To a galaxy far far away: March-April-May...no wait...Nov 2020 PTR

[VandVsmama]

I can hardly believe it's already 2020! We are going to Disneyland in a couple of months! SO excited, so I thought it would be fun to start a PTR. You're probably wondering...who are we, when are we going, etc., etc.

• me - 46. Favorite DL ride = Pirates of the Caribbean, with Haunted Mansion a close second.
• DH - 47. Favorite DL ride = Indiana Jones
• ODD - 13 (yes, we've entered the land now of moody teenagers! Pray for us). Favorite ride = BTMRR (which we fondly refer to as Fast Choo Choo).
• YDD - 11. Favorite ride = Jungle Cruise. Why? "Because of all of the grown up jokes that I don't understand."

Also in our group this time around are:

• Friend 1 - 47. Favorite ride = BTMRR
• Friend 2 - 50. Favorite ride = a toss up between Space Mtn & Star Tours

Friend 1 & 2 are married. Friend 2 is almost totally & completely blind. SOMETIMES if it's REALLY dark out and fireworks are right overhead, he can see some flashes of light, but that's it. We went w/Friend 1 & Friend 2 two years ago and had a blast with them.

 

[VandVsmama]

When are we going?

Saturday, 3/7 - Wednesday, 3/11, but only at DL for 2 of those days. Here's the general idea we've worked out so far with Friend 1 & Friend 2:

• Sat 3/7 - drive from Phoenix (home) to So Cal. Spend night w/Friend 1 & Friend 2. They live a 45 min drive (not rush hour time) from DL.
• Sun 3/8 - open to close at DL. Get up WAY early and be at parking lot by 7:30 am.
• Mon 3/9 - day off. Sleep in, rest, go to bed early.
• Tues 3/10 - open to close at DL.
• Wed 3/11 - sleep in, then make the sad drive home.

DAS:
In addition to being blind, Friend 2 was in a really bad car accident years ago where they had to totally reconstruct his ankle. As a result, if he stands in line for longer than 15-20 min, he's seriously in a lot of pain. He & Friend 1 in the past had considered renting a wheelchair for when they go to DL, but he wants & needs the exercise of walking. And says that walking, he's fine. It's just standing for long periods of time that are really bad. Scooter'ing is out, of course, for obvious reasons.

So he gets a DAS pass. We know from when we went with them 2 yr ago that you can link up to 6 tickets together on 1 person's DAS pass. And to get in your next "virtual queue," you go up to one of those kiosks in each land to get a ride return time for the DAS pass. Friend 1 & Friend 2 did this on their own as well last month when they went just for 1 day as a trial run in preparation for March.

Friend 2 is a huge Star Wars fan and Friend 1 is hilariously bad at describing what things look like (she calls everything a "thing" or "thingy," it's really funny and all 6 of us laugh about it regularly), so they've both decided that DH & I will be put in charge of narrating to Friend 2 as we go through Galaxy's Edge.

In the past, Friend 2 has tried out the audio assistance devices (headphones) that you can get at City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce (in DCA), but he says that they don't work very well. As a result, he doesn't want to bother with it.

My DH loves going to DL with Friend 2. He really gets into it with narrating and describing everything to him. It's really cute.

When Friend 1 & Friend 2 went last month, they did go into Galaxy's Edge and went on the Millennium Falcon ride. Friend 1 said that DAS was available for that attraction and they ended up being directed into what looked like the Fast Pass line. I imagine that something similar will be in place for the Rise of the Resistance ride, too.

 

[VandVsmama]

Where are we staying?

With Friend 1 & Friend 2 in Fontana. I'm not doing this map directly from their house in order to protect the innocent, but you get the general idea. Here's what the drive looks like on the So Cal freeways...

I've driven the 10-->15-->91 freeway route before and I really don't care for the 91 freeway AT ALL. There's a stretch that goes through this hilly area. And in that section it's 2 lanes in each direction but people drive like bats out of you know where. So I think we'll use the 10-->57 instead for our Sunday visit to DL. On the Tuesday, Friend 1 said we should go 10-->15-->60-->57.

 

[tsumgirl]

Following along! I had a trip planned for around the same time, but ended up having to cancel. I'm looking forward to living vicariously through you and your travels

 

[VandVsmama]

Today is 60 days from our 1st Disneyland day! YAY! So that means that I can make ADRs for Sunday 3/8. Right now, I have:

• 10:30 am - character breakfast at the Plaza Inn
• 2:30 pm - Oga's Cantina

I may end up switching the character breakfast to Tuesday and do a Fantasmic! dining package on Sunday evening instead.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Following along! Sounds fun!

 

[VandVsmama]

We've done the Plaza Inn character breakfast before and really enjoy it. Usually, we'll get to the parks for rope drop and then by 10:30, we're ready for a break...and then several characters come up to you to meet you while you eat Mickey waffles and bacon! Oh and unlimited drink refills. My DH likes the omelet station a lot!

 

[VandVsmama]

Well, I went to go figure out where we'd do a Fantasmic dining package for Tuesday 3/10, but they don't show them available. So that means 1 of 2 things. It could mean that Fantasmic isn't showing that night. It could also mean that it's not showing up yet because they post the entertainment calendar about 6 weeks ahead of time (not 8). So I'll just wait and see for now!

 

[VandVsmama]

Ah! Darn it. I just looked at the historical park hours on the DIS at https://www.disboards.com/threads/historical-dlr-park-hours-entertainment-and-refurbs.2291124/ and that same week in March 2019, Fantasmic was only on the weekends.

Ok...

(fast forward in time because I went to go do that while drafting this post)

Now our ADRs look like this:

• Sun 3/8 - 2:30 pm - Oga's Cantina. It says "Oga's Cantina lunch," which I find amusing because you pretty much can only order drinks there. It's not like you're going to have a whole meal at that place.
• Sun 3/8 - 7:00 pm - Hungry Bear Fantasmic! dinner package. I picked this time slot because we'll end up getting the 10:30 pm Fantasmic show. And since we'll be staying at Disneyland until closing that day, that's no problem. Plus, I suspect that since it'll be a Sunday evening, there will be fewer people watching the 10:30 showing anyway. This will mean maybe not being quite so packed in like sardines.
• Tuesday 3/10 - 10:20 am - character breakfast at Plaza Inn - I really wanted the 10:30 am time slot, but that wasn't available. We will all be up super duper early that morning to make it for rope drop, so we'll all be ready for some sustenance by that time anyway!

On Sunday, I think we'll probably end up eating lunch at French Market or at Docking Bay 7. And then lunch will probably be either of those (whichever one we didn't eat at on Sunday). I'm also considering making a reservation for dinner at Carnation Cafe for dinner on Tuesday. Not sure yet though!

 

[VandVsmama]

I also just made a reservation at Savi's Workshop for Sunday 3/8 at 3:55 pm. So we'll go to Oga's Cantina first, probably roam around Galaxy's Edge for a little bit, and then do the lightsaber build.

Both of my kids really want to also build a droid (and they've saved up their $$ to pay for both the lightsaber and the droid with their own cash!), so I also need to reserve a time slot to do that. However, I think that we will do the droid build on Tuesday instead of Sunday. And probably in the afternoon or evening. I need to figure out the timing because I also want to see the new parade if that's going to be showing when we're there. AH! Too many fun things to fit in to a small amount of time.

Hm...ok...let me think out loud about this here for a couple of minutes. You all can just join me on this mental gymnastics ride. Some people I know think I'm nuts, but they're not theme park people and they're not Disney people either. So they just don't get it. But all of you are, so you're MY kind of people!

Here's the factors that are running through my head for Tuesday 3/10, for example:

1. Everybody will be hungry by our 10:20 am character meal, so that time will probably work out fine.
2. I don't think we'll quite make it for rope drop on Tuesday because we'll be driving in with rush hour traffic. On the other hand, there's the HOV lanes that we can use along the way, so maybe that will help a bit.
3. Max Pass will probably be important for Tuesday, so I'm going to buy it when we purchase our tickets.
4. I can't decide between French Market, Plaza Inn, or Carnation Cafe for dinner.
5. There will probably be a parade at 3:30 and 6:00 pm, assuming the new parade is in place and running when we're there. I'd love to see the new parade.
6. On the other hand, the primary reason we're going is to go on the Millennium Falcon and ROTR rides and to experience Galaxy's Edge.
7. So, therefore, I am tempted to NOT make a TS reservation in order for us to have more flexibility in terms of where and when we eat dinner that day.
8. On the other hand, if the parks end up to be super busy that day, then QS locations will also be busier, so then maybe we SHOULD have a TS reservation? AAAAHHH!! SO MANY CHOICES TO MAKE!
9. However, I **know** that everybody in our group likes the dinner options at Plaza Inn. And French Market. And I think everybody will be able to find something they like at Docking Bay 7.
10. However, Carnation Cafe **does** have a LOT of gluten-free meal options. That's a factor because 1 of our friends has celiac disease. So I think I'll just go ahead and made a dining reservation at Carnation Cafe for dinner on Tuesday and I can cancel it closer to the trip if we change our minds. Plus, YDD could get a milk shake with dinner there.
11. I'm not even factoring in hopping over to DCA for either day because I think we will end up spending both days in just DL park.
12. Should we try to see fireworks this day in front of the castle? Or shoot for watching them from within Galaxy's Edge. I'm leaning toward the latter because I've heard that the fireworks from back there are pretty great. AND we'll end up being in the land already, so we can get another DAS return time for 1 of the rides while we're watching the fireworks.

 

[VandVsmama]

In case anybody is interested, I found a whole bunch of allergy menu/food options at https://www.glutenfreedairyfreewdw....n5wHPUVruaV9ONSBlywo1x_nZtTOAk0UE27znBpyjFAio

They have the Carnation Cafe allergy menu (from 2016) posted here --> https://www.glutenfreedairyfreewdw.com/carnation-cafe-allergy-friendly-lunch-dinner-menu/.

 

[VandVsmama]

On the way home from school yesterday, YDD wanted to talk about Disneyland food. She doesn't want Plaza Inn for dinner, so that's out. She asked if we could do French Market for lunch on Sunday 3/8 or for dinner on Tuesday 3/10. She loves the pulled pork sandwich there. She looked over the Docking Bay 7 menu and decided that there was, in fact, something edible there for her, so we'll do one meal there probably.

She looked over the non-alcoholic drink menu at Oga's Cantina and made the most hilarious noises of disgust over the descriptions of the drink options. LOL. Ok, kiddo, you'll probably be getting water or a lemonade there. Besides, we won't really be there for food anyway. It's more about the experience than anything else.

I've slept on it and thought about it more and I think that I am NOT going to make a dining reservation at Carnation Cafe. Mostly because this is primarily a Star Wars focused trip and I know that our group is going to want to go on the Millennium Falcon ride preferably twice a day, so multiple Table Service reservations per day will make that more difficult.

YDD also asked if we are getting park hopper tickets (because she likes eating at Flo's V-8 Cafe). We are probably NOT going to go over to DCA this trip at all. She was a bit sad, but yet also thrilled that now she has the $$ saved up for both the lightsaber and the droid she wants to build.

So what's the weather going to be like when we're there?
According to Accuweather's extended forecast predictions (which can, of course, change a lot between now and when we go!), it looks like this:



...which isn't bad. It's pretty lovely weather, actually. But I know that the 4 of us, being from Arizona, will probably be cold, so I need to make sure the kids pack a couple of long sleeved shirts in their park bag. And I probably should get them some cheap gloves. And have the kids bring their Harry Potter scarves. Because when the sun goes down, it'll feel chilly!

As for me, I've found that layers help. So a long sleeved shirt under a Disney or Star Wars t-shirt, then a jacket over that. Plus a scarf (which folds up pretty small and fits into my purse easily) and a hat.

 

[VandVsmama]

This will be trip #2 in which the kids will be carrying their own park bags. During trip #1, they left their 1 shared park bag on a ride on accident. With all of their spending money inside it. Tears ensued, but they were lucky and it was turned into Lost & Found.

YDD does not want a repeat of that this time around, so she has decided that on rides when she puts the bag at her feet, she will stick her foot through 1 of the handles/straps of it. That way, if she tries to walk off without it, she won't be able to because the bag will literally be attached to her.

She wanted this bag for Xmas solely for the purpose of it being a "theme park bag." It's from the online store of the Its Funneh Youtube channel (she watches their videos all the time...it's a group of siblings from Canada & they basically play Minecraft & Roblox all the time).



It's not a huge backpack. It's not the size that you'd use for going to school and it can't fit a ton of school books and binders in it, but it's a perfect size for a Disneyland day pack. There's a side pocket for a water bottle, but hers will fall out of that side pocket, so she'll stick hers inside the main zipper compartment.

YDD & I talked about how this will be a bigger responsibility for her this time around, since she'll be carrying around way more spending money than she did on the last trip, so it'll be important to keep track of her bag and not lose it. She's 11 1/2.

 

[VandVsmama]

I just got done making our Droid Depot reservations!



Participants are ODD, YDD, and Friend 2. I just consulted w/Friend 1 on the time. She suggested evening so we wouldn't have to carry around the droids with us all day. Right now, I don't know if DL will be showing fireworks on that Tuesday or not. If they ARE showing fireworks, then we can watch fireworks from within Galaxy's Edge.

If fireworks are NOT scheduled for that Tuesday (which I suspect they might not be, it's just a hunch), then what we'll do is just before going into the Droid Depot, Friend 2 will get a DAS return time for ROTR or the Millennium Falcon ride. We'll do the Droid Depot thing. And then we'll go on a ride using the DAS return time. Then after getting off that ride, we'll get a DAS return time for the other ride. And in order to kill time, we'll do some of those "data pad" missions using the Play Disney Parks app on our phones.

Then go on ride #2. And then probably leave Galaxy's Edge to go on some Fantasyland stuff. If we're lucky, maybe we can get on Fast Choo Choo or Pirates right before the park closes.

 

[VandVsmama]

Alrighty, campers! This is what I now have so far in terms of dining & activity reservations for the two days:

Sunday 3/10:

• 2:30 pm - Oga's Cantina
• 3:40 pm - check in for lightsaber build
• 3:55 pm - lightsaber build at Savi's Workshop
• 7:00 pm - Hungry Bear Fantasmic dinner package
• 10:30 pm - dinner package FP for 2nd Fantasmic show. I think that we'll need to be around Critter Country, New Orleans Square area during fireworks. As in, go ride Winnie the Pooh, Pirates, or HM during fireworks. Then make a bee line for the Hungry Bear FP line as soon as fireworks are done and the 1st Fantasmic show people clear out. I need to go look up where that location is.

Tuesday 3/10:

• 10:20 am - character breakfast at Plaza Inn
• 8:40 pm - droid build in Galaxy's Edge

On Tuesday, I know that what will happen is about 3 hr after the character breakfast, ODD & YDD will be hungry to eat again, but none of us adults will be. So we'll stop to eat somewhere and DH will grumble about it. LOL. But secretly, we'll all be glad to have some time to sit down and rest. DH & Friend 2 will want a corn dog and the kids will want ice cream sundaes. So we will probably end up eating our snacks outside at Coke Corner.

I really don't like corn dogs, but oh my LORD, the corn dogs at the Little Red Wagon are PHENOMENAL! They are SO GOOD! I don't even need mustard on mine (DH thinks I'm crazy...he always says, "What?! No mustard?")...it's good without anything on it!

Dinner Tuesday will probably end up being at Docking Bay 7 or French Market.

On this trip, if we don't get park hopper tickets, I'm not disappointed because there's going to be so much to fit in within 2 days at just Disneyland park alone that we won't be able to go on every ride and experience every attraction. Heck, one year we had 5 day park hopper tickets and we didn't even do everything on THAT trip!

 

[camara381]

Hi! Everything sounds like fun! I’ll be following along. We will be there 3/9-3/13 And will be at DL park on 3/10.

 

[VandVsmama]

I'm going to be following the ROTR opening day reports...and those in the days after that. I'm very interested to see how it goes for on opening day and for a couple of week after that because I'm trying to determine how early we should plan on leaving Fontana in order to get to the Disneyland Toy Story parking lot.

I've been reading some of the threads at WDW about ROTR since it opened last month. And if in early March when we're at DL, they still have boarding groups for Galaxy's Edge, then it's going to be super duper important for us to be at the main gate before they start letting people into the park.

 

[66Goofy]

I look forward to following your trip, we are going with a person who might need a wheelchair due to some health injuries similar to your friend. I hope you can share how that goes and if you use a wheelchair.

Also I have to say you guys have good taste, all of your favorite rides are the same for our family, We call the BTMRR the "Crazy Train" but fast Choo choo is fun too.

 

[midnight star]

She looked over the non-alcoholic drink menu at Oga's Cantina and made the most hilarious noises of disgust over the descriptions of the drink options. LOL. Ok, kiddo, you'll probably be getting water or a lemonade there. Besides, we won't really be there for food anyway. It's more about the experience than anything else.

Have her try the Jabba Juice. It's a tropical-flavored drink. I honestly like it over the alcoholic drinks lol

 

[VandVsmama]

I look forward to following your trip, we are going with a person who might need a wheelchair due to some health injuries similar to your friend. I hope you can share how that goes and if you use a wheelchair.

Also I have to say you guys have good taste, all of your favorite rides are the same for our family, We call the BTMRR the "Crazy Train" but fast Choo choo is fun too.

Oh, I love "Crazy Train!" That's a great name for it! We used to call Heimlich's Chew Chew Train "Slow Choo Choo."

I suspect that Friend 2 won't be using a wheelchair. He & Friend 1 just bought APs this past weekend and he said that he was able to manage fine with the walking and using a DAS pass to avoid standing for long periods of time. Two years ago, I injured my foot and had to rent a scooter kind of last minute. That worked out really well and it saved my trip.