One of the best ways to begin a day in Disneyland is by
attending the rope drop, where excited guests that aren't yet grumpy from the heat and crowds line up on Main
Street and wait for the countdown to begin for the park opening. The crowd counts down from 10 along with a booming voice from heaven (or from hidden speakers), and when they finally say, "3...2...1," cast members “drop the rope”
that holds guests back, and everyone takes off to their favorite attraction. We were
at the entrance to Adventureland this morning when the park opened so we
could ride Indiana Jones because that’s the ritual Chad and I started
after our first visit together in 1996.
We were some of the first guests on Indy today, and as soon as we were done, we rode the Jungle Cruise, which also had no wait time.
Nor did Big Thunder Mountain. We were moving from ride to ride so quickly that we
didn’t take any time to enjoy the gorgeous spring flowers, the perfectly clean
park, or the music that makes you forget about your worries and your strife.
By the time we made it to the Matterhorn, the wait time had
grown to 20 minutes. Crowds were filling the park at a steady pace, but we didn’t mind waiting because
it was time for us to slow down and take it all in. We also used the wait time to
buy Max Passes for the day, which is really the only way to do Disneyland when
crowds are at their peak. Max Passes cost $15 per person per day, but you can
reserve your fast pass for multiple rides throughout the day from your phone and you don't have to
waste time in 90-minute lines. The Max Pass also links all your Disney Photo Pass photos to
your phone. Trust me, it's rad.
Just as we were settled into line, the
Matterhorn broke down. We were herded out of line by apologetic cast members
who had no idea when the bobsleds would up and running. Ashley headed off to Star
Tours, refusing to join us on It’s a Small World because “it’s an annoying old
person ride,” so Chad and I enjoyed our time alone on the NOT annoying, COOL
person ride, and Ashley is dumb.
After having the best time ever on It’s a Small World because
of how cool it is, Chad was hungry for breakfast. We got a table in Tomorrowland
at Galactic Grill, but there were about 20 people in line, so he ordered breakfast
on the mobile app, walked to the pickup window, bypassing all the people in
line, and a cast member handed him his breakfast burrito. Why everyone in the park isn’t using this
feature, I have no idea, but I’m glad they aren’t because it means less
waiting for us!
We spotted Peter Pan near Pixie Hollow prancing around, harassing
everyone he saw. He stopped a teenage girl wearing mouse ears and said, “Let me
fix those for you,” then knocked them off her head and said, “There. So much better,” and strutted away, swinging
his arms like a savage.
Next, we stopped by The Tropical Hideaway, which is a new
quick-service location that recently replaced Aladdin’s Oasis in Adventureland. I ordered a spiced
vegetable bao and Ashley got sweet lumpia filled with cream cheese and
pineapple. The snack was delicious, but a lady cut in front of me in line and I
wanted to stab her in the neck with my chopsticks, until I remembered where I was. I shouldn’t
have those feelings in Disneyland—okay—I shouldn’t have those feelings period, but I do. Often.
We rode Pirates of the Caribbean and then wandered around New Orleans square before
stopping for Mickey-shaped beignets at Mint Julep Bar. The ground and tables were covered with so much powdered sugar from the hundreds of people ordering beignets all day that it looked like Tony Montana's desk in Scarface.
Our return time for our first
fast pass was approaching and we needed to head over to California Adventure,
so we hopped on the Disneyland Railroad and road the train to the Main Street
station so we had a shorter walk. Our first ride was Guardians of the Galaxy:
Mission Breakout. Chad went through the 10-minute line with us (the stand-by
line was 90 minutes long), but when Ashley and I boarded the ride, he went down to
the gift shop to wait for us. He doesn’t like that ride anymore—it makes him
feel car sick. Today’s experience was the most thrilling, exhilarating rush I’ve
ever had on that attraction. Everything is so much more intense than when it
was the Tower of Terror, and the drops are just ridiculous.
We had back-to-back fast passes to the new Incredicoaster
and Radiator Springs Racers, both of which had nearly 2-hour wait times. It was
87 degrees outside and there were 14 million people in the park. 9 million of
them were in strollers and wheelchairs. As soon as we were done with rides, it was time for a break. We used the Disney app to order a corn dog from Corn
Dog Castle, bypassed the 8 people in line, picked up our order at the window, and then walked back to the hotel.
The pool was the perfect place to cool off and relax, but eventually
we went back to our room to take a nap. When it was time to get up and go back
to the parks, I tried to get Chad out of bed.
He was so sleepy and said, “What’s that, Disneyland? You don’t want me
to come back you? You want me to stay in bed? Is that what you’re saying to me,
Disneyland?” But he was able to rally and get out of bed. Ashley, on the other
hand, wasn’t budging. We kissed her goodbye and told her where we’d be. She had
an hour before her she needed to be at Guardians for her next fast pass.
 |
| A perfect evening |
Chad and I walked to the Disneyland Hotel and found a table
at Trader Sam’s for drinks and appetizers. We were surrounded by tiki torches,
live music, and palm trees, and for a few minutes I couldn’t remember why we
live in Washington. I ordered a Tangora Cooler, which cost $40 because it comes
in a souvenir mug. Chad ordered a drink called the Shrunken Zombie Head. We ordered
the Pu Pu Platter which came with pork gyoza, panko-crusted
long beans, chili garlic edamame, and sweet-and-spicy chicken wings served with
togarashi aioli. Ashley texted us that she was on Guardians and we planned to
meet up in Disneyland to ride Big Thunder Mountain in the dark—the best time to
ride.
We took the monorail to Tomorrowland and then
made our way to Frontierland where Ashley was waiting for us. We rode rides for
the rest of the night and then made our way to Mainstreet for the fireworks.
Even thought the park was open until midnight, we were all exhausted. So we
limped back to our room to get some sleep before going back to Disneyland at 6:45
for our Magic Morning tomorrow.
We saw 2 Teslas today when we were walking across
the street to the park. 2 lousy Teslas. I am so not impressed.
-Rachel
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