I Didn’t Think We Could Actually Stay Up This Late

[Alex Coleman]

I Didn’t Think We Could Actually Stay Up This Late


March was an interesting month in Intentional Mouse park touring. After three months of living in Southern California and being Annual Passholders, I think we have settled into a routine. It seems like no matter what is going on in our lives, we end up taking 4-5 trips to Disneyland. We had friends visiting from Chicago the first weekend in March so we were not able to make it to the parks. Our group had a great time exploring Downtown LA instead!

We also had the continued struggle to find the best way to tour the Resort with a growing puppy. We have experimented with several approaches with varying degrees of success. Sarah and I love our Intentional Dog so much that it does not feel like a sacrifice to sacrifice some park time for time with him. Our process will probably be a regular feature of these trip reports until we trust him enough to leave him at home alone for a long period of time. To be honest, that is probably a long way down the road!

March was another very short month, but we really took advantage of the short amount of time we had in the parks. This also may be a good report to read for anyone who does not have time to read a report like our November 2017 Trip Report, which reads like an epic novel and contains roughly 1,000,000 words. If you do have time and are interested in Walt Disney World touring, read it! It is probably our best work.

In this report I will cover our 5 visits to the DLR during the month of March. I will give you a step-by-step look at each one of our visits. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of pictures to go along with this report; I can’t help myself!

We had a great time and I am excited to share all of our adventures with you! This trip report will have several parts, so stay tuned. Click the links below for each part of the report.

• Part 1: California Here We Come
• Part 2: Thanks, Erick!
• Part 3: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
• Part 4: Super Late-Night Adventure
• Part 5: Grand Californian Wandering

 

[Alex Coleman]

California Here We Come


This is the first installment of our March 2018 Disneyland Trip Report. In Part 1, we headed back for a long day of touring at Disney’s California Adventure. We fell back in love with Disneyland Resort touring! In Part 2, we headed to Disneyland after work for an evening of touring. Part 2 could not happen without the help of our friend Erick watching our Intentional Dog! In Part 3, we showed up early-ish in the morning for a day full of attractions. We expected to stay much longer, but we ran out of steam in the afternoon. Part 4 covers us staying very, very late. We had never stayed at Disneyland past park closing, but we did it! It was epic! Our last part, Part 5, will cover a short evening trip to California Adventure. Read on and enjoy!

March 11


When we arrived on a cloudy Sunday morning, we found that there was another new traffic pattern ensuring guests that it is virtually impossible to walk to Disneyland and California Adventure easily. We finally found out why this was halfway through March. While we were driving in the Mickey & Friends Tram, the Cast Member explained that they are expanding the garage.

Side note: even though walking to the parks became much more difficult, the tram process is much improved from January. The Security queues and the tram stop is now inside of the parking structure. Sarah and I have walked directly through Security and jumped right on the tram almost every time. It also brings the drop-off location when you are returning to the garage closer. This means our tired feet get a small break. Always take care of your feet while Disney Parks touring!

The crazy thing about these changes is that Mickey & Friends Parking Structure will be the largest in the United States! Clearly, Disney Parks & Resorts understands that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be a massive success and bring half the world to Southern California. Even though I am not a massive Star Wars fan, I am excited for Galaxy’s Edge. I can imagine for actual Star Wars fans this will be a massive draw. That means that navigating the resort will be a disaster. There is a definite need for more of everything to absorb the blow.

These improvements mean a short term lack of convenience for guests. We navigated around the construction and ended up in Downtown Disney. We waited in long Security queue and then walked quickly to California Adventure. When Sarah and I arrived, we headed towards Soarin’ for a Fastpass.



We grabbed the Fastpass and then walked onto The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. I am fairly confident that Sarah is never happier than when she is experiencing this attraction. Actually, that may not be true now that we have our little Mowgli puppy. Imagine if she could have both! She would explode!



We resurfaced and returned to dry land to walk around what remains of Paradise Pier. While we were walking, we discovered that there was a group performing roughly the same act as the JAMMitors at Epcot. This is one of our favorite Walt Disney World performing groups. We were so happy to see a similar act at the Disneyland Resort.



After the show, we walked towards the Golden Zephyr. Sarah and I realized that we had never checked this off our list. As you may know, Sarah does not like attractions that spin. More recently, I have been able to coerce her to ride these attractions. She is just such a giver! Fortunately for her, it is an incredibly short ride. We spun down the stairs and towards Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.



When we arrived, we were greeted by Kenai and Koda. My perception is that most people do not care for Brother Bear. I may be wrong, but that is not based off anything other than blind conjecture. Sarah really loves the 2000’s animated film. Personally, “Great Spirits” by Tina Turner (one of the songs in the film) ruins almost the entire movie. Sarah just loves Koda. For a while, that was going to be our first dog’s name. Unfortunately, one of her close friends beat us to the name. Curses!

We entered the front gates and I dropped deeply down a hole of nostalgia. When I was younger, my mom and dad loved taking us to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Now that I am older and have observed other parents, I realize this is a carefully calculated move. Hot tip: if you want to wear you child out, take them here and let them run free. It clearly worked for Sarah!



I think coming back to this spot reconnected Sarah and I with what is fun for us about Disney Parks touring. For us, it is not all about the headline attractions or thrill rides. It is about having a fun experience and escaping from everyday life. When we are at the parks, we can be kids again! I think that is why we can (and regularly do) visit the parks without riding any attractions. There have been times where we visited and watch one show and sat in Animation Hall. That may bore some park tourists, but it is our bliss!

Redwood Creek is a great place to reconnect with that playful side. As an added bonus, there is no queue to run around and play. We just played our lives away! Sarah and I were very happy as we left the parks. We walked slowly as we reconnected with the heart of joyous park touring.

 

[Alex Coleman]

Thanks, Erick!


This is the second installment of our March 2018 Disneyland Trip Report. In Part 1, we headed back for a long day of touring at Disney California Adventure. We fell back in love with Disneyland Resort touring! In Part 2, we headed to Disneyland after work for an evening of touring. Part 2 could not happen without the help of our friend Erick watching our Intentional Dog! In Part 3, we showed up early-ish in the morning for a day full of attractions. We expected to stay much longer, but we ran out of steam in the afternoon. Part 4 covers us staying very, very late. We had never stayed at Disneyland past park closing, but we did it! It was epic! Our last part, Part 5, will cover a short evening trip to California Adventure. Read on and enjoy!

March 14th


Sarah and I always love the idea of going to the Disneyland Resort during the week. The potential of smaller crowds is always appealing! Amazingly, Disney Parks & Resorts has kept park hours incredibly generous. We were used to the days when Disney California Adventure would close at 8pm and Disneyland would close at 10pm. I cannot say definitively, but I think I remember during the week Disneyland would close even earlier! Now it seems like any closing time before midnight is rare for Disneyland.



One of the disadvantages of living in the San Gabriel Valley (north of Disneyland) and one of us working in Orange County (15 minutes from Disneyland) is that we need to coordinate arriving and parking. Sarah had the day off and drove down from our apartment and we met at the Chevron on Ball Road.

Sarah brought me a delicious Passion Tango Iced Tea with Coconut Milk and we drove together to the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure.We found a good parking spot and we took the tram to Downtown Disney. We entered the turnstyles and found our favorite people-watching spot. There is a small porch with a bench on Main Street U.S.A. that Sarah and I have always enjoyed resting on. Sarah went to the bathroom and then picked up some silverware to enjoy our dinner. Hot tip: you can bring food into the parks! If you don’t want to spend money on food at the parks, bring your food with you!



After we were done, we realized how full the park was. That was the moment that my brain clicked to life and I remembered that this was Spring Break for Southern California. It seemed as though every family got the same idea to visit Disneyland on this Wednesday. The carefree, uninterrupted touring would have to wait until… well… forever probably. So crowded nowadays! One day I am going to be old and gray and sitting on my rocker telling my grandkids about how back in my day you used to be able to visit Disneyland. I am so excited for that day!

We joined the mass of humanity and we moved back towards Mickey’s Toon Town. I have a very fond memory from Mickey’s Toon Town. Several years ago we visited during a 24-hour event and it was the most ridiculous night of touring of all time. We were in college at the time so we decided it would be a good idea to show up at 2am. We waited almost 2 hours to get a parking garage and then another hour to get past Main Street. The only attraction we were able to experience was Gadget’s Go Coaster. Like I said, fond memories!

Even though this day was not quite so crowded, we decided to skip waiting 30 minutes for the Go Coaster. I took pictures instead.



After I was done dodging children as their parents anxiously sprinted after them (mad props to the parents who put their children on leashes!), we wandered towards Fantasyland. We passed by the Storybook Land Canal Boats, but I returned because we hadn’t been on this attraction in forever.

I also looked at the Disneyland app and realized that it was the only attraction with a wait shorter than 30 minutes. 30 minutes is about our cap most days - unless we go into the day accepting that we will need to wait if we really want to do anything (the reality for choosing a day like Saturday to tour). We slowly rode along the canals and were greatly entertained by the Cast Member who sang his way through the various stories.



After we were back on dry land, we decided we had seen enough of Disneyland. We walked across the plaza and into California Adventure. Once we entered, we discovered the same problem as at Disneyland. At DCA, however, it was compounded by the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. This meant we redirected our path away from the central hub and towards Hollywood. We ended up in Bug’s Land (RIP soon) and jumped aboard Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train. May Heimlich rest in peace with all the candy corn his little heart desires!



I think we were both so delirious from the joy we experienced aboard the Chew Chew Train that it clouded our better judgment. We decided our next stop would be Radiator Springs Racers. Even though this is a foolish step on a busy day, we decided the Single Rider queue would probably not be the end of us. It was a not a terrible wait and it gave Sarah and I the chance to race against one another. Obviously, she won. To my growing shame, I never win anything at any Disney park.

I think Sarah pitied me because she gave me free reign of the rest of our evening. Normally, she does an amazing job of letting me take pictures. But even the most patient person has their limits. Sarah expanded these limits and allowed me to wander around the park and take picture, after picture, after picture. We were both really happy with the results.





Amazingly, I ran out of steam before Sarah. I was so tired and we were both ready to go home. We headed back to Azusa to relieve my friend Erick of his puppy-sitting duties. Thanks, again, Erick!