Better Disneyland Visit
We went to Disneyland yesterday. I wanted to make this trip more successful than the last one and I think I succeeded. After having so much trouble with the Disneyland app, we went prepared this time. Having both screenshots of our passes and printed out copies. I learned about an alternate path to get to the parks rather than walking on the tram road. We actually saw the bridge last time, but didn't really know how to get there. I found out that it is on level two of the Pixar Pals structure. We were parked in the furthest Mickey & Friends structure, so it was still a walk, but it is much nicer going down the bridge and along the path lined with trees and other plants. It does actually feel shorter. We did have to turn around a corner in the parking lot to get to the security area though, which is at the very end of Downtown Disney, but there was no wait. After taking a bathroom break we decided to enter the park via the Monorail. Had no trouble actually using the app this time to scan our passes. I guess the problem last time was my mom didn't have the app open and ready. So, it was her fault then all along. Fortunately, the Monorail just pulled in, so there was no wait. It's a much nicer way to get into Disneyland. I don't know if it was necessarily faster, but maybe. It at least felt easier doing it that way.
So, we got into the park and the first thing I wanted to do was get on the Jungle Cruise. I've been following the Disneyland subreddit lately and it's proving to be quite handy. People were reporting on there about inflated wait times. That is the wait is actually shorter than the signage or app indicates (usually half the time of what is posted). And that has seemed to turn out to be the case, which is great. There was no wait time sign at the Jungle Cruise, but I think we waited about 15 minutes maybe. I wanted to ride it to see the changes made, as they've tried to make it more politically correct. Basically they replaced the natives with chimps, including a funny scene with the chimps taking over a Jungle Cruise boat. I noticed a few new jokes too. Our skipper seemed to steer the boat through the river quickly. The line was always moving.
Next, we hit up Indy, which had a wait time of 50 minutes I think, which would translate into the actual being 25. It was more like 17-20 minutes. I've also seen people say that Indy is in bad need of repairs. A lot of the elements are broken. Maybe so. It felt a little like a malfunctioning haunted house ride. Still fun though. After another bathroom break we went over to Pirates. Wait time was listed as 30 minutes. Realistically it was more like 12-15 minutes. I noticed that they brought the voice-over back in the cave section before the ship with Barbossa. I don't think I've heard that in quite a while. They didn't have the fog/dry ice effects going though. But I also noticed an octopus animatronic in the cave. I don't recall that being there last time I went on the ride.
After that, it was time for lunch. I had a Halloween food item in mind, although it wasn't my first choice. That would be the corn dog from the Little Red Wagon because I heard they're really good. We ended up going to Pizza Planet instead. One day I will try that corn dog though. The Halloween item I got was the Deconstructed Lasagna. Basically it's rigatoni pasta with bolognese sauce and bread crumbs. It was decent. The sauce was pretty good, but I wouldn't necessarily order it again. There are much better pasta dishes out there. It's also way too much for one person. My mom got a pepperoni pizza slice. I always thought their pizza was mediocre, but she said it was good.
Next, I wanted to go to Galaxy's Edge to ride Smuggler's Run, since we hadn't been on it in a while. Wait time was 40 minutes. I forgot to check what time we got on the ride, but I'd say it was probably a fifteen minute wait. This time my mom got to be a pilot. Rather than me join her in the front, we let the son of the family with us be the second pilot. I was a gunner I think. It was a wild ride. My mom talked about how intimidating it was being a pilot because everything is in your face and she tried her best. She said it was like a video game, and at least she does have experience with video games (See: Rogue Squadron). But she was really not feeling great afterwards. She has talked about having slight imbalance problems lately sometimes. Maybe she'll bring it up with her doctor at her physical appointment tomorrow. She got like wiped out by that ride. I was still fine, although I had to keep switching my arms to push the button to shoot because they would get tired. So I guess it wore me out a little too.
We went down to main street. I was looking for a thinnish long sleeve Disney shirt because I really only have one I could wear to Disneyland. Usually they just have thick sweatshirts that would be too warm, but I actually found something this time. It's a pretty simple design. Fuchsia colored long sleeve shirt with “Disneyland” on it with a classic looking font. I like it well enough. Actually I still need to actually try it on.
Then we went over to DCA. We didn't ride anything. Smuggler's Run was our last ride of the day. But I suggested we go to Avengers Campus to see if there were any shows going on. A Doctor Strange show had started, but there were too many people gathered around the area, and we couldn't really see it. However, I then heard the sounds of the Spider-Man show starting, so we went over there. Fun watching Spider-Man do some flips on the roof and stuff, but the most amazing part is the finale where he flies over the building. I know a little secret about that actually because that part is actually an animatronic. One of the most advanced animatronics ever made. It looks like an actual person. My mom was amazed.
We ended our day (almost), by getting some pumpkin fudge from the Trolley Treats. I had it later after dinner at home. I thought it was good. My mom thought it was OK. Then my mom just had to go in the World of Disney store because she's been wanting find a little stuffed dalmatian she can use with her Cruella costume. Finally, we checked out the Star Wars Trader shop. I think I vaguely heard about this place. I thought it was elsewhere in Downtown Disney, but it actually took over the old Rainforest Cafe. It was kind of small inside. It's funny because they still have the trees inside left over from the restaurant. And the outside theming of the building just doesn't really fit with the Star Wars theme, but they did have some neat stuff. Probably stuff you can already find at Galaxy's Edge and likely the same price. Then we made the walk back to our car and back home. This was a much better trip than last time, and probably the best time I had in a while. It really helped having that foreknowledge about the screwy wait times lol. R/Disneyland has been a great resource. Our next trip is on November 16th where we'll get to enjoy the Festival of Holidays! :D Also, heard some good news about the trams supposedly coming back early next year. Finally! I'd like to save my legs from unnecessary soreness.
So, we got into the park and the first thing I wanted to do was get on the Jungle Cruise. I've been following the Disneyland subreddit lately and it's proving to be quite handy. People were reporting on there about inflated wait times. That is the wait is actually shorter than the signage or app indicates (usually half the time of what is posted). And that has seemed to turn out to be the case, which is great. There was no wait time sign at the Jungle Cruise, but I think we waited about 15 minutes maybe. I wanted to ride it to see the changes made, as they've tried to make it more politically correct. Basically they replaced the natives with chimps, including a funny scene with the chimps taking over a Jungle Cruise boat. I noticed a few new jokes too. Our skipper seemed to steer the boat through the river quickly. The line was always moving.
Next, we hit up Indy, which had a wait time of 50 minutes I think, which would translate into the actual being 25. It was more like 17-20 minutes. I've also seen people say that Indy is in bad need of repairs. A lot of the elements are broken. Maybe so. It felt a little like a malfunctioning haunted house ride. Still fun though. After another bathroom break we went over to Pirates. Wait time was listed as 30 minutes. Realistically it was more like 12-15 minutes. I noticed that they brought the voice-over back in the cave section before the ship with Barbossa. I don't think I've heard that in quite a while. They didn't have the fog/dry ice effects going though. But I also noticed an octopus animatronic in the cave. I don't recall that being there last time I went on the ride.
After that, it was time for lunch. I had a Halloween food item in mind, although it wasn't my first choice. That would be the corn dog from the Little Red Wagon because I heard they're really good. We ended up going to Pizza Planet instead. One day I will try that corn dog though. The Halloween item I got was the Deconstructed Lasagna. Basically it's rigatoni pasta with bolognese sauce and bread crumbs. It was decent. The sauce was pretty good, but I wouldn't necessarily order it again. There are much better pasta dishes out there. It's also way too much for one person. My mom got a pepperoni pizza slice. I always thought their pizza was mediocre, but she said it was good.
Next, I wanted to go to Galaxy's Edge to ride Smuggler's Run, since we hadn't been on it in a while. Wait time was 40 minutes. I forgot to check what time we got on the ride, but I'd say it was probably a fifteen minute wait. This time my mom got to be a pilot. Rather than me join her in the front, we let the son of the family with us be the second pilot. I was a gunner I think. It was a wild ride. My mom talked about how intimidating it was being a pilot because everything is in your face and she tried her best. She said it was like a video game, and at least she does have experience with video games (See: Rogue Squadron). But she was really not feeling great afterwards. She has talked about having slight imbalance problems lately sometimes. Maybe she'll bring it up with her doctor at her physical appointment tomorrow. She got like wiped out by that ride. I was still fine, although I had to keep switching my arms to push the button to shoot because they would get tired. So I guess it wore me out a little too.
We went down to main street. I was looking for a thinnish long sleeve Disney shirt because I really only have one I could wear to Disneyland. Usually they just have thick sweatshirts that would be too warm, but I actually found something this time. It's a pretty simple design. Fuchsia colored long sleeve shirt with “Disneyland” on it with a classic looking font. I like it well enough. Actually I still need to actually try it on.
Then we went over to DCA. We didn't ride anything. Smuggler's Run was our last ride of the day. But I suggested we go to Avengers Campus to see if there were any shows going on. A Doctor Strange show had started, but there were too many people gathered around the area, and we couldn't really see it. However, I then heard the sounds of the Spider-Man show starting, so we went over there. Fun watching Spider-Man do some flips on the roof and stuff, but the most amazing part is the finale where he flies over the building. I know a little secret about that actually because that part is actually an animatronic. One of the most advanced animatronics ever made. It looks like an actual person. My mom was amazed.
We ended our day (almost), by getting some pumpkin fudge from the Trolley Treats. I had it later after dinner at home. I thought it was good. My mom thought it was OK. Then my mom just had to go in the World of Disney store because she's been wanting find a little stuffed dalmatian she can use with her Cruella costume. Finally, we checked out the Star Wars Trader shop. I think I vaguely heard about this place. I thought it was elsewhere in Downtown Disney, but it actually took over the old Rainforest Cafe. It was kind of small inside. It's funny because they still have the trees inside left over from the restaurant. And the outside theming of the building just doesn't really fit with the Star Wars theme, but they did have some neat stuff. Probably stuff you can already find at Galaxy's Edge and likely the same price. Then we made the walk back to our car and back home. This was a much better trip than last time, and probably the best time I had in a while. It really helped having that foreknowledge about the screwy wait times lol. R/Disneyland has been a great resource. Our next trip is on November 16th where we'll get to enjoy the Festival of Holidays! :D Also, heard some good news about the trams supposedly coming back early next year. Finally! I'd like to save my legs from unnecessary soreness.