Intro

Fair warning for anyone who doesn’t know yet; Disneyland is trying to phase out paper tickets. When my sister got us our tickets, she got them thru the genie app. I didn’t have the app, but she just sent me a screenshot of my ticket and that was considered acceptable. The app is also what my sister used to get us in virtual queues.

Day 1

Our Disneyland trip began in Downtown Disney. It’s not technically part of the parks, so you don’t need to have tickets to in. We aimlessly meandered down the rows of shops and restaurants, going through various stores and stopping for food and Starbucks. We were initially worried that we wouldn’t get to see the fireworks during our trip, due to reports of rain predicted for the time we would be in the park. But fun surprise, we managed to catch them while doing Downtown Disney! There’s a spot in front of the Disneyland Park. Its in line with the gates, and distant enough to overlook it, while still seeing the Disney Train station. From there, we had a pretty good, clear view of the show. You don’t get to see any of the potential things they’re doing inside the park, such as castle projections or accompanying music, but you do still get to watch the lights of the fireworks explode in an array of colors and designs. If you aren’t inside the park during the fireworks, or just get crowded out, it’s a pretty good alternative spot.

Day 2

The first ride we went on was Small World. It always has low wait times (typically around 5 minutes or less). Possibly because the accompanying song is infamously annoying. In fairness to it, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the lyrics. I once heard a slowed, ballad version of the song that was actually very pretty. The boat ride takes you through different ‘countries’ full of singing, dancing dolls in regional costumes, with a few surprise appearances by Disney movie characters. You can play a game of seeing if you can spot them all. Some are out in the open while others are more hidden. The dolls costumes and their settings are highly stereotypical, but they only have so much time to take you on a world tour, so it makes sense they would rely on stereotypes. This doesn’t mean the ride skimped. If I recall correctly, so much effort was put into getting the details right that every costume has to be done by hand. It’s also an appreciated touch that in each ‘land’ the dolls sing in their native language.

After Small World, I took a break for a churro gear. They’re sold at Maurice’s Treats. It’s a food cart on main street just to the left of the castle, right next to an outdoor, medieval style theatre called Royal Theatre. I’d recommend trying them to anyone who hasn’t. They’re basically a perfect marriage between a churro and a donut. On this trip I got to introduce them to someone else, and it only took them one bite to declare love. Even if the gear itself isn’t available, you might still be able to get the bits. Which are essentially the gears in donut hole form. They are equally as tasty and you can get a pack of them.

After that pick me up we tried out the new Runaway Railroad ride in Toon Town. My sister got us set up in the virtual queue thru the Genie app. The standby line was full of Disney décor. There were punny Disney character posters, such as The Goofy Movie characters doing ‘High School Musical’, or Professor Von Drake as ‘The Absentminded Professor’. There were also references to classic Mickey Mouse works, like ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, ‘The Prince and the Pauper’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, and of course ‘Steamboat Willie’

We passed by a fake, toonified theatre concession stand and the kids in the same line as us let everyone know their disappointment when it turned out that the candy and treats at the concession stand weren’t real. In my opinion, they darn well should have been! They had fun things including ‘Witch Hazel Chocolate Bars’ and sugar dots placed on a paper shaped into Minnie’s bow. In the condiments section, next to the ketchup you are offered ‘catsup’ (Figaro’s finest). All in all, the queue line on the way into the ride was fun, whimsical, and just the right amount of Disney corny. It was by far the best part.

The ride itself, on the other hand, was just okay. Not bad, but not great. My first issue is that the story they try to tell is all over the place and makes no sense. They start by showing a movie of Goofy driving a train when something goes wrong with it, and then invite you to board the ‘Runaway Railroad’. Fun idea, except once you get on the train is treated as fully functional and Goofy (who was shot out before we boarded) is suddenly driving again. On a previous trip to Disney, we got a promo for the ride while on a tour, and were told what they always say when a new ‘imagineering’ project is coming. That Disney imagineers are storytellers. Well, some of us appreciate at least a monicrom of consistency in our storytelling.  But fine. Obviously we brought up a backstory just to immediately ditch it, making the video presentation beforehand pointless.

Once on the ride the cars break apart and all context of being on a train is more or less abandoned several times. You also spend the entire time following Mickey and Minnie on their way to a picnic date. I can’t be the only one who finds it weird that a train of people is stalking a couple on their date. It’s not like it would be hard to fix this either. Just make up an excuse, like Goofy noticed the mouses forgot a pie and he’s trying to get it to them, but runs into shenanigans along the way or something. Instead, there’s no connection between Goofy’s train and the picnic date.

Another problem for me was just that it’s mainly based on the new Mickey shorts. I appreciate the style of the animation paying homage to the original cartoons from the 1930s, but the shorts themselves haven’t really done much for me. This made it difficult for me to connect to that side of the ride, which left how the ride itself was handled. What we got wasn’t inherently bad or anything, it was just generic. And when it’s all said and done, that’s the biggest problem. This ride was as well done as anything at Disney, but it’s the exact same, run-of-the-mill ride we’ve gotten a hundred times over. Nothing in particular is wrong with that. There are plenty of those kinds of rides in Fantasyland that I still enjoy. It’s just that if you grow up on them like I did, a brand new ride that offers almost no deviation or really, anything all that new, is going to come across kind of meh.

After that, we got a spot to watch what we thought would be a parade put together by Disney and the NFL. Turned out it was a single half-float and some dancers dressed as cheerleaders. Disappointed we waited for it now.

Then it was off to Star Wars Land (Galaxy’s Edge) for some food and of course, blue milk. I got the tip-yip, a fried, dark meat chicken. It’s a little spicy. Not extremely, but more than is probably necessary for flavor. The blue milk is a mix of nondairy milks like coconut, so it can be enjoyed even by people who can’t have milk or lactose. It has something akin to a blue raspberry flavor and it’s addictive. Every time I come I have to get one. I only tasted the green milk once and I remember it being a weird and sort of floral type of taste. One try was all it took for me to realize that it is inferior to the blue milk. But hey, I sure plenty of people enjoy whatever flavor it’s supposed to be or why would they still be selling it?  

We temporarily left the park and came back towards the evening, when the temperature had dropped enough for me to change into a winter hat. The wait times for a few classic rides had gone down, and we we’re up for taking advantage.

The first ride we hopped onto was Jungle Cruise.  Though, to be fair, Jungle Cruise typically isn’t a long wait anyhow. At that moment, it was about 5 minutes. It turned out not to be any problem to do it in the dark, since they light everything up. But I think out guide was starting to feel it, as they repeated jokes a couple times.

Next was Pirates of the Caribbean. If you mind getting wet, careful where you sit. Pirates is one of those rides that it’s been fun to see its changes over the years. There was the version of the ride from when I was little, then the movie came out and Captain Jack Sparrow was added in.

There was also ‘Scarlet’. She was originally being auctioned as a bride. Once in Wonder Gallery, an art print store in Downtown Disney, I saw a rendition of Scarlet as a pirate. At the time I thought it was a fun twist. Not too long after that, I got to see her transferred into an actual pirate on the ride. There’s something to be said for growing up along with and getting to witness these kinds of changes.

I’ve now got a head cannon worked out on how she went from being a kidnapped pirate bride to-plot twist! She ends up having a dark side of her own and takes over as a full-fledged pirate captain with crew.

The last ride of the day we did was Haunted Mansion. My personal favorite haunt is Constance Hatchaway, A.K.A. The Black Widow Bride. But I think I’ve gotten too spoiled going on the Jack Skellington version. It looked a bit empty to me without those things in it. For anyone who doesn’t know, every year from the start of their Halloween celebration in September to the end of the Holiday festivities in the first week of January, the Haunted Mansion gets a ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ makeover. Fun fact, did you know the original Madame Leota (the crystal ball lady) also did the voices of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine? A lot of the early workers for Disney wore a multitude of hats for them.

After that, we stopped to get some Mickey shaped beignets from the Mint Julep Bar. The restaurant it’s part of will be getting a transformation into Tiana’s Restaurant, so we wanted to get the beignets while we could. Not that we need to worry about the beignets going away for too long. After all, Tiana did promise they’d be the house specialty. Speaking of, there’s a part of me that wants them listed on the menu as, ‘Charlotte’s man-catching beignets’. Typically, we get beignets from Downtown Disney, but those ones are undistinguishably non-Mickey shaped.

We took our beignets and got a good spot in front of the castle to watch the new projection show, ‘Wonderous Journeys’. We got there 20 minutes before it started, and were able to get a pretty good spot near to the front of the castle. I’m guessing because not enough word has spread about it yet. Or maybe people are underestimating it since it’s purely a light projection show and doesn’t include fireworks. Those people are suckers. The show is fantastically done and deserves to be seen and oohed at.

In the show, characters gave synchronized lines in themes with one another and mixed songs on top of and with each other. Together, each part wove a piece of the larger tapestry of a larger classic Disney story. Anyone who’s watched Disney would recognize the tale. The wide-eyed dreamer talking/singing about their wants and ambitions, the moment of doubt where things go wrong, and finally the moment of triumph. The castle itself went thru several transformations during the show. From Maleficent’s black thorns creeping up Aurora’s tower, to the Casa Madrigal- Casita! I was also pleasantly surprised to see them include films that need more love (and acknowledgment from Disney they exist). The two that instantly spring to mind are Hunchback of Notre Dame and Treasure Planet. I’m giving this one a really solid recommendation.

Before the park closed while everyone was leaving we stopped to get a hand-dipped corndog out of the little red cart between the castle and the start (or technically, end) of Main Street. These are the way hand-dipped corndogs should be done. I bring this up because there’s a corndog stand in Downtown Disney and the corn covering on theirs are pathetically thin. This one was appropriately nice and thick. These ones also come with your choice of classic lays or a tiny orange. My sister also got a drink called, ‘Strawberry Wagonaide’. It had real strawberries in it because this cart wasn’t going to compromise. After that, it was time to follow the last few people out of the park and call it a day.

Day 3

Today was a ‘California Adventure’ day. We got lucky and were able to hit it while the Lunar New Year decorations were still out. Chinese lanterns dangled off doorways and lampposts, street carts sold themed food and souvenirs, and Disney characters in asianesque costume adorned banners lining the streets. There was a booth set up for calligraphy and another for writing down and hanging up your wishes. A large three-panel sign explained the difference between 3 different types of Lunar New Year festivities across different countries.

Disney is also, quite rightly, taking advantage of its most famous bunnies for adorable Year of the Rabbit merchandise. Namely, Judy Hops, Thumper, and Oswald. Vietnam’s Year of the Cat was not forgotten about either.

We headed to Avengers Campus for the webslinger ride. Before going in, we happened to catch a small performance. Wakanda’s warriors came out looking for ‘allies’ and lead everyone in a traditional Wakanda chant. They also explained the meaning and purpose behind their cross-arm salute. I like that they added these touches because it helps create a more flushed out world and culture. Later in a store I saw a Wakandan cookbook.

The Webslinger’s ride was very enjoyable. The concept is similar to ‘Toy Story Mania’, except instead of a variety of games you’re just shooting run-amok spider-bots. And instead of a toy gun you use your arms. It goes by movement, so don’t bother with trying to flick your wrists or anything. So long as it senses your arm movement, you’ll be fine. The way into the ride, of course, had nice touches and easter eggs to other marvel characters (including a locker for Miles Morales, star of the best of the Spider-man movies). The one unfortunate point was that it kept treating Tony Stark as still alive, which was a like a small blow reminder each time.

For food time we got a quantum pretzel from ‘Pym’s’. Because at Disney you need the calories. Hanging from the roof was a ‘partical accelerator’ which was growing and shrinking pretzels in a factory line procession. They aren’t kidding about the quantum part. The pretzels are large enough to feed 3 to 4 people. Not to worry if you’re coming to ‘Pym’s’ with kids; they also have a ‘shrink’ meal available for tots. Some of the other options included a pretzel with apple compote and bacon, a butter-pecan brew (I tried some of the candied pecan whipped cream off of one, and it was delicious!), some raspberry drinks, and a few alcoholic beverages.

After getting our food we went to watch Mulan’s parade (Lunar New Year Parade). It wasn’t crowded at all, but it darn well should’ve been! Despite being a fairly small parade, it was beautifully done and well worth going to. Mulan and Mushu welcomed in the year of the rabbit with Oswald while the perfect voice for it, George Takei, narrated. Dancers were dressed in beautiful, lavish, traditional-looking costumes. Everyone was bright and colorful. They had a procession of different types of dancers, including; ribbon dancers, fan, umbrella, and dragons. It’s a performance that is well-worth seeing.  Any one who was in ‘California Adventure’ for Lunar New Year and missed it did themselves a disservice. Maybe next year…

We took a quick break back to the hotel room to grab warmer clothes for the evening (the temperature drops pretty fast at night) before heading back for a few night activities. It’s always a nice experience to be in the park when it’s dark and everything is lit up. In the ‘Adventure Trail’ area they had a place set up for a meet and greet with Raya from ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’. For the entry way into it Chinese lanterns of different colors, shapes, and sizes hung down from treetops. It was especially pretty seeing the display at night while it was lit up.

Inside the ‘Grand Californian Hotel’, they were selling Valentine’s baked goodies. Unfortunately, for some reason, the band insisted on playing at monstrously high levels.

We stopped for dinner at ‘Flo’s Café’ in ‘Cars Land’ (A.K.A; Radiator Springs). The food was good, like always. But the service, not so much. It wasn’t the fault of any of the staff. It’s just that ‘Flo’s’ tends to get a lot of traffic (pun unintended, but not sorry for it) yet on a night like this one where the line was out the door they only had one person working the register. It took my sister over 30 minutes just for a burger and cocoa, which she had to remind them of because they forgot. ‘Flo’s’ wasn’t the only place having this problem, either. A big criticism I have is how understaffed the parks were. Disney, it’s not like you don’t have the money. Just get your foot out of your own ass and hire more people!

Last event of the evening was ‘World of Color’.  Images are projected onto walls of water along with other effects such as bursts of fire, fountains of color-lighted water, or timing the lights of the Paradise Pier ferris wheel to sync with the music. It can be a very good show, if you get a good viewpoint. Yeah, that’s the one downside. From certain perspectives it can be hard or even impossible to make out the projections, and the issue is easily made worse by how overcrowded it can get. So make sure you come early enough to stake out a good spot where you’ll be able to actually make out what’s going on. Sections can also be done by reservation and some sections are better for watching the show than others. Another thing, they sometimes switch up the show or change it for holidays, so just because you’ve seen one doesn’t mean you’ve seen every ‘World of Color’.

Day 4

The last day was spent doing a few last minute activities before we needed to leave. We got up early (close to park opening early) for ‘Rise of the Resistance’. The premise of the ride is that you are a group of resistance collaborators who have been caught by the first order and must now escape them. This ride used to have a virtual queue, but from what I understand they are no longer doing that. This ride can back up fast so you’ll want to get there early. Just to give some perspective, when we got on in the morning it was about a 20 min wait. Basically, the amount of time it takes to get thru the line. But when we checked just a little later (as in, by the time we got off the ride) it was already up to a few hours.  

We also did a quick hop onto the Millennium Falcon for ‘Smugglers’ Run’. Times for this can also vary widely and get very long. On the Falcon you will all be assigned a job. Two pilots (in front) two gunners (in middle) and two engineers (in back). The cool thing about being pilot is that you get to punch in hyperspace. The way the piloting works, however, is that one person controls up and down and the other side to side, so make sure to do it with someone you are in sync with. The gunner is the easiest and most monotonously boring yet simultaneously tiring task. Basically, you just push a button over and over until the ride ends. My personal favorite is the engineer, which strikes a perfect balance. You actually get to do something, but not have to coordinate with someone else. That said, it’s not a particularly hard job. Just hit any button or flick any switch that is glowing. So long as you can tell the difference between a glowing and non-glowing light, you can be engineer. If your playing the Disney app game for Galaxy’s edge, you can also receive virtual ‘credits’ depending on how well a job you do and earn reputation.

With that it was time for one final blue milk before heading out. I’ll wrap it up here, but will post in the future a more overall comprehensive guide to Disneyland.