Figment's Second 24-Hour Day in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, 2015

figment_jii

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 22, 2006
Figment's Second 24-Hour Day in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, 2015
Figment had a great time at the Rock Your Disney Side 24-Hour Day in 2014, so he decided he'd go back for the 24-Hour Day in 2015. This year, Disneyland Resort announced that the 24-Hour Day would be the Kickoff to the Diamond Anniversary Celebration!

Thursday, May 21, 2015 - Disneyland Park closed early on Thursday for the media preview. Figment knew the park would be closing at 6:00 pm beforehand, but he was kind of surprised to find out that Critter Country, New Orleans Square, and Frontierland would be closing at 4:00 pm and that Adventureland would close at 5:00 pm.
DSC_0113_zpsac3b7qmp.jpg

DSC_0240_zpsu0sne26a.jpg

DSC_0241_zpsrhivqtt7.jpg


By Thursday, most of the decor was already up in the resorts. Figment really liked the looks of the bunting and other glittering decorations. He liked the sparkling buttons on Mickey and Olaf posters/ads on the Ticket Booths.
DSC_0107_zpsdrsmztzf.jpg

DSC_0106_zpsm0egpcwy.jpg

DSC_0109_zpskimroznk.jpg


Disneyland had a lot of buntings and banners everywhere!
DSC_0112_zpshmnn5azx.jpg

DSC_0012_zpsznuc5c1o.jpg

DSC_0013_zpsk5aamloe.jpg

DSC_0118_zpsghzgabrj.jpg

DSC_0119_zpslptfglwz.jpg

DSC_0236_zpseinwvz3f.jpg

DSC_0259_zpsve6h62px.jpg


Even Carthay Circle was all decked out!
DSC_0268_zps6ubxlqab.jpg


Figment had read that the Mad T Party might be having a soft-opening that evening at DCA, so he headed over there a little before 6:00 pm. Sure enough, the band came on at 6:00 pm. The party no longer opens with Tweedle Dee and Dum at the entrance inviting guests to join them. The band comes onto the stage and performs a new group of songs (Figment saw the first set three times and it was the same all three times). After the band finishes, the Mad Hatter introduces the Tweedles who appear on the stage opposite of the band (the stage used by the performing arts groups). The Tweedles talk for a bit and then introduce the Hottest Deck in Town.
DSC_0307_zpsj194xfae.jpg

DSC_0233_zpsepnlywji.jpg


After that, Figment headed off to dinner (Rainforest Cafe) and then it was time to go to sleep early because the next day was going to start EARLY!
 
I'm so thrilled to see this! I was hoping that you had gone and would do a trip report!
 
Thursday, May 21, 2015 - Disneyland Park closed early on Thursday for the media preview. Figment knew the park would be closing at 6:00 pm beforehand, but he was kind of surprised to find out that Critter Country, New Orleans Square, and Frontierland would be closing at 4:00 pm and that Adventureland would close at 5:00 pm.
I KNOW! That surprised me too! It really threw me off guard. I pulled a FP for BTMRR with a return window of 3-4pm but when I got over there at 3pm it was down and they said it probably wouldn't come back up before the media event, and it didn't. Boo. But, I rode it twice the next day so I was happy :)

I loved all the blue bunting! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip and how it compared to mine!
 


Friday, May 22, 2015 - Figment knew that this 24-Hour day was going to be busier than the one in 2014, but he didn't know how much busier it would be...

Entertainment Guides: Each park had their own entertainment guides which listed the special activities, show times, foods, etc. for the 24-hour day. Last year, the guides were only available in their respective parks, so Figment planned to visit both parks early in the day to get the guides to help him plan out his schedule.
DLRGuide14_zpsefc9pnzu.jpg

DLRGuide23_zpsvrdhkryt.jpg

DCAGuide14_zpsokrwjqer.jpg

DCAGuide23_zpsf4hbxxzc.jpg


Lockers - Disneyland's lockers and the lockers in the Esplanade were available starting at 4:00 am and the lockers in DCA were available from 5:30 am. There were signs out saying that the lockers would be emptied at 7:00 am on Saturday (5/23) morning.
DSC_0789_zps60eh9dzx.jpg


Diamond Days Sweepstakes Word of the Day - Posted at the entrances to the Esplanade (and by the DCA entrance from the GCH) were sign boards with the Word of the Day. Figment thought it was interesting that the word wasn't posted/listed anywhere inside the park. Now he knows you can also check online, but he didn't know that the first day!
DSC_0003_zpslr9dhuaa.jpg


And now onto the hour-by-hour report...

4:00 am to 5:00 am - Figment decided to get up earlier this year and head over to Disneyland around 4:00 am. This were already busier...it was an hour earlier than he arrived last year, but there were several guests already waiting to cross the street with him. Things looked okay/quiet on the Disneyland side of Harbor...
DSC_0337%204am_zpsf18fwhqq.jpg


Then he got to the Transportation Center and it all changed...he started out in line near the far side Disneyland bag check and it snaked all the way back to the drop-off area and then into the area where the Toy Story buses usually drop-off/pick-up guests.
DSC_0339_zpsunvjmpfo.jpg

DSC_0341_zpspgdxen26.jpg


5:00 am to 6:00 am - At 5:00 am Figment was still standing in line to get through security. Everyone was being funneled through one set of security lines, so it was slow going.
DSC_0344%205am_zpsfbdoftp1.jpg


Once through security, things weren't that bad. Figment got into Disneyland without any wait, but he found out all of the lockers had already sold out. Main Street was pretty packed, so it was difficult to move about. The stores that were open already had long lines. So he decided to head back out to the Esplanade in hopes of getting a locker out there. While out in the Esplanade DCA open (at 5:30 am). There was a countdown and then they let guests into DCA. Given that the lines were moving fast, Figment decided to go into DCA to get the Times Guide and see how things were in that park. The newsboys were on Buena Vista Street handing out special edition copies of the Buena Vista Bugle for the 24-hour day. They were handing out "papes" to guests! It was pretty cute.
DSC_0345%20530am%20DCA_zpsndsjuwvp.jpg


Around 5:45 am, Disneyland closed their ticket gates so Figment was out in the Esplanade waiting to get back into Disneyland. He saw the small kickoff fireworks over the DCA and DL gates (they went off around 5:55 am instead of 6:00 am). It was a little bit after 6:00 am when the ticket gates re-opened and guests were allowed into DL.
DSC_0349%206am%20DCA_zpsnt7da3qk.jpg

DSC_0353%206am%20DL_zpsefkeirpu.jpg
 
I'm so thrilled to see this! I was hoping that you had gone and would do a trip report!
Thanks!

I KNOW! That surprised me too! It really threw me off guard. I pulled a FP for BTMRR with a return window of 3-4pm but when I got over there at 3pm it was down and they said it probably wouldn't come back up before the media event, and it didn't. Boo. But, I rode it twice the next day so I was happy :) I loved all the blue bunting! Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip and how it compared to mine!
It would have been nice if they'd put up the signs about Critter Country/NOS/Frontierland and Adventureland outside in the Esplanade. I think for some folks, that would have been useful information to have before entering the park. In terms of the 24-hour event, I do think a lot of people's opinions about the event are going to depend on whether they were inside Disneyland or outside.
 
Wow! The lockers filled up fast! Was Figment ever able to find a locker or did I miss that? Did Figment get a Bugle? I keep promising myself that I will remember to get a copy next trip. I lost the one I had in our house fire. September I will be getting one! Figment I love your special ears!
 


Yes, the lockers in DL filled up really fast. Figment got a locker in DCA which he used in the morning, but because the park reached capacity, he wasn't able to get back to it later in the day. Luckily, the weather was cooperative enough that holding on the jackets all day wasn't a big issue. He did ultimately get a small/standard locker in Disneyland in evening. It was random luck, but it was nice to have a place to put the travel mugs and a few other souvies he picked up.

Yes, Figment got a copy of the 24-hour day Bugle and then a new edition (the summer 2015) one came out on Saturday. DisneyGeek has a photo of the 24-Hour Day Bugle in his trip photos. I do wish Disney would post the Bugle online!

Thanks! Figment enjoys his hats!
 
Continuing with Figment's Second 24-Hour Day in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, 2015...

6:00 am to 7:00 am - Figment got back into Disneyland and headed to the Emporium. It was a zoo inside the store, but it was one of the only locations where the 24-hour merchandise was available. So, some of Figment's family got in line to get the pin (Figment already had the shirt). Figment headed into the park to check-out the popcorn bucket stands! His first find was the Mine Train bucket at the Frontierland popcorn stand! He wandered over to NOS, but that popcorn stand wasn't open yet! He briefly checked out the Little Green Men Command store, but the line was way too long to get in.
DSC_0357%207am_zpsm4byxvpt.jpg


7:00 am to 8:00 am - the 7:00 am hour saw Figment waiting in line to get the Blue Mickey Balloon popcorn bucket. In hindsight, all of the buckets were available later in the day (and the rest of the trip), so he could have skipped the wait and gotten it later. But he was worried that they would sell out, so he waited in line and got one. It's really cute and says "Disneyland 60th Anniversary" on the back.
DSC_0359%208am_zpsc29nea4e.jpg


8:00 am to 9:00 am - Figment spent the next few hours hunting for more souvie containers and waiting in lines. Truthfully, the popcorn stand lines were really slow, but the buckets were cute and worth the wait. The red bucket was available at the Matterhorn popcorn stand. The guest in front of Figment bought 16 of them and the guest in front of him bought 8 of them. Yikes!
DSC_0362%209am_zpsvzrsebkf.jpg


9:00 am to 10:00 am - The last of the long lines for popcorn buckets! Figment got the purple one in New Orleans Square.
DSC_0364%2010am_zpsxodf7c1z.jpg


10:00 am to 11:00 am - Figment now had two Mine Trains, two red Mickey Balloons, two blue Mickey balloons, two purple Mickey balloons, and two round Disneyland popcorn buckets! That's a little more than could easily fit in a locker, so he decided to drop them off at the hotel. On his way to the DCA locker, Figment checked out Trolley Treats and saw the 24-Hour Cupcake!
DSC_0361%20Cupcake_zps1pdayz88.jpg


11:00 am to Noon - On his way back into the parks, Figment stopped to take a photo with the 24-Hour day sign!
DSC_0368%2011am_zpspm2aik91.jpg


Earlier in the morning, Figment had picked up FPs for Haunted Mansion, so he decided to take his first ride of the day! He said "Hi" to the new Hatbox Ghost (who is a little scary).
DSC_0140_zps2r0afqke.jpg

DSC_0141_zpsusd23ihv.jpg


At this point, Figment was getting hungry so it was time to head to lunch at the Plaza Inn!
 
I can not wait wait to see the hat box ghost and get the popcorn buckets. I am loving your TR!!!! Making wish time would move faster or I could go sooner.
 
Awesome trip report! Can't wait to see what Figment does next!
Thanks!

I can not wait wait to see the hat box ghost and get the popcorn buckets. I am loving your TR!!!! Making wish time would move faster or I could go sooner.
The Hatbox Ghost was very interesting...a little creepier than Figment expected, but still very cool. Listen for the whoosing sound...that's when the head will move. Figment got lucky and the ride stopped right in front of the Hatbox Ghost for a bit which was great.

Figment loved all of the new popcorn buckets (except the Han Solo one, which was a little creepy). The balloons are available in both parks, but the Mine Train and Cinderella Carriage were only in DL. He didn't see the Dumbo bucket available after the 24-hour day, but it might make a re-appearance somewhere. When Figment left on Monday, these were the popcorn bucket locations:
  • Red Mickey Balloon: Matterhorn and Soarin' popcorn stands
  • Blue Mickey Balloon: Hub and Buena Vista Street popcorn stands
  • Purple Mickey Balloon: New Orleans Square and Paradise Pier popcorn stands
  • Mine Train: Frontierland popcorn stands
  • Cinderella Carriage: Town Square and It's a Small World popcorn stands
  • Han Solo: Tomorrowland popcorn stands
I don't think any of them are supposed to be super limited, so hopefully they will still have them when you get there!
 
I want them all! Sadly I have a bad habit of collecting popcorn buckets, cups and mouse ears. I have so much I have ahd to move a lot to storage. Can not wait to move to a larger place so I can display them. I love your TR and look forward to more!
 
I cannot believe this but I have never bought a popcorn bucket. So odd, but I think it's because I can't eat the popcorn but I would love the containers. I guess it's a thing with people buying so many of those buckets.

Figment is very patient with the lines!
 
Continuing with Figment's Second 24-Hour Day in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, 2015...

Noon to 1:00 pm - One of the biggest issues in the morning was the lack of food locations that were open. The lines for the few locations that served breakfast were very long. The RBT's line stretched from the Rivers of America side, wrapped around the building towards Pirates, then headed up the walkway, and around to Bengal BBQ. Jolly Holiday stretched well into Adventureland. By noon, more places had opened, so it was a little better. The line for the Plaza Inn started near the entrance, headed to Tomorrowland, doubled back near the end of the seating area and then headed towards the main entrance. Figment figured it would take about 90 minutes to get through the line, but it took about an hour instead. While waiting in line, he saw the characters come out in their new 60th Anniversary outfits (the photos of Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy didn't come out, but he saw Goofy later on in Town Square).
DSC_0372%20Chip_zpsmd8pijnk.jpg

DSC_0382%20Dale_zpsgtyuirqj.jpg

DSC_0374%20MickeyMinnie_zps9t1xzixc.jpg

DSC_0384_zpsccswewxn.jpg


1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - Figment main reason for the going to the Plaza Inn was to have the Fried Chicken and Waffles! He missed out on it last year, so he wasn't going to miss out this year! It was really good! There were three mini-Mickey waffles (back of the plate) and three pieces of the Plaza Inn's outstanding fried chicken. Figment also got the Castle Stein cup at the Plaza Inn.
DSC_0388%2012pm_zpsbcucnqtj.jpg

DSC_0399%201pm_zpslu6a4b6t.jpg


They also had a special dessert (Diamond Celebration Chocolate Cake) which was outstanding! It was a very rich chocolate layer cake with passion fruit, mango, and banana mousse, apricot compote, and smothered in a milk chocolate caramel ganache and crunchy chocolate pearls. It was topped with a solid white chocolate "diamond."
DSC_0391_zpszcylycs5.jpg

DSC_0410_zpst23rv2uw.jpg


2:00 pm to 3:00 pm - While Figment was having lunch, he saw on Twitter that Disneyland was no longer admitting new guests. He was surprised at how early that had happened! He figured the park would reach capacity closures, but he really didn't think it would happen until later-afternoon/early-evening! Still, it fit with what another guest said in line. He was a local and had decided to come early because they were expecting big crowds and he didn’t want to locked out of Disneyland so he decided to come in the morning instead of waiting until mid-afternoon.

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm - After lunch, Figment headed over to Tomorrowland to look around. It was busy, but Figment could still move around without a lot of difficulties. He rode Buzz Lightyear and then went to check out the Tomorrowland popcorn stand. It had the Han Solo in Carbonite bucket, which was kind of creepy, so Figment skipped it. Figment thought about riding the train, but the line was long(ish) and the train had just left, so rather than wait, he headed back into Tomorrowland. After that, Figment headed over to Frontierland to see how things were doing on the other side of the park. He stopped at Bengal BBQ to get the 24-hour super sized travel mug!
DSC_0416%203pm_zpsjyn4y1fi.jpg


4:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Disneyland had a very interesting feel to it at this point. Given that the park was at capacity (according to the Disneyland Today Twitter feed), it was still easy to move around except along the parade route. The middle of the park was packed, but the outlying areas were pretty manageable. Figment decided to spend some time looking for the new pressed penny machines in the parks. He found a handy-dandy guide to the pressed penny/quarter locations (which also indicated which machines had 60th anniversary presses). There were 33 new pennies and 6 new quarters (along with a new 60th Anniversary pressed coin book)!
DSC_0418%204pm_zpsooabs0lf.jpg


5:00 pm to 6:00 pm - Figment was still hunting for pennies and pins at this point. The surprise pin trading events were being held in DCA, but Figment wasn't going to hop over there (and not get back into DL), so he found pin boards and CMs with lanyards in DL.
DSC_0419%205pm_zpsuuaendsr.jpg
 
I want them all! Sadly I have a bad habit of collecting popcorn buckets, cups and mouse ears. I have so much I have ahd to move a lot to storage. Can not wait to move to a larger place so I can display them. I love your TR and look forward to more!
Figment completely agrees! He has lots of souvie containers (popcorn and sippers) and is running out of space for all of them!

I cannot believe this but I have never bought a popcorn bucket. So odd, but I think it's because I can't eat the popcorn but I would love the containers. I guess it's a thing with people buying so many of those buckets. Figment is very patient with the lines!
You can ask to have the popcorn put into one of the regular cardboard/paper containers (you probably won't get as much) so that the bucket doesn't get dirty (some are easy to wash, but others are not so easy). Then you can either eat the popcorn or share it with someone else. The lines were long, but there really wasn't any other options. That was probably the "biggest" problem with the 24-hour day for guests inside Disneyland in the morning. There were big crowds, but not many food locations. Anything that sold food, from counter service locations to the churro carts, had really long lines. It was a big change for 2014, so Figment was surprised.
 
I love reading about Figment's day! He always seems to have the best time and chooses the most delicious looking food!
 
I love your update! I don't mind the lines too much unless they get crazy, but Disneyland is a place with lines so we live with it. I think I will opt for the popcorn in the other container to keep the other clean! Thank you for that idea!
 
Continuing with Figment's Second 24-Hour Day in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, 2015...

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm - The 6:00 pm hour saw Figment heading to Cafe Orleans for dinner. He was glad that he had made a reservation because they were fully booked! He requested a table by the railing so he could people watch while he ate. He even saw the Colubmia sailing backwards as it headed off to get ready for Fantasmic!.

Figment started with the French Onion soup (yum), an order of the Gumbo (yum yum) and an order of the Pomme Frites (yum yum yum!) for appetzier.
DSC_0430%206pm_zpskxpwr52l.jpg

DSC_0433_zpsp6vcvtu0.jpg

DSC_0436_zpskpmshyvy.jpg

DSC_0441_zpsfoircq0h.jpg

DSC_0447_zpsiuuevqvn.jpg


For his entrees he tried the Crescent City Salad (with Salmon) and the Braised Beef Crepe. The salad was outstanding (as usual). The braised beef crepe filling was really good, but the crepe itself was a little mushy.
DSC_0451_zpsgdend9ry.jpg

DSC_0452_zpsilr4byhi.jpg


7:00 pm to 8:00 pm - The 7:00 pm hour saw Figment finishing up his dinner and then heading over to hub area to hopefully find a spot to watch the fireworks (he knew that seeing the parade was unlikely). It was very busy with wall-to-wall guests all along Main Street through the Hub. While he was looking at the Times Board, the Guest Services CMs were telling guests that they could view the fireworks show from the pathway near them and it was a great viewing spot, so Figment decided to give it a try. The first Paint the Night started at 8:50 pm and Figment could easily hear the music and catch glimpses of the tall floats.
DSC_0462%208pm_zpsd4ofln3o.jpg


9:00 pm to 10:00 pm - Paint the Night finishes with only a few minutes to spare! The parade finishes up around 9:25 pm and the Disneyland Forever fireworks show starts at 9:30 pm! Figment really likes fireworks and he enjoyed this show. From the hub, you can see the Matterhorn and the castle, but it's harder to see the effects on Main Street.

Matterhorn/Mount Wannahockalougie (with fire coming out of the top):
DSC_0510%20930pm_zps5t9qwovk.jpg


Little Nemo flying over the Castle towards Mount Wannahockalougie (he didn't fly/swim on Saturday that Figment saw):
DSC_0514_zpsu235kvhh.jpg


The Castle:
DSC_0524_zpsilghn0aj.jpg


On a different night, Figment watched the fireworks from Main Street and could see the projections on the buildings. They were really clear and amazing to see!
DSC_0525_zpsmlln1zwy.jpg

DSC_0526_zps6gy4av7z.jpg


The Under the Sea sequence was really well done.
DSC_0527_zpsqazhiroe.jpg

DSC_0528_zpsodotnht1.jpg


The drawback to Main Street is that Figment could not see the Matterhorn. Overall, Figment liked the new fireworks show with all of its special effects. The biggest issue he had was that there really wasn't anything that tied the show to Disneyland...no Grim Grinning Ghosts, no Pirates music, nothing that said Disneyland. It could have just as easily (and perhaps more aptly) been named Disney Movies Forever. Still Figment likes fireworks and he liked the show.

10:00 pm to 11:00 pm - After the fireworks ended, Figment headed down to Town Square in hopes of finding a good spot to watch the 1:00 am parade (yes, the parade wasn’t for another three hours). The Main Street bypasses were open, so he got to see the Jungle Cruise boats docks! He found a spot in the Town Square, just in front of City Hall. For the next three hours Figment largely rested, people-watched, and snacked.
DSC_0544%2010pm_zpsgl8bqcpz.jpg


He did wander out to the front to see what things looked like on the Esplanade. Every ticket booth said "exit" and only one had a CM that could admit guests (only special guests at that point). There were guests out on the Esplanade, but none of the ugliness that was happening in DCA or elsewhere could really be seen from inside Disneyland. Figment knew that things were tense outside of Disneyland because he had been reading the Twitter/Facebook feeds and he felt sorry for the front-line CMs out there.
DSC_0547_zps4cwidevq.jpg


11:00 pm to Midnight - While waiting for the parade, Figment's family had a chance to chat with one of the Parade-Control CMs. He mentioned that he was normally a Jungle Cruise skipper, but they had called in everyone they could to work crowd control. After a while, the CM had to move on to chat with other guests, so at that point Figment walked around the park a bit while some of his family rested. He stopped by to see if Little Green Command Store was easy to get into, but there was still a line to get in! So he headed over to Frontierland instead. They 60th Anniversary pins were in pretty short supply, but luckily, Figment had gotten most of the (non-limited edition) designs he liked on Wednesday.
6ff11383-6fa6-4252-b9d5-4d4462d2b8be_zpspwpylkvf.jpg


Figment stopped to look at the castle on his way back. It looked really pretty at night.
DSC_0552_zpsl9snpmll.jpg


At this point, it was time for a midnight snack! Figment had the special Diamond Celebration Ice Cream Sandwich from Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. It sounds like they were popular because they were running out of the cookies! Figment also picked up the souvenir travel mug at that point (late night caffeine!).
DSC_0557%2011pm_zps2garw8vq.jpg
 
Last edited:

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top