We arrived in Anaheim on Tuesday night at about 4pm. Thinking we could go and have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney. We called ahead and seating was open with only a few minutes wait. Drove right to the parks and no way...all streets were blocked off and cops all around ...DISNEYLAND FULL, California Adventure is open but no parking. They wanted us to drive over to the convention center to park. We could not get in there either as we could not find the entrance they wanted us to use. So we went to our hotel (Comfort Inn Maingate...no hot water for room 114 in the am or pm unless you wait 5 mins and have the dial at just the right spot, had to have our keys recoded too..). We then paid for a ART shuttle ticket and rode into the park that way. Got to Rainforest Cafe at 6:00 at which time the wait was now 1.5 hours!!! Had no choice so we waited it out. We then got the shuttle back to the hotel at about 9:30 pm. We got to see the fireworks while waiting for the shuttle. Having moved away from Los Angeles many many years ago and now living in a small town of 6,000 people...it was a reminder of how some people behave badly. We were first in the line for the shuttle but when it got there, people from behind us shoved us aside and jumped on! GRRRRR
Wed Jan 3rd was our first day in the parks. Got up at 6 and got to the parking structure at 7:30. Waited for about 10 minutes and then they opened the lots. We then got to the gate just as the park opened. We had gift card entrance passes so no need to buy tickets. Hit Pirates with no wait..walked right on. Waited a couple minutes for Haunted Mansion then headed to Splash Mountian. I didn't go on the ride so I was waiting on the bridge that overlooks the drop on the ride and I see these 3 people walk up next to me. Two in white satin jackets. I glanced and hear them counting down...3, 2, 1 and I see them start to hand out Dream Fastpasses!! I then realized their jackets said Dream Team. I got 1 pass but since my hubby and daughter were on the ride....we didn't get any more!!
They passed them out for 5 minutes and left. Little did I know my hubby and daughter had gotten off the ride and were hanging out with Pooh for pictures. I couldn't get them by phone....darn it. Oh well..it worked out ok.
The off the Thundermountain where we got Fastpasses (to go with daughter later) and got in line which the wait was 10 mins now. Headed to Space Mountain next and the wait was 60 minutes already and fast passes were for 7:00 pm already!!! It was only 10:30 am!! I still was still able to use daughters fast pass so I got her one from her gift card entrance card to go with her free dream pass one for later. By 11:00 am the park was filling up fast. The Pirates ride now had a 40 min wait and Space Mountain was 75 minutes. Even with Fast Passes the wait was half of the Stand By line waits!! Fast pass for Thunder Mountain was 25 minutes when the Stand by was 50 minutes. Even the wheelchairs were lined up to get on rides. At about 3:00pm I believe it was..they made an announcement that Disneyland would remain open until Midnight (rather than 11 pm as stated). We muddled through the crowds to Matterhorn, Small World etc. Used up our fast passes and headed back to Space Mountain where they would not honor fast passes of any kind (including dream fast passes) for the rest of the night. This was around 7:15 pm. We headed over to CA Adventure thinking it would be less crowded...well...less people but just as long a wait for rides. Soaring was 65 minutes, Screamin was 60 minutes etc etc. Grrrr...Got fast passes and waited in lines. Then headed to the hotel at about 8:30 pm (tired feet).
Thurs Jan 4th. Weather says 30% chance of rain in the evening. Not bad since that means 60% of no rain. Head to Disney at 7:30 again to find the parking lot is open already due to early admission day. Went to Disneyland and rode a few rides (45 minutes for Space Mountain at 8:15 am) then headed to CA Adventure. Spent time there riding some rides and using fast passes. Then Screamin broke down.
We had fast passes for that for later too. Hubby and daughter got in the short line as people kept leaving since it was broken down for 1.5 hours by then. Then, it started to go!! YEPPIE...oh no....3 car loads of people and it broke again. One train was on the big hill nearly to the top when it stopped. People were also in a train waiting to be shot out of the start but they were told they were last to get out because they were working on the higher up cars first. Then it happened...the first raindrops...turned to rain rain...hoards of people leaving the park!! YEPPIE...we had our rain ponchos! We decided to head to Disneyland but that didn't work out so well. Even with the millions (it seemed like it) of people who were leaving, there were millions still left. Pirates as still a 40 min wait and Space Mountain was 75-80 minutes. So we hung out in lines and the rain stopped about 1.5 hours later. It got breezy though so they cancelled the fireworks show. Again both parks added one hour to their closing time and Disneyland was full. We left the park at 9:30. Too tired for any more standing in lines or walking.
So...our thoughts of possible smaller crowds did not happen but it wasn't too bad. As teens we would wait 1.5 hours for a ride at Magic Mountain. We had no where else to go anyway. We hit all the rides that my daughter wanted to hit and then some...a few times over too. So it was all good.
Today was the 5 hour drive back home and now...sore feet are resting.
Wed Jan 3rd was our first day in the parks. Got up at 6 and got to the parking structure at 7:30. Waited for about 10 minutes and then they opened the lots. We then got to the gate just as the park opened. We had gift card entrance passes so no need to buy tickets. Hit Pirates with no wait..walked right on. Waited a couple minutes for Haunted Mansion then headed to Splash Mountian. I didn't go on the ride so I was waiting on the bridge that overlooks the drop on the ride and I see these 3 people walk up next to me. Two in white satin jackets. I glanced and hear them counting down...3, 2, 1 and I see them start to hand out Dream Fastpasses!! I then realized their jackets said Dream Team. I got 1 pass but since my hubby and daughter were on the ride....we didn't get any more!!
They passed them out for 5 minutes and left. Little did I know my hubby and daughter had gotten off the ride and were hanging out with Pooh for pictures. I couldn't get them by phone....darn it. Oh well..it worked out ok.The off the Thundermountain where we got Fastpasses (to go with daughter later) and got in line which the wait was 10 mins now. Headed to Space Mountain next and the wait was 60 minutes already and fast passes were for 7:00 pm already!!! It was only 10:30 am!! I still was still able to use daughters fast pass so I got her one from her gift card entrance card to go with her free dream pass one for later. By 11:00 am the park was filling up fast. The Pirates ride now had a 40 min wait and Space Mountain was 75 minutes. Even with Fast Passes the wait was half of the Stand By line waits!! Fast pass for Thunder Mountain was 25 minutes when the Stand by was 50 minutes. Even the wheelchairs were lined up to get on rides. At about 3:00pm I believe it was..they made an announcement that Disneyland would remain open until Midnight (rather than 11 pm as stated). We muddled through the crowds to Matterhorn, Small World etc. Used up our fast passes and headed back to Space Mountain where they would not honor fast passes of any kind (including dream fast passes) for the rest of the night. This was around 7:15 pm. We headed over to CA Adventure thinking it would be less crowded...well...less people but just as long a wait for rides. Soaring was 65 minutes, Screamin was 60 minutes etc etc. Grrrr...Got fast passes and waited in lines. Then headed to the hotel at about 8:30 pm (tired feet).
Thurs Jan 4th. Weather says 30% chance of rain in the evening. Not bad since that means 60% of no rain. Head to Disney at 7:30 again to find the parking lot is open already due to early admission day. Went to Disneyland and rode a few rides (45 minutes for Space Mountain at 8:15 am) then headed to CA Adventure. Spent time there riding some rides and using fast passes. Then Screamin broke down.
We had fast passes for that for later too. Hubby and daughter got in the short line as people kept leaving since it was broken down for 1.5 hours by then. Then, it started to go!! YEPPIE...oh no....3 car loads of people and it broke again. One train was on the big hill nearly to the top when it stopped. People were also in a train waiting to be shot out of the start but they were told they were last to get out because they were working on the higher up cars first. Then it happened...the first raindrops...turned to rain rain...hoards of people leaving the park!! YEPPIE...we had our rain ponchos! We decided to head to Disneyland but that didn't work out so well. Even with the millions (it seemed like it) of people who were leaving, there were millions still left. Pirates as still a 40 min wait and Space Mountain was 75-80 minutes. So we hung out in lines and the rain stopped about 1.5 hours later. It got breezy though so they cancelled the fireworks show. Again both parks added one hour to their closing time and Disneyland was full. We left the park at 9:30. Too tired for any more standing in lines or walking. So...our thoughts of possible smaller crowds did not happen but it wasn't too bad. As teens we would wait 1.5 hours for a ride at Magic Mountain. We had no where else to go anyway. We hit all the rides that my daughter wanted to hit and then some...a few times over too. So it was all good.
Today was the 5 hour drive back home and now...sore feet are resting.
