The 'I survived SDL's Opening Day' TR!

[zanzibar138]

Soon I was back in the park, heading straight towards Fantasyland for my second meeting with Pooh Bear. I did catch a few more details on Mickey Avenue on the way through.









I took a few photos around the area while I was waiting for Pooh. It's quite a cute little spot.







I really didn't have much better interactions this time around - still no 'comments' on my outfit. But it was worth a try.



Just across from Pooh there's a little viewing area for the Seven Dwarves coaster, so I took a couple of photos while I was there.



On my way to Adventure Isle, I got stuck at the parade route, so I just watched the last of it pass by.









There was a bit of a crush once the parade had finished.



I was heading towards the Challenge Trails. I was pretty keen to do this at some point in the trip, and the wait time was down to 40 minutes, which was about as good as it was going to get.

Before entering the queue, everyone is required to place ALL loose items in a locker. This includes cameras, phones etc... everything. It was a little chaotic in there, but eventually I got all my items stashed and joined the queue. Unfortunately, by the time I was done at the lockers, the wait time had actually gone up again - must have been people coming through after the parade. For anyone who has noticed that I was wearing a skirt that day and is wondering how that worked, you'll be pleased to know that I had shorts on underneath (as I always do when wearing skirts/dresses in Disney parks). The CMs actually did make sure of this when I was joining the queue.







Since we were not allowed to take cameras through to the course, I have no photos of this attraction. I'll do my best to explain my experience in words.

The queue was reminiscent of the Jungle Cruise. Fairly plain but with elements of exploration thrown in. It really was quite a tedious wait on my own with no camera and not much to look at. There was also quite a bit of 'line squeezing' happening here, which I was getting annoyed about, because I knew that every single person who went in front of me would increase my wait time by a couple of minutes. As I got further towards the front of the queue, I was kept entertained by watching the people in front of me get harnessed up and start their journey along the course.

The harnessing is quite simple really. From the queue, you were called forward for a harness. There were three CMs doing this, and as soon as they were finished putting the harness on the person, they would call the next one. There were three sizes - they seemed to generally use the smallest one for kids, medium size for women, and larger ones for men. At this stage, they just literally plonked the harness on over your head.

Next, we joined another line for having our harnesses done up. This 'station' was a bench on either side of the queue, where there were two CMs sitting on each side. Basically as you passed through, you stopped to have the harness adjusted and done up. Be aware that the CMs here are not shy and will reach right between your legs for the harness straps.

Once the harnesses were done up, we were ready to be attached to the overhead line. There was a line on each side of the stairs up to the course, with a CM on each side attaching people as they went through. At the top of the stairs there was another CM who gave a brief safety overview. It was all in Cantonese, and when I looked at the CM for some sort of English translation, he just looked at me apologetically. I just had to assume that it was nothing I wouldn't be able to figure out for myself lol!

From the top of the stairs, there are three courses to choose from. They do seem to direct people to a specific course, and they all seem to be worthwhile options with some different point of interest on each. Along the course there are the various obstacles. All of the obstacles have a hard option, medium, and an easy option which is often basically just a bridge/path around it. The overhead system is designed so that you can choose your difficulty rating for each obstacle individually or overtake people if required - it's really quite clever.

On this course, I chose the most difficult option for each obstacle. They haven't taken it easy out there because it's a Disney attraction. This is a real challenge trail, and some of the obstacles are quite terrifying! A few of them saw my heart racing. It's definitely an attraction to do with a friend if you've got one to support each other. Alas, I didn't lol! However, one of my favourite memories from this trip was when I saw another solo traveller gingerly attempting one of the obstacles, and we had a friendly interaction where he gestured for me to go first, and we encouraged each other as we went. It didn't matter that we were complete strangers who couldn't understand each other lol!

As I was going around the course, I was wishing that I had been allowed to take my camera. The sun was setting, and the view from the course was absolutely stunning at that time of night with the warmth from the sunset glowing with the golden tones of the 'mountain'. There are a couple of amazing locations for sunsets in this park!

All the trails converge at the final obstacle. There is just one option at this obstacle - a single rope bridge with another single rope to hold onto. That was a bit much for me, so I took the plain old boring bridge through. Then it was back down the stairs to be unattached from the overhead line and undoing of the harnesses. There is a return point at the end for the harnesses, where there is a CM putting them straight back onto the racks at the starting point.

By the time I was done and had retrieved my stuff from the locker, the light was well and truly fading.

 

[zanzibar138]

As the sun continued to set, I made my way around the lagoon, taking pictures as I went.







As I got around to Pirates, I decided to jump in the queue as it was only 20 minutes.



I took some more queue photos in the last light of the day.







By the time I exited the ride, it was well and truly dark.









The queue for turkey legs was among the longest in the park lol!



I continued my night time wanderings through Adventure Isle.







Couldn't resist dropping by Happy Circle to visit some more characters.





Unfortunately it was only when I'd finished there that I realised that Ignite the Dream was on at 7:30pm tonight instead of 8pm as it had been the previous night lol!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice updates!

Love that you took time to take pictures around the park. I've come back with a distinct lack of them

That Happy Circle spot is great! So envious you got a picture with Rafiki.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I am in the very early stages of planning an epic 40th birthday, participating in all the Disney running events offered in September. Based on the historical timetable for September, I'll be starting at DLR with a 5k, 10k and half marathon, then head to HKDL for a 5k and 10k, and finish off with a 5k, 10k and half marathon in Paris. I'll be trying to spend at least a couple of days at each park on my way around the world, and trying to figure out how to incorporate a half marathon at WDW as well so that I can earn my Coast 2 Coast medal!

Don't want to get too side-tracked in this TR though - I'll probably start a new thread eventually in the RunDisney board.

All that running plus jet lag. Sounds exciting but a bit exhausting. Will you get enough of a recovery time inbetween each race and country? You don't want to do any permanent injuries to yourself (yes, you can't take the Mum out of a Mother, even if she's not your own).

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I agree with PIO even with 3 days wish we'd we'd had more time for random pics in the park, especially at dusk and after dark - I think it was so hard in the rain those first two days. Loving your pics from your first visit. I also think the Challenge Trail we did would have been easier in the dry (or to put it another way I would have been more game to try some more harder options if not slipping and half blinded by rain drops) but you have done both now so maybe not?? I also think it is a great, but unusual thing for Disney to have included.

 

[zanzibar138]

Nice updates!

Love that you took time to take pictures around the park. I've come back with a distinct lack of them

That Happy Circle spot is great! So envious you got a picture with Rafiki.

Yep, loved my Happy Circle lol!

I think I spent more time just taking pictures around the park on this trip because it was so busy and I couldn't be bothered with the wait times for many of the rides. It does also help when the weather cooperates. I certainly didn't get to take as many as I wanted with the rainy weather we had. I have come back with a distinct lack of night time photos!

All that running plus jet lag. Sounds exciting but a bit exhausting. Will you get enough of a recovery time inbetween each race and country? You don't want to do any permanent injuries to yourself (yes, you can't take the Mum out of a Mother, even if she's not your own).

Haha! FWIW my actual Mum thinks it's a great idea

It will certainly be an exhausting trip. I'll be building up my running fitness to a very high level so that my body doesn't go into too much shock. I plan to fly in a premium class too to make it easier on my legs - I should be able to gather enough points by then I think. I'll also be taking it very easy between runs, will only be planning a few full park days with plenty of rest. I'll be planning to walk all of the 5ks, and run the 10ks and halfs at a very easy pace with plenty of photo stops. I think it's achievable.

I agree with PIO even with 3 days wish we'd we'd had more time for random pics in the park, especially at dusk and after dark - I think it was so hard in the rain those first two days. Loving your pics from your first visit. I also think the Challenge Trail we did would have been easier in the dry (or to put it another way I would have been more game to try some more harder options if not slipping and half blinded by rain drops) but you have done both now so maybe not?? I also think it is a great, but unusual thing for Disney to have included.

I do think the first trail I did was easier than the one that we attempted. Although the dry weather definitely did make a difference. I probably would have attempted more of the harder obstacles without the rain. I probably still would have skipped the rope thing at the end though - I just don't trust myself that much lol!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Oh I knew your Mum wouldn't agree with me - your parents are crazy running people too It's a good job there are us lazy people around to balance you lot out and cheer you on! Seriously
glad to hear you are planning to prep well and pace yourself.

 

[zanzibar138]

Oh I knew your Mum wouldn't agree with me - your parents are crazy running people too It's a good job there are us lazy people around to balance you lot out and cheer you on!

 

[charmama4]

My family and I leave for HKDL and SDL(taking advantage of the 144 hour transit visa) in 2 1/2 weeks and reading your TR has been an inspiration. Loved the pictures and already had so many of my own questions answered by reading. Thank you so much for sharing your magical experience. We are beyond excited to say the least. I, BTW, loved your Disneybound Winnie the Pooh outfit...adorable, just adorable. Please post your outfits for the marathons!!

 

[zanzibar138]

My family and I leave for HKDL and SDL(taking advantage of the 144 hour transit visa) in 2 1/2 weeks and reading your TR has been an inspiration. Loved the pictures and already had so many of my own questions answered by reading. Thank you so much for sharing your magical experience. We are beyond excited to say the least. I, BTW, loved your Disneybound Winnie the Pooh outfit...adorable, just adorable. Please post your outfits for the marathons!!

Thank you so much! So pleased that my TR has been helpful for you

I look forward to reading about your experiences

I do tend to get slightly carried away with my Disney outfits lol! I will certainly be putting a lot of thought into my running outfits and will be posting all about them in due course in my TR.

 

[zanzibar138]

I'd had full intentions of getting some dinner before the show tonight so that I could have something to munch on while waiting for it to start. I also wasn't planning to take photos tonight, so I wasn't overly concerned about spending a lot of time trying to get the perfect spot. However, with only half an hour before show time, I was a bit too late for anything! I definitely needed to eat something, so I decided that I still had time to grab a pastry from Remy's.



Sadly there wasn't much time for photography, but I did manage to capture a few bits and pieces.







Apricot Danish with a view...



You will notice that there were still a lot of obstructions in front of the castle. This was all left over from the Grand Opening Ceremony, which I was most peeved about. I think I mentioned it before in this TR, but it's worth mentioning again for anyone who may have missed it. The night before the park officially opened, they held a grand ceremony for VIPs. I'm talking about politicians, business people and foreign dignitaries, who I assume were not necessarily Disney fans. This was televised for the locals to admire from afar. On Opening Day, they held off on opening the park until lunch time, as I think they held media previews and hosted VIPs again during the morning. There was no pomp and ceremony of any kind for the real Disney fans who had made it there for the official Grand Opening - no confetti, no opening show or parade, no characters greeting us as we entered the park. There had been no entertainment provided for us while we sat for hours in the drizzle waiting for the park to open. I'll admit it was a little disappointing (especially when there is such fanfare in other parks just for anniversary celebrations!). The real kick in the pants was that we weren't able to see the castle properly because all the seating from the VIP celebrations was still in place, and was slowly getting taken down day by day. Anyway, rant over. Obviously I still had an awesome time!

Despite the obstructions, I was relatively pleased with my spot (since I arrived there with about 10 minutes to go before show time), and couldn't resist getting a few photos.





















Throughout the show, more and more people were arriving and jostling for position. I lost a lot of photos to blur, with so many people pushing past and bumping my arm. I still enjoyed watching the show though. They played the finale again at the end, but there were no fireworks accompanying it tonight, and I had other plans!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Shame about the obstruction!
Nice view, even if you did get jostled around a bit.

 

[zanzibar138]

After having seen the practically deserted line queues the previous night, I made a bee line for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Unfortunately things were a lot busier tonight, and there was still about a half hour wait. Fortunately the wait for single riders was only 5 minutes. I really enjoyed the view from the ride - there's great views of the castle coming over some of the rises.

I had a FP for Peter Pan, but by the time I got there I didn't really need it. It probably would have been about a 10 minute wait.

Checked out some of the views from the castle on the way to my next destination.

Voyage to the Crystal Grotto was a walk on, and was well worth experiencing at night.

I had grand plans to stay as long as possible and get lots of photos before getting kicked out of the park. However, my legs/feet/hips hurt and I was getting pretty tired so after taking in one last beautiful view of the castle, I decided to head back to the hotel.

I did manage to find some energy for shopping, and found a nice Mickey plush to use my voucher on. Leaving closer to the official closing time, I definitely noticed a difference in the crowd level on the bus. At least I didn't have to wait for another one.

When I got back to the room, I just managed to gather the energy to lay out my outfit for the next day before crawling into bed.

 

[zanzibar138]

As I had achieved much more than expected during my first two days, I had decided to allow myself a little sleep in on this last day. Today's look was inspired by Cinderella.



As I would be heading to the airport later, I also had to do a final pack and check out before leaving for the park. The delays this morning put me about an hour behind schedule, and I arrived at the gates just after official opening time. At that time of the morning, the 'lines' were crazy! I couldn't even tell which turnstile I was lining up for - it was basically just a mass of people.





For a long time, the line didn't seem to go anywhere, and I actually started to wonder if I'd misread the times and the park actually wasn't open yet! Eventually we started moving, a teeny tiny bit at a time. Despite the delays and the mass of people, I had actually been quite impressed with the general behaviour of the crowd so far, and hadn't really experienced any line cutting or anything. However, when we (finally) got to this point, things changed.



Suddenly there was a huge surge, and people squeezing in wherever they could, cutting in and between lines. It was the only point in the trip where I just had to close my eyes and breathe, and allow myself to be carried along with the crowd. Eventually I had found myself carried into the turnstile area and next in line to get in. Even at this point, people were trying to push in front of me, and were only stopped by the fact that there was physically not enough room to squeeze past me. The CM seemed to be taking several minutes to process each group. It took me all of about 10 seconds to show my ticket, have it scanned, and walk through the turnstile to the park, so I'm not sure why everyone else was taking so long. It did explain the slow moving line though.

I had been in line for about an hour, but I was finally in!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Today's look was inspired by Cinderella.

Love it! I hope "someone" noticed!!!

At that time of the morning, the 'lines' were crazy!

people squeezing in wherever they could, cutting in and between lines.

OMG! I'm so glad that we didn't experience anything like that when we went. I don't know if I would have coped!

I had been in line for about an hour, but I was finally in!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Voyage to the Crystal Grotto was a walk on, and was well worth experiencing at night.

Dang it!

Another one to add to the list of things to re-do.

 

[zanzibar138]

OMG! I'm so glad that we didn't experience anything like that when we went. I don't know if I would have coped!

Yeah I wouldn't recommend going at a busy time!

Dang it!

Another one to add to the list of things to re-do.

Dang it indeed! I was looking forward to seeing your photos of it lol!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Dang it indeed! I was looking forward to seeing your photos of it lol!

Let's just blame the rain. There were lots of things I had every intention of photographing....but it was just so miserable that I didn't bother.

 

[zanzibar138]

Unfortunately, after spending an hour lining up to get into the park, I had fallen further behind schedule. Fortunately my schedule wasn't that rigid today, but I did have specific plans for breakfast, and I had been planning to do that early since I also had lunch plans!

First I made a beeline for Tron, hoping to nab a FP time that wasn't going to clash with my lunch booking. It was going to be tight, but I just made it.

FP in hand, I then headed back towards Mickey Avenue for breakfast, and immediately got distracted by the cute Chip and Dale Tai Chi show along the way!



I stood and watched for a few minutes, before continuing to my brekky destination.



Yes, waffles and ice-cream are absolutely an appropriate breakfast food while on vacation.

Inside, the store had a Venetian Donald theme.





There is not a huge range available here. It's basically a Donald waffle with either chocolate or vanilla/berry extras. I can never resist chocolate.



Yes, those are brownie chunks with the ice-cream, and little choc-bit 'confetti' to sprinkle on top. It was all absolutely delicious, but such a large serving, I really needed someone to share with.



There's not a huge amount of seating available here, but I managed to find a table reasonably easy at that time of day. As I was finishing up, I was joined by a small Chinese family. They seemed friendly and we exchanged smiles before keeping to ourselves again.

Just outside the shop, there was a photo opportunity with Daisy. I was constantly amazed at how short the wait times were here for characters.



Today I was exploring at a bit more leisurely pace, taking the time to stop for more photos as I went. I was thrilled to see that all the obstructions had finally been removed from in front of the castle.



There was another solo girl there who asked me to take her photo, and then she offered to take mine. Turned out she was a pretty good photographer, and had me do several poses. She was much better than many of the photopass photographers lol!



On the way past the zodiac 'garden', I took the opportunity to get photos of the characters I'd previously missed.

 

[zanzibar138]

Let's just blame the rain. There were lots of things I had every intention of photographing....but it was just so miserable that I didn't bother.

I was the same. There was a particular lack of night time shots in my collection!