Three Months Worth of Planning - Disneyland Trip Report 7/28 - 7/29

[Matrixleos]

My family first visited Disneyland a decade ago but that was a last minute rushed day trip from Los Angeles and we only spent 8 hours in the park. We're WDW veterans and I always wanted to have a "re-do" and considered our late July visit as our first. Since I wanted to be more prepared this time around and didn't know anything about the Disneyland Resorts. I've read every single posts here from mid-April about DLR to prepare for my family's late July visit. Also have watched countless hours of YouTube videos to understand as much as I could about the current state of the parks and how they operate.

I also created a Disneyland Resorts Planning and Information Thread at this link here. In case anyone else might be interested in some of the information I learned the past 3 months of planning I did....

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...d-information-thread-updated-7-12-21.3843617/

My wife and I especially were excited as it's been several years since we have visited a Disney park. Plus this was our first Disney vacation without needing any strollers for any our kids!!! Here's some info on my family...

DH 45 - I'm the Disney\Marvel\Star Wars super fan. I might have drove my family a bit crazy with all the Disneyland YouTube videos I watched!

DW 44 - My wife is also a big Disney fan and her only requirement for this trip was to ride her favorite ride, It's a Small World!

DD 17 - My daughter was my partner in crime, watching a lot of YouTube videos with me and was especially excited to taste all the different foods in the parks!

DS 14 - My older son is more of a huge Marvel fan but we did binge watched all the Star Wars movies two weeks before we left and he became a SW fan too!

DS 12 - My youngest son is a big Marvel and Disney fan too. He's full of energy but a bit worried about heights, so we'll see how he handles some of the rides!


Day 1 - July 28th - Arrival Day/Grand Californian/Downtown Disney!

Flight\Car Rental

We started the day pretty early and woke up at 5am est to eat a quick breakfast and drive to the airport. Our flight was leaving IAD at 8:45am est and arriving at LAX 11:00am pst. Luckily, we avoided some of the Washington DC\Maryland\Virginia traffic that early in the morning and I didn't see traffic forming till a bit after 6am. Once we arrived at IAD, it was pretty smooth sailing through security check point and we got to our gate about an hour early. I can't sleep on planes, so I usually watch a couple of movies and by the time I'm done, we have arrived. Movies I picked on the flight to LA was Ford vs Ferrari and Good Will Hunting (Love this film, must have seen it a dozen times)

The flight landed at LAX a little before 11:00am and we quickly went to Baggage Claim. We mostly all had carry-on luggage's and backpacks but we did check-in one large bag. Fortunately, our checked luggage was the 3rd one out and quickly grabbed it and we headed outside to catch the Rental Car buses. From past experience, I know some of these buses can take 20-30 minutes if you just miss boarding it. Luckily, the bus for our rental car company just pulled up just as we arrived. I had reserved a 7 passenger mini-van for a one way trip to Anaheim. Glad we went with a 7 passenger rental, between all the kids having their own space and all our luggage, it was a comfortable ride.

By the time we picked up the rental car and left, we were making great time as it just turned 12 noon.

1st stop - Raffi's Place, Glendale, CA
We drove 30 minutes from LAX to Glendale to eat lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in the LA metro area, Raffi's Place. If you're a fan of middle eastern food, grilled meats and kebobs, then you won't find a better location. The food never disappoints and this has always been a MUST DO location for my family every time we visit the area.

2nd stop - Ralph's Grocery Store, Glendale, CA
Several great local grocery stores to select from. We've visited Jons and Ralph's several times each but slightly prefer Ralph's a bit better for overall selection of items. We stocked up on water to take to the hotel, snacks, drinks and other incidentals we might need during our week long trip.

3rd stop - Porto's Bakery and Café, Buena Park, CA
Amazing bakery that I highly recommend a visit too if you have some break time between Park Days. They have several locations in Southern California but the one we went to was in Buena Park, CA. This location is just a 10 minute drive to Disneyland and is very near Knott's Berry Farm. They have tons of great pastries, desserts and Cuban based sandwiches.

4th stop - Tropicana Inn & Suites, Anaheim, CA
Finally arrived at the Tropicana a little after 4pm. We did our Check-In for our 4 day/3 nights stay. Dropped off my wife and two kids at the hotel room, along with all of our luggage. DS14 and I then went to return our car rental, as we wouldn't need it while at the parks.

Final stop - Enterprise on Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA
At first glance, DS14 and I were planning to walk 2 miles from Enterprise back to the Tropicana. The drive on Harbor was great and very scenic. Although the further and further we went, we decided to skip the walk. Great thing about Enterprise, is they offer free pick up and drop off. So after we dropped off the rental, we scheduled a drop off and within a few minutes, we had someone drive us back to the Tropicana.

Disney's Grand Californian\Craftsman Bar and Grill

By the time we were dropped off back at the Tropicana, it was 5pm and we had a reservation at the Craftsman Bar at 7pm. So we decided to walk over early and explore the hotel. We perfectly caught the traffic light as it just turned green and it literally took us less than 5 minutes to leave the Tropicana, walk through security check point and to the Esplanade. I just love the Disneyland Esplanade, hearing all those classic Disney Theme songs, turning right to look at Disneyland and then turning to the left to see the Disney California Adventure Park entrance, it's just perfect!

Downtown Disney is just so much fun. It's not as massive as Disney Springs in Florida but they've beautifully did an great job at theming and everything felt so compact and close by. By watching YouTube videos, I exactly knew where the entrance to the Grand Californian was. Although I can understand how people who are new to the area can totally miss the entrance, if they're not looking at the right area. Saw a few people asking for directions and I helped a few people out with the location, without even visiting the hotel yet. LOL

The Grand it self was absolutely stunning! Loved the whole design and feel to it. First thing I did was stop by Guest Services and asked it they had any Disney buttons, as I didn't want to waste any time in the Park the next day searching for buttons near Disneyland's City Hall. The Cast Member at Guest Services said they do and if we're celebrating any special occasions. It was going to be my 45th birthday on July 29th and my wife and mine 20th wedding anniversary, so he got those out. I do have to give this CM much props, he was amazing and personally customized our button's with a sharpie. Just as we were going to walk away, he said to hold on, as he didn't want our kids to leave without a button. He didn't have anymore at Guest Services but he returned about a minute later and had one for each of our kids.

My favorite part of the lobby was the massive fireplace and no one was there, so we sat there for a few minutes. It was so much fun enjoying the rocking chairs near the fireplace and hearing the piano player performing Disney classics (my favorite was the Star Wars theme). Another great touch, as we were walking around the lobby, the piano player saw my birthday button and started playing the Happy Birthday song, which was a nice surprise. Overall the CMs at the Grand were all amazing and took time out to wish us a Happy Anniversary and Birthday to me.

Next we walked into the lobby Disney Store and started looking for souvenirs. I saw a lady looking at a throw pillow with a Disney Castle and the word HOME on it and knew my wife would love it but there was only one left on the shelf and it was in her hands. I started looking at other items but then out of the corner of my eye, I saw her put it back on the self. I then went and picked it up and showed it to my wife who loved it and I went to pay for it. This lady then commented "I was going to get that" which I then responded "It was on the self". This lady then asked the CM at the register if they had any more in stock, which the CM then said it was a very popular item and they don't have it in stock anymore. I could see this lady turning beet red and staring at me, which I then smiled and wished her a "Have a Great Day!" God help me, I don't know why I took so much pleasure out of that!

By this time it was 6:30pm and we decided to check out the Craftsman Grill and pool area. We asked the receptionist Craftsman Bar if we could check-in a bit early for our 7pm reservation and she said they will have a table ready for us right in front of the pool and shaded umbrella in about 5 minutes as another family of 5 was leaving. BTW, if interested in eating here, make a reservation. Saw about three families ask for stand-by wait to eat there, only to be told by the CM that they are fully booked with reservations only.

The menu at the Craftsman Bar had a ton of great options. We decided to go with the Cali Sliders and Margherita Pizza. Personally, the pizza was average at best. Maybe that's my growing up in NY\NJ pizza bias but wasn't a fan of the flavor of the sauce or cheese. The basil and fire roasted tomatoes were good, with the only other saving grace was the crispness and flavor of the crust. Overall I'd give the Margherita Pizza a 4/10. On the flipside, those Cali Sliders were on FIRE! Loved Them! The burger was seasoned perfectly, loved the overall flavor from the spiced hollandaise sauce and the pickled veggies were a great compliment. I would have easily have ordered another if anyone in my family would have shared them with me but they all were stuffed. Overall I'd give the Cali Sliders an easy 10 out of 10! Also the CM who was serving our table was amazing and surprised me with a birthday cupcake which I cut up into pieces and shared with the family. We all enjoyed it, very good flavor.

To wrap up the Grand Californian, we absolutely loved it. The look and vibe of the hotel is perfect and the Cast Members who work there, show a lot of attention to detail to all the guests who visit there. For this vacation, we just wanted a close by hotel to just sleep in, since most of our time would be in the parks. Although I can fully understand people who would pay more to stay here and be pampered. I love visiting and hotel hopping at WDW and the Grand Californian is right up there with any of the ones I visited\stayed at the WDW hotels.

Downtown Disney\Disneyland Hotel

Our next stop was to keep exploring DTD and also check out the Disneyland Hotel. I know how busy and packed DTD and the Esplanade would get after the Disneyland 9pm fireworks, so the goal was the finish up and be back at the Tropicana before 9pm. Visited several shops and really enjoyed DTD but the kids favorite was the Lego Store. The Beauty and the Beast, along with the Aladdin Lego displays were stunning. I was a fan of the Darth Vader Lego display on the 2nd floor. Great attention to detail and we had fun guessing how long I'd take us to complete one of those sets. BTW, so glad my kids have outgrown the Lego stage, no fun when they were kids to walk in my living room late at night and step on the sharp corner of one of the Lego pieces they'd leave behind!!!

Right around 8pm, we got to the Disneyland Hotel. Very fun and family friendly hotel. Wife and I loved the rose garden and all the different plant and tree arrangements around the hotel grounds. Fun to grab a drink at Trader Sam's and have to stay the theming is perfect, especially those lit tiki torches late at night. DS12 enjoyed jumping into and playing around a classic Autopia car in one of the Tower's lobby. Also saw the Steakhouse 55 location, too bad they closed it, would have loved to give it a try.

Overall, really enjoyed visiting the Disneyland Hotel, especially from the Disney historical aspect. Great family style hotel, especially with very cool pool area's. Who doesn't love monorail themed pool slides!

We were able to get back to DTD around 8:45pm and it was starting to get packed. We quickly made a bee line out and got back to the Tropicana around 8:57pm. Before we wrapped up the night, we decided to go to the 3rd floor (The Cove side, opposite the lobby) of the Tropicana and see if we would be able to see the 9pm Disneyland Fireworks. To my surprise, we had perfect views of the fireworks, which were a perfect ending to the night.

 

[smartlabelprint]

What was the cost of your car rental?

The pillow story! Next time you could check the Disney home store in DTD. But if the CM didn’t make that suggestion it’s probable they were sold out.

 

[Matrixleos]

What was the cost of your car rental?

The pillow story! Next time you could check the Disney home store in DTD. But if the CM didn’t make that suggestion it’s probable they were sold out.

Initially we were going to go with a car service and go straight to Disneyland from LAX. Although the more we thought about it, we wanted to have more time flexibility to make multiple stops.

As for the one way car rental, we wanted a 7 passenger mini-van to be a little more comfortable and to have space for our luggages. So it cost us $92.75 but if you wanted to go with a 4 door sedan, Enterprise quoted us $75 from LAX to the Harbor Enterprise location (2 miles from DLR Harbor entrance).

As for the Disney Home store, trust me, we made a long stop there as my wife loves that kind of store. Even though my kids and I were bored but Happy Wife equals Happy Life!

 

[colormegreen]

Your pillow story made me laugh. Rule one while shopping is never place anything back on the shelf if it is the last one and are unsure you are getting it, especially at Disney. Well, my rule one anyway.

 

[Matrixleos]

Day 2 - July 29th - Disneyland from park open to park close!

Park Strategy

We had two full days in the parks, so we decided to do Thursday July 29th (My Birthday!) at Disneyland and Friday July 30th at DCA. Since we only had one day at Disneyland, I knew we had to narrow down some options to see as much as we could. We've done Tom Sawyer Island and the Enchanted Tiki Room in a previous visit 11 years ago, so we decided to cut them out. Majority of my family also had no interest in the Matterhorn or Space Mountain, so I had to cut those out too. Then it came down to, where did we want to start our day?

For a few months, the plan was always set to start our day in Fantasyland at park open and knock out as many rides as possible during that first hour. Although I wanted to be flexible enough that if we were in the front few rows at Adventureland, that I'd pivot our start to Indiana Jones and focus on the left side of the park. Which might sacrifice some of those Fantasyland rides if their wait times got too long later on. My goal was always to be flexible and be able to adjust ride wise as the day rolled through.

Morning Routine\Security Checkpoint\Park Opening

Woke up at 5:30am (still was on East Coast time being 8:30am) and started to get my backpack ready with supplies. Family woke around 6am and we started to get ready. We ate a quick breakfast in our room from some of the items we picked up from the grocery store and from the baked goods from Porto's Bakery. We then relaxed in the air conditioned hotel room until after the 7am Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group drop. I figured that would be better than waiting in the security line, especially since they were doing rope drop and there wasn't really that much of an advantage in showing up real early.

All five of us were going to try to get boarding group, as I downloaded the Disneyland app and logged in with my account on all their phones. We even did a practice run while we were home and watched a YouTube video on the process, so we were well prepared. At 6:57am, I turned on the World Clock/Atomic Clock app and I let everyone know to get to the Virtual Queues page in the app, click Join Boarding Group button and click on the Disneyland tab. We were going with the Refresh Method which I then started to count down the final 5 seconds till it got to 6:59:59am and DS14 was able to secure Boarding Group 16 for us with his quick video game reflexes.

We got ready and left our room at the Tropicana around 7:05am, crossed the traffic light at Harbor and were in the security line at 7:11am. Glad we arrived when we did, as the security line started to move at 7:15am and we got through to the Esplanade and quickly started moving towards the left lanes which had less people there. The first 3 lanes hardly had anyone there and by the time we got there, we luckily were the 4th family in line at Lane 3. This was the time that we found out that Disneyland announced that they were going to require people to wear masks indoors starting on July 30th. We're all fully vaccinated and extremely happy we didn't have to wear masks on our Disneyland day but not looking forward to wearing masks at DCA the following day.

Cool thing before the Ticket Gates opened at 7:30am, there was a countdown which kind of felt like New Years Eve. With everyone there counting down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and the ticket gates were open and people started walking into the park. It was funny watching people run but we briskly walked.

First Stop every time I'm in Disneyland, is Walt's Fire Engine. I then explained to my family, that Walt's office was upstairs and to let people in the park know he was there, he would leave the light on in front of the 2nd floor widow. Since he passed, that light is always on. I just love Disneyland History and my first stop of the day and last stop before I leave the park has always been going to the Fire Engine and to ring the fire bell. It's just a nice little nod I do to honor Walt's memory.

As we briskly walk down main street, the rope drop at Fantasyland is absolutely PACKED, so time to pivot. I look over at Adventureland and still see space there. We go forward from the right side, where there is still space open and walk forward. At 8:37am, we finally get near the front of Adventureland and we are 4 row of peoples from the front. First stop...…Indiana Jones!!!

Attractions\Rides\Wait Times

I wanted this Trip Report to help people plan their days. So I knew I wanted to track the wait times for each attraction we went on, along with the actual time it took. Although how to best keep track of "actual time" an attraction took to complete? Do you keep track of how long the line was, how long the ride was or when you exited the ride?

Actual Times listed below are exactly the time when we first entered the ride que to exactly when we left the exit of that attraction. I figured this would be the best way to keep track of how long it took to complete them. Here's a breakdown below....

1) Indiana Jones Adventure (Listed Time: 10 minutes\Actual Time: 15 minutes) - Man O' Man, that funnel of people into a small entrance was entertaining to see. As people pushed, ran and tried to squeeze between people to get into line earlier. We got to the entrance at 8:03am and after about 50 feet the line started to stabilize and overall so happy we decided to do this ride first, as the line never really stopped moving. Plus when we exited the ride at 8:18am, the listed time was 50 minutes!!! Overall, such an AMAZING ride, we loved it. We just looked at each other and said this would be a hard ride to top and were looking forward to see where we'd eventually rank the ride once we left Disney.

Next up was originally going to be Pirates but when I looked at the app, it surprisingly jumped to 30 minutes. Time to pivot and go to Frontierland where BTMRR was listed at a 5 minute wait. (That's the key thing here, have a plan in place but be flexible enough to adjust plans as the day goes along.)

2) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Listed Time: 5 minutes\Actual Time: 5 minutes) - My wife and I really love this ride and it was great timing as it was almost a walk on. We entered the entrance at 8:21am and didn't stop moving in line till be got boarded on the train. Love this ride and I remembered to do the "Goat Trick" which was fun. Overall, loved the ride so much, we made the unanimous decision to go back to back on this ride, especially since the wait times were so low!

3) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Listed Time: 10 minutes\Actual Time: 9 minutes) - Still a very low wait time but we could tell more people were in line ahead of us. We mostly didn't stop walking in line till we got to the front and waited for 2 trains to fill up before it was our turn. First go around, there was no waiting for a train and we walked straight on. Told the kids about the "Goat Trick" and it was fun again. We left the exit at 8:35am and overall we did the ride twice in 14 minutes!

Checked Disneyland app again and Pirates was now at 40 minutes, what was going on? Checking the app the previous weeks, Pirates has always been in the 10-15 minute range before 9am. Plus since our Boarding Group was called of Rise of the Resistance, we decide to pivot again and go to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge from the Frontierland walkway to ride the Millennium Falcon.

4) Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Listed Time: 15 minutes\Actual Time: 17 minutes) - We got to the entrance at 8:38am and we were in awe of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge! Such detailed and amazing theming, we fell in love with the place. Great thing about MFSR is that it's a perfect ride for a family of 5 and we all can ride together. My wife and I were the pilots, my two sons were the gunners and my daughter who didn't want any responsibility volunteered to be an engineer. Loved the theming on the ride and extremely fun to walk through as a Star Wars fan. We wrapped up the attraction and left the exit at 8:55am. Overall, we all enjoyed it but we all kind of agreed that not sure how much we'd be willing to ride it again in the future. Re-rideability factor was not too high but we did enjoy riding it once.

 

[Matrixleos]

At this time, we check on Pirates one more time on the app and now it said the line was 45 minutes. I wanted to check out the line, so we walked from the side street from SWGE, around Hungry Bear, to where the tabled umbrellas are in front of New Orleans Square to avoid the foot traffic on the pathways.

Not sure what was going on at Pirates but the line was massive. It was well past where the entrance was and was lined up down the path to where River Belle Terrace was. They also had staff working on the outside roped off extended que line to the right of the ride entrance. My only guess was since the "Indoor Mask Mandate" was going to start the next day, they might have been preparing the outdoor extended que just in case???

Either way, time to pivot again and saw that Winnie the Pooh was just 5 minutes and Splash was at 35 minutes, so off to Critter Country....

5) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Listed Time: 5 minutes\Actual Time: 6 minutes) - Love this ride as a WDW vet and heard about the differences here at Disneyland and wanted to check them out. We entered the entrance at 9:04am and I have to say, I really loved the outdoor theming so much. Just so much details to go over, that I walked a bit slower to see everything, if I walked a bit faster, this ride would have been a walk-on. Overall, we loved this ride and prefer this version to the WDW version due to the outdoor theming! Walked out the attraction exit at 9:10am.

Splash Mountain was supposed to be next but the wait time ballooned up to 45 minutes and didn't want to waste time on a long ride, that early in the morning. Still wanted to take advantage of the relative low wait times on other rides first. So off to Haunted Mansion....

6) Haunted Mansion (Listed Time: 13 minutes\Actual Time: 18 minutes) - We were so excited to see the 13 minutes at the entrance to Haunted Mansion, which usually means it's a walk-on or short wait. So we walked in at 9:12am and were excited to ride one of the Disney classics again. This whole day, I was still wearing the Happy Birthday pin that I got from the Grand Californian the day before. Which was a cool experience since most every Cast Member and several other guests that we encountered, all wished me a Happy Birthday. Although my favorite by far was the ride Cast Member near the mansion, who in a deep\slow\low\creepy voice sang the Happy Birthday Song. LOL....that was fun. Overall what else more to say about this ride, Disneyland classic, we loved it! Exited the attraction at 9:30am.

While waiting on line for the Haunted Mansion, we put in our Mobile Orders for lunch at the Hungry Bear at 12pm noon and Mickey-shaped Beignets at the Mint Julep Bar for 6:45pm (since we had dinner reservations for Café Orleans at 7pm and wanted Beignets for dessert).

At this time, we sat at one of the shaded tables near New Orleans Square, in front of Rivers of America. This was a good time to take a break and rest for a bit in the shade, drink water and eat some snacks that we had packed. We thought about going to our Boarding Group at Rise of the Resistance but I saw the line for Pirates was shorter now, right near the entrance. I knew it would be a long wait but figured let's give it a shot.

7) Pirates of the Caribbean (Listed Time: 35 minutes\Actual Time: 29 minutes) - We entered the line at 9:44am and it actually wasn't that bad. Really no standing around and the line moved steadily till we got on our boat. As WDW vet, Pirates has always been one of my favorites and I always make it a point to try to ride it at least once a visit. Overall, the Disneyland version is far superior experience and loved every second of it. Must have been humming the whole theme song throughout the ride, love it! We exited the ride at 10:13am.

At this time, I recommended to my family, it might be best to head to Fantasyland to knock out some of their rides with low wait times before the 11am-12pm rush of people in that area. Although my kids preferred to explore Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and finally go on Rise of the Resistance.

We also took some time to head near the Star Wars Market area and refill all our water bottles and take a much needed water break.

8) Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Listed Time: Virtual Que\Actual Time: 35 minutes) - We walked through the entrance at 10:28am. So glad we finally chose to go on this, as the weather was getting a lot hotter and we relatively had short wait in the outdoor que. As we basically just walked on while only waiting just 5 minutes in the outdoor que. I don't want to give any spoilers. This attraction\ride experience is just ridiculous! Interaction with Cast Members are amazing and they really do add a lot to the overall experience and I give them a ton of credit. Overall, we all looked at each other with wonder and we said this now was easily our favorite attraction\ride out of ANY theme park we have visited! Totally worth the time spent at the attraction and we left at 11:03am

We next decided to take a break from rides and explored the Star Wars Market area in a bit more detail and explore the stores. Much props to all the Disney Imagineers when they developed and designed the Market area. Those overhead canopy's to offer much needed shade from the sun was much appreciated at the temperatures were now soaring to the high 80's\low 90's range. Just so much detail in everything that we loved exploring all the little shops.

Docking Bay 7\Hungry Bear Lunch

We started to get a bit Hungry like a Bear (sorry for that pun...LOL) but before we left, we wanted to try the Cold Brew Black Caf which had cold brew coffee, sweet cream cheese and Coco Puffs from Docking Day 7. I was going to do a Mobile Order for the drinks but saw a fairly large group of people waiting for their mobile orders. Then when I walked to the stand-by line on the right side, there were only a few people on line, so I went with the stand-by line to place a couple of drink orders. I highly recommend this new drink to anyone that visits, as it really hit the spot! The cold brew coffee is a little bitter tasting but you have to mix the sweet cream cheese before you drink it, which makes all the difference. Overall, we gave this a 8 out of 10 and really enjoyed it. FYI, a little tip, ask for the drink without ice, as it was hard to fish out all the Coco Puffs once you finished the drink. I'd be so much easier without ice and the drink was already cold enough, that the ice really isn't needed.

As we walked from SWGE to Hungry Bear, I clicked on the "We're Here" button on our Mobile Order. As we waited for the alert that our food was ready, we looked for a table in the shade. From research, the best tables in my opinion, are the ones toward the left side and against the railing on the right. These tables are perfectly shaded from the sun and you'll have amazing views of both the Disneyland Railroad passing by and also all the boats that pass by on the Rivers of America. Unlike Docking Bay 7, I was glad we placed Mobile Orders fairly early, as the Stand-by lines at Hungry Bear close to 12pm noon were massive. While the Mobile Order windows were very easy. I got the alert the food was ready about 5 minutes after sitting down and was able to walk right up to the Mobile Order window to pick up the food without waiting on line. DD17 and I both got the Honey-Spiced Chicken Sandwich, DS14 got the Classic Cheeseburger, DS12 got the Kids' Meal with a Hamburger, french fries, mac n chesse with a fountain drink. My wife also ordered the BBQ Chicken Salad. The french fries that came with all the sandwiches was pretty basic, nothing special about them. Wish they offered Onion Rings or Waffle Fries but unfortunately, they're not on the menu after the Covid-19 reopening. Although that Honey-Spiced Chicken sandwich was spectacular! I love Spicey Chicken sandwiches and get them from any restaurant I visit. I have to say, this might be the best one I've ever had, it was that good! Overall, the Spicey Chicken is 10 out of 10! The Cheese Burger was very good too and we gave it a 8/10. It was very flavorful, juicy and not over cooked (was worried about that, as most theme parks over cook the burgers). As for the BBQ Chicken Salad, we'd give it a 7/10, real solid choice. Flavor of the chicken was good, just wished it was seasoned a bit more. Not sure if possible but if anyone that goes in the future, try to do a food hack and ask for the Honey-Spiced Chicken instead of the BBQ Chicken in the salad!

9) Splash Mountain (Listed Time: 85 minutes\Actual Time: 43 minutes Single Rider Line) - The Stand-by line grew to a massive 85 minutes by now. Our only hope for a shorter wait, was to give the Single Rider line a go. I asked who wanted to go and my DD17 and DS12, along with my wife were not interested in getting wet. So my DS14 and I ate quickly and were going to go on the Single Rider Line, while the rest of the family was finishing up their lunch at a slower pace. We entered the Single Rider line at 12:17pm but didn't leave the exit till 1:00pm. We weren't happy with the 43 minute wait in Single Rider but looking at the app, the Stand-by grew over 90 minutes, so overall happy that we got to cut down that wait time by half. Long part of the wait, was waiting for the Cast Member in charge of the Single Rider line to allow us to enter through the exit of the ride. We were held at the exit for about 20 minutes, before the cast member allowed us in and we went through the Single Rider line. Once there, it went a bit quicker and my son and I went on back to back logs. Overall, very fun to experience this ride one more time the way it was before they do the planned Princess and the Frog overlay.

Next up, we had an Oga's reservation at 12:45pm but with the long delay at the Splash Mountain Single Rider Line, we decided to head there quickly and picked up the rest of our family from Hungry Bear and headed straight over.

Oga's Cantina

When we got to Oga's, I checked in with the Cast Member and explained that we had a 12:45pm reservation but got stuck in a long que at Splash Mountain. The very nice Cast Member said no worries, that guests with reservations are guaranteed booths to sit down at. While Stand-by line guests mostly just stand at the tables. She scanned my reservation and told us to wait to the left side of the doors. Luckily, she didn't make us wait on the Stand-by line to enter Oga's for being late, as that wrapped all the way down the side of the next building. After a 10 minute wait, we were seated to our empty booth and we mostly had that booth all to ourselves outside of another group being placed 5 minutes before we left. Our kids enjoyed the atmosphere and vibe and I think my wife and I enjoyed getting out of the summer heat and enjoyed the air conditioning. I then pointed out to my DS14 how much the bar area looked exactly like the bar area from the original Star Wars movie we recently saw a few weeks ago.

My wife and I aren't big drinkers and we mostly wanted to treat the kids. DD17 and DS14 were looking forward to trying the Blue Bantha (Blue Milk and Cookies) and my DS12 ordered the Hyperdrive (He already was a fan of blue Powerade and Sprite). Overall, the kids enjoyed the experience at Oga's and their drinks, so that's all I cared about. Personally, the blue milk was interesting and hard to describe the flavor. Best comparison is if you've ever drank the ant-acid\ant-gas liquid "Mylanta", very similar to that flavor!!! LOL

After a great rest period and full stomachs, it's time to go on more rides! We finally leave SWGE and take the Frontierland path to Fantasyland. The only Fantasyland ride below 20 minutes was Pinocchio, so we chose that as our next stop.

10) Pinocchio's Daring Journey (Listed Time: 15 minutes\Actual Time: 22 minutes) - We arrived at the entrance at 2:12pm and I could tell there was a bit of a line outside and would most likely take a bit more than the listed 15 minutes. Overall Pinocchio was a fun ride and we left the exit at 2:34pm.

We checked the Disneyland app again and most all the other Fantasyland rides were at 30-45+ minutes at that time. So we decided to do the castle walkthrough, which was fun.

11) Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (Listed Time: Self Guided\Actual Time: 5 minutes) - Really enjoyed the re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story and wondered why WDW didn't have something similar in their castle? It wasn't crowded, so we took our time going through it and overall enjoyed the experience.

At this time, I told my family, the lines at Fantasyland won't get any better and might be time to rip off the band-aid and just wait on the lines for Snow White, Peter Pan, Alice, Mr. Toad and Storybook. My wife though, whose been VERY patient with my schedule so far, had enough. She said she didn't care for any of those rides and wanted to FINALLY go on her favorite ride, It's a Small World. We asked the kids if they cared for any of the other Fantasyland rides and they didn't, so off to Small World we go...

12) It's a Small World (Listed Time: 30 minutes\Actual Time: 28 minutes) - We took a few picture in front of It's a Small World and entered the que at 2:42pm. With the sun blazing with the mid-afternoon heat and the large outdoor que, this was the first time we took out our SPF 50+ Sun Umbrella's. We had all three of them open, as 2 people can fit under one and it was a blessing to be in shade under that summer sun. Another benefit to the umbrella's was having a bit of space to ourselves. As before we took them out, the people behind us were WAY too close and crowding us. With my umbrella over my shoulder and my big backpack, it created solid spacing for the entire wait on line. Overall, very fun ride, my wife LOVED it. I enjoyed spotting all the different Disney characters and easter eggs hidden on the ride, which made for a much better version than the one at WDW.....It's funny how often I've been saying that comparing the similar rides at both parks. We exited the ride at 3:10pm

 

[Matrixleos]

My plan from the start was once we completed It's a Small World, to head on over to Micky's Toontown. As we have never done any of the rides there. Also we wanted to see some of the Disney characters and knew they would be there at Mickey and Minnie's houses, Donald's boat and Chip 'n Dale treehouse. Plus as hot as it was outside, I knew the entire ride que for Roger Rabbit was all air conditioned, so that was another planned break in the day to escape the heat.

13) Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin (Listed Time: 30 minutes\Actual Time: 45 minutes\Ride Delay: 20 minutes) - We entered the attraction at 3:15pm and were pretty excited to see how this ride was. I've seen this movie at least a dozen times but haven't seen it in over 30+ years, so I'd be cool to see how much I'd remember from the main storyline. Good thing there were a couple of guys in front of us who were Roger Rabbit Super Fans. They had ridden the attraction a hundred times and seen the movie just as many. While on line, they filled in the blanks of the storyline I was having a hard time remembering. About 20 minutes in, we were near the front and close to turn the corner to get on the ride vehicles. Unfortunately, that's when the ride went down and they made an announcement over the loud speakers "We are having technical difficulties and currently working on it. We are not sure when it will be resolved." At that time, I saw a good amount of families turn around and leave the attraction and my wife ask me if we should do the same? Honestly, the indoor que was air conditioned and I had no intention of leaving. Plus tracking the ride on the Disneyland app for a few weeks, when the ride went down, it was quickly back up. Even the guys in front of us who have been on this ride hundreds of times said not to leave, they usually return back to operational pretty quickly. So we used the ride delay to stay cool in the AC, drink water and get a few snacks like granola bars. About 15 minutes into the delay, the indoor que went dark for about a minute but the lights quickly came back and the ride was operational in a few minutes after that. Guessing they did a hard reboot of the ride system? So the actual time of this ride was 45 minutes, it actually was only 25 minutes. With 20 minutes of it as a ride delay but I'm not complaining because we were in the air conditioning the whole time. Overall fun ride, great theming throughout and really enjoyed it. We exited the attraction at 4:00pm

Next was some character pictures. We saw Chip and Dale for about a few minutes before they left to take a break. As we walked through Toontown, we saw Donald just come out. It was also cool to see some of the construction going on, as they're building the new attraction, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. We walked over to Mickey and Minnie's houses and we briefly saw them for a few minutes before they left. We checked the Disneyland app and saw Gadget's Go Coaster was at 15 minutes, so that was our next stop.

14) Gadget's Go Coaster (Listed Time: 15 minutes\Actual Time: 15 minutes) - This was the one ride that I didn't do too much research on. All I knew it was a little kids ride and that was about all I needed to know. I enjoyed going on little kids coaster when my kids were much younger and figured with the short wait, let's take a look at what this ride offered. Honestly, I might be showing my age here but when I first heard the name of this ride as Gadget's Go Coaster, I thought it might be themed after that old cartoon, Inspector Gadget from the 80's. After all, the theme song of the cartoon was "Go Gadget Go", which I thought was the inspiration for the name of this attraction. LOL

At this time, my wife and DD17 decided to take a break and look around Toontown, so DS14, DS12 and I went on the line at 4:05pm. The sun was still blazing and tried to take out the umbrella's again but the line's narrow walkways made it difficult to have it out too much. So I put away the umbrella and took out my rechargeable fan, that had water mist function on it. The fan helped a little bit and DS12 really enjoyed it. Overall, not a fan of this ride and wished we did something else instead. As I mentioned before, I'm fine with a little kid coaster, just was disappointed on how short the ride time felt for the wait we did. The ride literally was over in 30-45 seconds. We exited the attraction at 4:20pm

Next as we exited Toontown, plan was to ride the Disneyland Railroad. Listed time at the Toontown Railroad stop was 50 minutes, so we passed. We've done the railroad 11 years ago and have done similar type railroad rides many times at other theme parks too. We next decided since we had dinner reservations at Café Orleans at 7pm, we had about 2 hours to explore and do rides. At this time my wife decided to take a break from rides and go explore the shops a bit more. So I asked the kids where they would like to go next either at Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. Kids easily selected Tomorrowland, so off we go...

15) Autopia (Listed Time: 15 minutes\Actual Time: 40 minutes) - We entered the attraction at 4:30pm. This was the one ride we went on that the listed time was WAY off on the actual time. When I saw the line, I knew it would take awhile but the kids really wanted to do this ride, so I was good with it. The wait time really wasn't that bad. We talked about all the rides we've done, which was our favorites so far and which rides to do next. We also saw Stitch from the distance and he was waving at all of us on line at Autopia. As we got in our cars, DD17 and DS14 rode cars back to back on one row and DS12 and I rode back to back cars in another road. I knew DS12 would have issues steering and I didn't want anyone bumping into him, so I covered his back. Fun part, at some point, even though we were on different lines, all my kids and I were right next to each other which was fun seeing their reactions before I lines split off to different sections of the track. Overall, it's a Disneyland classic and we really liked it and would do it again if it had shorter lines. We exited the attraction at 5:10pm

We then had a discussion if anyone of the kids was interested in Space Mountain. I figured I'd be close to the same amount of wait time to either do Space Mountain or do Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear. None of the kids were fans of the idea of a dark roller coaster, so Star Tours was next...

16) Star Tours - The Adventures Continues (Listed Time: 20 minutes\Actual Time: 20 minutes) - We entered at 5:21pm and great to see R2D2 and CP3O again! As WDW vets, we love this ride and have ridden it a multitude of times. As such, we were pleasantly surprise to see a newer ride sequence and loved it. Overall, loved this ride and all the different ride sequences. If we weren't in a time crunch, I would have loved to ride this attraction again. We exited the attraction at 5:41pm

17) Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Listed Time: 20 minutes\Actual Time: 17 minutes) - Being so close to Star Tours, we were able to walk onto Buzz within a minute walk from Star Tours at 5:42pm. We've taken the kids on this ride many times since they were toddlers at WDW and it's always been a fun ride for us to do as a family. Overall, we really enjoyed it but I think this ride needs a refurbishment in the worst way. It hasn't aged to well in my opinion. Exited the attraction at 5:59pm.

At this time, we go meet up with my wife and we need to walk to New Orleans Square for our 7pm dinner reservation to Café Orleans. I look at the Disneyland app to see if there are any short wait times for rides on our walk over from Tomorrowland. Luckily, we see Big Thunder is only at 15 minutes. So off to Frontierland again...

18) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Listed Time: 15 minutes\Actual Time: 14 minutes) - We entered the attraction at 6:15pm and saw the lines were a bit longer than when we did this attraction back to back this morning. Overall, it was a quick wait and the line always kept moving. Reminded the kids about the "Goat Trick" again and it was a fun way to lead us into our dinner reservation. We left the attraction at 6:29pm

Café Orleans\Mint Julep Bar

Around this time, I went to my Mobile Order for the six Mickey-shaped Beignets and clicked on the button "We're Here". We then walked from Frontierland to New Orleans Square. As we get there, I see the entrance to the New Orleans Square Disney Railroad and checked the time real quick to see if we had time for a quick trip. Unfortunately, still was listed at 45 minutes. I need to remember on a future visit, to do it earlier in the day with shorter wait times.

Next up was a stop at the Mint Julep Bar's Mobile Order pickup window. I let them know my number and they quickly gave me two paper bags. I figured they had 3 Mickey shaped Beignets each but surprised to see they each had 6 and had a total of 12 Beignets for the price of 6! So I just caulked that up to getting lucky with a little pixie dust while at Disneyland.

Now onto checking in to our 7pm reservation at Café Orleans. I spoke with the Cast Members at 6:50pm and asked if an indoor table would be available, as we wanted to be a bit more comfortable in air conditioning. They asked us to take a seat at the benches in front of the restaurant. About 5 minutes later, our table was ready. We got a couple of drinks and I wanted to try the famous New Orleans Mint Julep. We also were ready to order, as DD16, my wife and I all got the Monte Cristo Sandwiches with Pommes Frittes. DS14 got the Three-Cheese Monte Cristo with Pommes Frittes. DS12 got Mickey's Cheesy Macaroni.

Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner here. The New Orleans Mint Julep was great and loved that Café Orleans offered free refills, so we took advantage of that. Loved the mint and lime favor but I have to say by the time of my 3rd refill, I had this weird mint\lime lingering after effect with each sip that I didn't like and caused me to stop drinking it. I'd give that drink a 8/10 and would have been higher if not for that weird lingering taste I had after drinking a few of them. Monte Cristo sandwiches were really good but even better when dipped into the Berry Puree. Tried a bite of the Three Cheese Monte Cristo and it was very solid too but preferred the Ham\Turkey of the original. I'd give the Monte Cristo 8/10 and the Three Cheese a 7/10. The parmesan-garlic flavored Pommes Frites were very good too. I enjoyed dipping them in the Cajun-spiced Remoulade but I actually preferred dipping the frites into the Berry Puree more. Personally, I'd order an extra Berry Puree, it really complimented whatever we paired it with. I'd give the Pommes Frites a 8/10 also but 9/10 when paired with the Berry Puree. We finally ate the Mickey shaped Beignets for dessert and we loved them. At one time, I believe they were offered at Cafe Orleans but not anymore, so make sure to pick them up at the Mint Julep Bar if you want them for dessert. We ate one bag with 6 Beignets at the restaurant and took the second bag back to our hotel to enjoy the following day. We gave the Beignets a 10/10!

We left the restaurant at around 7:50pm and I asked everyone that we have 2 hours left till park closes and who wanted to close out the park? My wife, DD17 and DS12 said they were tired and wanted to return back to the hotel. DS14 and I were going to close out the park but I told him let's walk with the family back to the hotel, drop off our heavy backpacks and refill our water bottles before we close out the park. I knew we had to be back before the 9pm Fireworks, as it would be very difficult to move on Main Street with the Fireworks going on.

So around 8:00pm-8:15pm, we took some family pictures with the castle and Walt's\Mickey's statue and then started slowly to head out. The great thing about the Tropicana, is that it's so close. We were able to walk the family back, drop off backpacks, refill water bottles and be back through security check point and park entrance by 8:35pm.

I asked DS14 how he wanted to close out the day in the last hour or so. He said he really wanted to ride the Jungle Cruise. Which worked out perfectly, as we loved Indiana Jones and wanted to do that again too. So we're off to Adventureland...

 

[CandyMouse]

Sounds like a great first day, looking forward to hearing more. I love all the details of ride times, my family and I will be going in November and this really helps a lot! I'm glad you got the boarding group, that's the thing I'm a little worried about!

 

[LovesTimone]

12) It's a Small World (Listed Time: 30 minutes\Actual Time: 28 minutes) - We took a few picture in front of It's a Small World and entered the que at 2:42pm. With the sun blazing with the mid-afternoon heat and the large outdoor que, this was the first time we took out our SPF 50+ Sun Umbrella's. We had all three of them open, as 2 people can fit under one and it was a blessing to be in shade under that summer sun. Another benefit to the umbrella's was having a bit of space to ourselves. As before we took them out, the people behind us were WAY too close and crowding us. With my umbrella over my shoulder and my big backpack, it created solid spacing for the entire wait on line. Overall, very fun ride, my wife LOVED it. I enjoyed spotting all the different Disney characters and easter eggs hidden on the ride, which made for a much better version than the one at WDW.....It's funny how often I've been saying that comparing the similar rides at both parks. We exited the ride at 3:10pm
[/QUOTE]


Your wife and I are on the same page... I too love It's a small world... I have been lucky enough to ride it in 3 of the Parks, WDW, DL, and DLP... We had planned to go to Japan last year hitting our 4th park and of course that did not happen... This year, we had planned Shanghai, and Hong Kong, to round out all the parks... which is not happening... nor at this point do I think it will happen any time soon...

We are planning on taking our grandson next year to Disneyland... he will be 7... he loves Lego's ... I was wondering, did you guys go to Legoland... and overall thoughts... and how far is it from Disneyland, thinking of using Uber to get there thoughts on this to... ?

 

[Matrixleos]

Sounds like a great first day, looking forward to hearing more. I love all the details of ride times, my family and I will be going in November and this really helps a lot! I'm glad you got the boarding group, that's the thing I'm a little worried about!

Thanks for the feedback, that was a goal of mine to track to help people plan their trips. When an attraction states 15-20 minutes wait time, realistically, how long does it take from entrance to exit. I thought that detail would help plan their days a bit better.

As for the Boarding Groups, don't worry about it, just follow the instructions on my Planning and Information thread linked below. I got step by step instructions and a quick 1 minute video from a Disneyland Vlogger if you wanted to visually see the process. We got BG16 for Rise of the Resistance and BG14 for Web Slingers, for the two times we tried. Also heard a lot of positive comments that the instructions I wrote had really helped people.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...d-information-thread-updated-7-12-21.3843617/

 

[Matrixleos]

We are planning on taking our grandson next year to Disneyland... he will be 7... he loves Lego's ... I was wondering, did you guys go to Legoland... and overall thoughts... and how far is it from Disneyland, thinking of using Uber to get there thoughts on this to... ?

Initially, Legoland was in our plans, as it's about 65 miles from Disneyland. You have to take i-5 South for a little more than an hour (pending traffic, might have to tack on 30 minutes or so) toward Carlsbad. If you're starting your strip from San Diego, it's about 30 miles from there on i-5 North. Plus their new attraction, the Lego Movie Ride, looks really cool. It's similar to Soarin' but instead of traveling the world, you travel through all the different Lego Movie scenes.

My kids are big Lego fans, we've seen all the Lego movies and series. Although for our trip, we only had time to either do Legoland or Universal Studios Hollywood. The deciding factor for us, is we live in Washington DC and Legoland New York is just a 4 hour drive for us. So we went with Universal Studios, especially since it was less than 15 minute drive from us since we were staying in Glendale for our LA leg of our trip.

 

[Tasscrapper]

You're doing a fantastic job on this trip report and it sounds like you've had a fabulous trip. I love the format you're using and showing the wait times from entrance to exit. So useful.

 

[LovesTimone]

Initially, Legoland was in our plans, as it's about 65 miles from Disneyland. You have to take i-5 South for a little more than an hour (pending traffic, might have to tack on 30 minutes or so) toward Carlsbad. If you're starting your strip from San Diego, it's about 30 miles from there on i-5 North. Plus their new attraction, the Lego Movie Ride, looks really cool. It's similar to Soarin' but instead of traveling the world, you travel through all the different Lego Movie scenes.

My kids are big Lego fans, we've seen all the Lego movies and series. Although for our trip, we only had time to either do Legoland or Universal Studios Hollywood. The deciding factor for us, is we live in Washington DC and Legoland New York is just a 4 hour drive for us. So we went with Universal Studios, especially since it was less than 15 minute drive from us since we were staying in Glendale for our LA leg of our trip.

Thanks for the reply... We would have to use Uber if we decide to go to Legoland out there, so that would be pricey for sure. When our grandson spends the night or weekend, or is sick and can't go to school, he stays with us... and we watch a ton of lego movies... I like them to, so cute..

Some friends stayed at a good neighbor hotel, for 8 days right off the bat... I can't remember which one she said they stayed at and concierge had all kinds of options, this was a family trip and before covid. They had a bus pick them up at the hotel, and take them to Universal California, and another day trip... and they said they thought the price was pretty reasonable around 20ish per person round trip. She said that one day there was a bus to Knotts Berry, and another one to Legoland... So this is something that I will have to check out. She said she doesn't think that if we stay at a on Disney property this type of option would be available... So this gives me something else to think about...plus even if something like this will be available with all the covid related issues...

We are planning a weeks trip, during his spring break... He will have just turned 7 in January... so I just got his spring break schedule so now I can really start planning...

Love your trip report... Great job!!!

 

[Matrixleos]

As we walked to Adventureland, I have to say I love seeing it at night time, simply stunning. Jungle Cruise is our first target since returning back to the park, especially since we're planning to watch the movie soon staring The Rock. (About a week later, we saw the movie and really enjoyed it. Have to put it behind only Pirates of the Caribbean for Disney rides turned to movies)

19) Jungle Cruise (Listed Time: 20 minutes\Actual Time: 16 minutes) - We entered the ride at 8:40pm. I have to say we've done this ride at both DL and WDW many times during the day. Although I have to say I really was surprised how much more I enjoyed it during the night time sky in the dark. At first I was worried we wouldn't see anything but the spot lights on the boat that the Jungle Cruise Cast Member would turn on and off on the different parts of the ride REALLY added a new dimension that I really liked a lot. I also appreciated the added scenery after the refurbishment, it was a nice compliment. Overall, I have to say riding this during the dark night time sky ruined me, as I really SOOOO much preferred it to riding during the daylight. If given the choice on future visits at either DLR or WDW, I'd have to schedule a Jungle Cruise visit during the night. We left the exit at 8:56pm.

With the fireworks about to start at 9pm, we were going to take advantage of the low ride times on a few more attractions. Plus seeing the fireworks at the Tropicana on Arrival Day was good enough for us. Next up, we 100% wanted to do Indiana Jones again...

20) Indiana Jones Adventure (Listed Time: 40 minutes\Actual Time: 10 minutes Single Rider Line) - Since there was only two of us, DS14 and I decided to skip the massive 40 minute line and do the Single Rider Line which was awesome and it almost was a walk on experience. We entered the attraction at 9:00pm and left the exit at 9:10pm, so the whole process took us just 10 minutes, including waiting an extra minute for his ride vehicle to arrive, as I went first so I could wait for him by the exit. Overall, what more to say about this ride. We absolutely loved it. It was our first ride of the day at 8:03am and if this was out last ride of the day at 9:00pm, it would have been the perfect way to close out the day!

After the ride, we looked at DS14's watch and it was 9:11pm now. With the park closing at 10pm, we had to decide what next to do to close out the day. With the fireworks going on, it would be hard to cross the park, so we had to pick something on the left side in New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Critter Country and SWGE. Since we've rode every attraction at least once, I asked DS14 what he wanted to ride again and what was his favorite. Of course he said Rise of the Resistance and that's when I said let's give it a chance. Let's see if we can ride it again without a Boarding Group. What's the worst thing they're going to say, NO? If that's the case, we can go to either or both of Splash Mountain or MFSR...

21) Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Listed Time: Walk On\Actual Time: 30 minutes) - We walked to one of the Cast Members at the entrance to RotR and it was already not looking promising. There were three larger groups ahead of us trying to get on but were turned away because they did not have any Boarding Passes. The groups were arguing and yelling at the CMs and from my experiences, you get a lot more done with a smile and being friendly. So when it came to our turn to talk to the CMs, I was friendly and had a creative story. Took a bit of convincing but we got one last bit of "Disney Magic" and were allowed to enter the ride que. What an awesome feeling being able to ride it twice in one day!!!

What DS14 and I really loved about this second experience, was that we were in different section of the attraction than we were earlier that morning. First time with BG 16, the boarding room with Rey was on the Left and the scene with Kylo Ren was to our left too. Then 2nd time around later that night, we were in the opposite room, where Rey was on the Right and the scene with Kylo Ren was to our right too. Very cool different perspective to have on the ride, as it also took a different track.

We entered the line at 9:20pm and this time around, not as many people were waiting on line and it was nearly just a walk on. By the time we exited, it was 9:50pm, so the whole process only took 30 minutes this time around.

As this time around 9:50pm, I told DS14 that we had just enough time to get on another ride if he wanted too. Although he told me it was a perfect way to end the day and I couldn't agree more. So we took our time and explored Star Wars Galaxy's Edge in the night time sky with all the lights on. It just looks way more cooler at night and glad we had this time to explore without a lot of crowds.

I had told all the kids that they could have one big piece of souvenir from this trip and DS14 wanted something Star Wars related. After looking around several shops, he decided to go with this cool Boba Fett helmet.



We then slowly walked out the park and just enjoyed the perfect breeze and 74 degree temperatures ask we walked down Main Street. I can not stress enough how much we enjoyed walking around Disneyland after sunset and with all the lights and dark night time sky, it really is a truly different experience. Just one last item left to do before we close out our Disneyland day....

Just like we did at the start of our Disneyland day, we stopped by Walt's Fire Engine to ring the fire bell as we left the park. As I said earlier, it's just a nice little nod I do to honor Walt's memory.

 

[Matrixleos]

Day 2 - July 29th - Disneyland from park open to park close - RECAP!

Overall, honestly I couldn't have asked for a better day. I can't say THANK YOU enough to all the great people on this message board and Disneyland vloggers that I followed for 3 months. All the information I learned really came useful. I knew where all the filtered water bottle stations were, where all the restrooms were located, where were good spots with shading from the afternoon sun. Along with what attractions\places had air conditioning and schedule specific breaks into our plans to cool down. Plus all that research made making reservations to Oga's and Cafe Orleans a breeze. Along with mobile ordering for Hungry Bear and Mint Julep Bar, really couldn't have gone smoother, as I knew when to place those mobile orders for the exact times we wanted.

As for Rides, I couldn't ask for a smoother day, as we made it on 21 Attractions on just one day! Plus we got to do our favorites multiple times, with Rise of the Resistance twice, Indiana Jones twice and Big Thunder three times! Being a WDW vet and going there so often and the one other time coming to Disneyland 11 years ago with toddlers and two strollers. This experience was by far my favorite Disney Day EVER. Perfect way to spend my 45th Birthday!!!

Now it was time to walk back to the Tropicana, get some much needed sleep and rest (We clocked over 27k+ steps today).

 

[Tasscrapper]

Can't wait for your DCA day. 27000+ steps . . .whew! We'll be doing less than that for sure. I'm thankful we have the time to space things out on our upcoming trip.

 

[Matrixleos]

Can't wait for your DCA day. 27000+ steps . . .whew! We'll be doing less than that for sure. I'm thankful we have the time to space things out on our upcoming trip.

We initially were not planning to go to Disneyland, when planning a vacation to Los Angeles. Although we decided to add a 4 day/3 nights stop at Anaheim to use our two full days on Disneyland and DCA.

Honestly, I wished we spaced it out more and had break days in between park days.

 

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Enjoying your trip report!!!

 

[fivelittles]

This is a great trip report. Looking forward to reading the rest!

 

[Jaina]

My birthday is the 29th also, and I spent it at Disney this year! We were at Disneyland on the 28th, and California Adventure on the 29th though, so we just missed you! ;-)
It's fun to read about your experience in the parks at the same time! My trip was just adults this time, but I have a whole bunch of kids, just younger than yours, so we've done plenty of that too! And somehow I had no idea it was even possible to ride ROTR twice in a day!