides. I hit up Indy then busted a move over to Space for a fast pass before getting back to Main Street station for the Lilly Belle.
My ride on the Lilly Belle was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who can spare the time in their touring plan. The car is rich with history and the guide shares all the details of how the railroad has evolved over the years. I won't spoil anything for you all, just go ride and enjoy!
After my ride around the park I hopped onto the Omnibus for a ride back to the center and then went on my first Space Mountain ride of the day. After riding that, Star Tours and Buzz I grabbed another Space fast pass and headed to the Blue Bayou for a late lunch. I got a lovely table just one row in from the edge and enjoyed a nice meal. The staff was very attentive since I was dining alone.
When I got out of the Blue Bayou the park was starting to fill up like crazy. I headed back to where the new Fantasyland theater is because I saw some people coming out earlier and thought a soft open might be happening. Sadly it was a CM showing day only and I was unable to sweet talk my way in. There were some benches and tables just past the bathrooms for the new food vendor there, so I sat there and could hear the whole show very well. I sat through about 3/4 of it then headed out to ride more things! It sounded like a fun show and the songs were well performed.
At this point it was about 3pm and the parks were starting to fill with Grad Night kids. The lines went from 20 minutes to 40+ for the E ticket rides. I went back to Space to use my fast pass but it broke down just as I arrived. I had grabbed a new FP just before that, so I had two stashed to use later. I went over to the Tiki Room and then onto Indy with the single rider line. On my second time through I asked the CM at the front if he would give me two passes to save me half the walk back. He very nicely did, so I tucked one away and used the other. Then, when I got to the loading area I asked that CM if I could keep my pass to save half the walk and she let me as well. So, with one entry at the front I took 3 rides on Indy. By the second loop the single rider line was starting to swell with grad kids trying to skip the line. I cannot believe how much the word "like" is still used as a sentence filler by teen girls! On my final pass through the line Indy broke down. Luckily I was at the one spot in the line where there is a box to sit on and just across from the box was an outlet to charge my phone. It was only down about 10 minutes and then we were off. Interestingly, the one difference I saw before/after the breakdown was that the fire in the skull's eye was out after the breakdown.
I went and got in the burgeoning line at Bengal BBQ for some skewered dinner then headed back to Tomorrowland. Innoventions was next to check out the Iron Man exhibit - the rest was pretty much unchanged over the past few years. I then hit up Space again with one of my fast passes and asked the CM nicely to let me keep it for another go around...he did! Overall I used 4 fast passes for Space throughout the day, one of them twice, for 5 rides. The line was well over 90 minutes by 5pm so I considered that a pretty good accomplishment. I watched Captain EO, went on Star Tours and Buzz again and then saw I had a whole 15 minutes left until park close. I jetted over to Fantasyland for the rides I had skipped earlier - Pinnochio and the storyboats. I then got into the teacups line just before the park close and enjoyed a final spin of the night.
Thursday I headed out to Burbank and did the Warner Brother's Studio Tour. I highly recommend this tour if you have a chance. We got to see filming locations from tons of movies and TV shows, the prop house and even went inside the studio where Big Bang Theory and the Mentalist are filmed (we stood on the Mentalist set!). As a huge Gilmore Girls fan I really loved being able to stand in the town square of Stars Hollow, go inside the Gilmore house and see Luke's Diner. I spent more in their gift shop then I should have!
Next up was a taping of the Tonight Show. If you get tickets to this make sure to get in the line before 1pm, closer to 12 if you can help it. I got there at 12:30 and got the last spot to sit while waiting outside. I ended up as number 37 in line and got to sit 3rd row center for the taping! I was one of the group that crowds Leno at the beginning for handshakes and high fives (I got a high five). You could even just barely see me on TV during that opening segment. It was lots of fun and they run things like a well oiled machine there.
After the taping I loaded up on In N Out Burger and Starbucks then headed up the grapevine. I overnighted at Santa Nella (Anderson's Pea Soup exit) then booked it up to Salem on Friday for a night in my own bed. Saturday we delivered the car to my grandmother in Bend and then went to a concert by the band CAKE (my favorite of all).
Overall it was a great trip! I highly recommend visiting the parks solo, it is a great way to tour the parks on your own time without having to worry about the needs of others in your party. Here are a few key tips I learned on this trip:
Hope you all enjoyed the report. Questions? I will add some of my photos in the next few posts for those who do not want to visit the link.
My trip started out in San Diego where I cleaned out my grandmother's apartment to move her up to Oregon. I got the pleasure of driving her car (loaded with stuff) up to Oregon myself while the rest flew up with her. San Diego was a trip down memory lane for me because I lived there for 5 years as a child and had not been back since I was 13. Seeing my old house was really amazing. We took a trolley tour around to Balboa Park and Coronado and even hit the beach for a bit in Coronado.
Monday the 20th I drove up to Disneyland and checked into my room at the Camelot - right across the street from the entrance. They had overbooked, so they upgraded me to a 2 room suite that I had all to myself! Parking was very lit and safe, the room was clean and quiet and they even did folded towel animals. The bed was comfy and I would stay there again in the future. I walked over to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. I went to the enchanted Tiki Bar over at the Disneyland Hotel and enjoyed a drink (hoo boy a strong one) and a meal. This is when I picked up my travel companion, Beaker, who appears in many of my photos over the next two days.
Tuesday I arrived at the DCA gates about 10 minutes before gates opened and there was already a decent line about 20 people deep. Before this I had breakfast over at Mimi's Cafe which was nice, but not phenomenal. The park stayed very manageable all day though. I used single rider lines at Screamin, Soarin and RSR with a very short wait at all three of them. Longest line of the day was Toy Story Midway Mania which said 40 minutes but really took 25 minutes. Overall I rode Screamin 5 times, Soarin twice, RSR once and TOT once - as well as one ride on just about everything else in the park. While in line for Soarin I spotted Blake Jenner who plays Ryder on Glee. He and his girlfriend were there with another woman, I assume the mother of one of them.
Lunch was at Carthay Circle where I had the duck wings and the lamb roll. Both were delicious! I got to sit right at the pass so it was entertaining to watch them track the food coming out of the kitchen. I got to see them huddle when they messed up and the chef came out to try and see what was next and what ticket got missed.
Dinner was a chef salad at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta - seated at an outdoor table where there was an outlet to charge my cell phone. I also charged my cell during Aladdin! I saw an outlet on the wall and plugged in then sat so I could see my phone behind me. After the show started a CM saw the phone and I waved to show it was mine. He explained that since they use a different voltage I have to be right by the phone while it is charging. He showed me another outlet and an empty seat near enough to it that I could switch to that one. Very nice of him! The outlet/seat are on the right side of the orchestra in the back by the entrance doors. At night I saw World of Color from the Carthay dining area and it was a great show.
Wednesday was my visit to Disneyland. I got to the gates a bit earlier and was right at the front of a line this time. I chatted with the CM who talked about how they are preparing for the 24 hour event in a few days. She said that last time they did it there were people who climbed the gates to get in after they closed for capacity. She also said that during her stint working security she was shocked at how many guns, knives and even a sword that people tried to bring into the parks.
Once inside I went to the Emporium to see if they had anything left from 2012 to put in a time capsule for a friend of mine's baby (about to turn 1). The CM asked me to wait while she checked in the back and after 10 minutes she returned with a 2012 pin AND the two vinylmation figures they were giving away last year for the anniversary. She said it was a gift from them to put in the time capsule. So so nice!
I spotted Oscar and wanted to take a photo with him and Beaker, but he was chatting for quite a while with some ladies at their table. After a bit of lingering I decided that it would be rude to interrupt and headed off to be at "rope drop".
I started out in fantasyland and blew through all the rides nice and fast before crowds settled in. I then hopped on the train back to main street and got on the list for a Lilly Belle ride at 11:45. After that I cut over to winnie the pooh, the haunted mansion, and pirates to get those done while they were still walk on lines. (No Splash for me - I don't like the risk of wet feet all day.) The crowds were very very thin still, with no line longer than 20 minutes even for the big rides. I hit up Indy then busted a move over to Space for a fast pass before getting back to Main Street station for the Lilly Belle.
My ride on the Lilly Belle was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who can spare the time in their touring plan. The car is rich with history and the guide shares all the details of how the railroad has evolved over the years. I won't spoil anything for you all, just go ride and enjoy!
After my ride around the park I hopped onto the Omnibus for a ride back to the center and then went on my first Space Mountain ride of the day. After riding that, Star Tours and Buzz I grabbed another Space fast pass and headed to the Blue Bayou for a late lunch. I got a lovely table just one row in from the edge and enjoyed a nice meal. The staff was very attentive since I was dining alone.
When I got out of the Blue Bayou the park was starting to fill up like crazy. I headed back to where the new Fantasyland theater is because I saw some people coming out earlier and thought a soft open might be happening. Sadly it was a CM showing day only and I was unable to sweet talk my way in. There were some benches and tables just past the bathrooms for the new food vendor there, so I sat there and could hear the whole show very well. I sat through about 3/4 of it then headed out to ride more things! It sounded like a fun show and the songs were well performed.
At this point it was about 3pm and the parks were starting to fill with Grad Night kids. The lines went from 20 minutes to 40+ for the E ticket rides. I went back to Space to use my fast pass but it broke down just as I arrived. I had grabbed a new FP just before that, so I had two stashed to use later. I went over to the Tiki Room and then onto Indy with the single rider line. On my second time through I asked the CM at the front if he would give me two passes to save me half the walk back. He very nicely did, so I tucked one away and used the other. Then, when I got to the loading area I asked that CM if I could keep my pass to save half the walk and she let me as well. So, with one entry at the front I took 3 rides on Indy. By the second loop the single rider line was starting to swell with grad kids trying to skip the line. I cannot believe how much the word "like" is still used as a sentence filler by teen girls! On my final pass through the line Indy broke down. Luckily I was at the one spot in the line where there is a box to sit on and just across from the box was an outlet to charge my phone. It was only down about 10 minutes and then we were off. Interestingly, the one difference I saw before/after the breakdown was that the fire in the skull's eye was out after the breakdown.
I went and got in the burgeoning line at Bengal BBQ for some skewered dinner then headed back to Tomorrowland. Innoventions was next to check out the Iron Man exhibit - the rest was pretty much unchanged over the past few years. I then hit up Space again with one of my fast passes and asked the CM nicely to let me keep it for another go around...he did! Overall I used 4 fast passes for Space throughout the day, one of them twice, for 5 rides. The line was well over 90 minutes by 5pm so I considered that a pretty good accomplishment. I watched Captain EO, went on Star Tours and Buzz again and then saw I had a whole 15 minutes left until park close. I jetted over to Fantasyland for the rides I had skipped earlier - Pinnochio and the storyboats. I then got into the teacups line just before the park close and enjoyed a final spin of the night.
Thursday I headed out to Burbank and did the Warner Brother's Studio Tour. I highly recommend this tour if you have a chance. We got to see filming locations from tons of movies and TV shows, the prop house and even went inside the studio where Big Bang Theory and the Mentalist are filmed (we stood on the Mentalist set!). As a huge Gilmore Girls fan I really loved being able to stand in the town square of Stars Hollow, go inside the Gilmore house and see Luke's Diner. I spent more in their gift shop then I should have!
Next up was a taping of the Tonight Show. If you get tickets to this make sure to get in the line before 1pm, closer to 12 if you can help it. I got there at 12:30 and got the last spot to sit while waiting outside. I ended up as number 37 in line and got to sit 3rd row center for the taping! I was one of the group that crowds Leno at the beginning for handshakes and high fives (I got a high five). You could even just barely see me on TV during that opening segment. It was lots of fun and they run things like a well oiled machine there.
After the taping I loaded up on In N Out Burger and Starbucks then headed up the grapevine. I overnighted at Santa Nella (Anderson's Pea Soup exit) then booked it up to Salem on Friday for a night in my own bed. Saturday we delivered the car to my grandmother in Bend and then went to a concert by the band CAKE (my favorite of all).
Overall it was a great trip! I highly recommend visiting the parks solo, it is a great way to tour the parks on your own time without having to worry about the needs of others in your party. Here are a few key tips I learned on this trip:
- Use 1 quart ziplock bags filled with ice to rest your feet on after a long day in the parks. Use a towel as a layer between your foot and the bag. It is the perfect size and does wonders for aching feet.
- Asking a CM nicely for things goes a long, long way. As a solo traveler it is not much sweat off their back to let you have an extra single rider pass or keep your fast pass for another go. It never hurts to ask!
- Dining reservations are not as necessary when dining solo. I walked right up without any troubles.
- Strike up a conversation with nice people next to you when you are places. You never know who you might meet and they are often willing to hold a spot for you - such as at WOC while waiting for it to start.
- There is a coffee bar in the back of the gift shop across the street from the entrance. This is a great place to get morning espresso drinks and grab a bottle of water - then you can drink it while waiting for gates to open.
- Bring your cellphone charger and be on the lookout for places to charge. There is a list inside the Mousewait app of charging locations, but if you look closely you can find others on your own.
Hope you all enjoyed the report. Questions? I will add some of my photos in the next few posts for those who do not want to visit the link.
