Disneyland, 2021 - Day 3

Rise of the Resistance

Due to COVID, part of Disney’s reopening plan includes requiring guests with park tickets to reserve the park where they want to begin their day. For example, today we had reservations for California Adventure in the morning, and then at 1:00 pm we were allowed to hop over to Disneyland. After 1 pm, guests with park hopper tickets can go back and forth between parks all day long.

We spent our morning wandering around California Adventure and going on rides we haven’t gone on in years, like Goofy’s Sky School and Silly Symphony Swings. Basically, we were just killing time until we could park hop to Disneyland. Chad wanted to ride Grizzly River Run, but the rest of us weren’t ready to get wet, so he went alone and got completely drenched. For the next 30 minutes, every time I got too hot, I just hugged soggy Chad and he cooled me right down.

As noon approached, so did our one and only chance to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance. We settled into a shady area of Paradise Garden Grill. Jackson ordered a pork belly bánh mì and Ashley got mac ‘n cheese. Ashley counted down for us and when it was 5 seconds to 12:00, we refreshed the app, attempted to join the queue, and this time I was the one who got our boarding passes! We had an hour and a half until we could board, so Jackson and Ashley ate their lunch. At one point, Jackson reached across the table with his fork to sample Ashley’s mac ‘n cheese, but she didn’t want him to and a struggle broke out. During the tussle, several pieces of mac ‘n cheese fell to the ground. Jackson said, “Those could have been in my belly."

I asked them (jokingly), “What did we teach you about sharing?” and Jackson said, “I was trying to share. I wanted to share her mac ‘n cheese.” At that point, they launched into a full-on courtroom argument and Chad submitted photographic evidence of what he described as "$7 worth of mac 'n cheese on the ground." Once it was settled that the issue was never going to be settled, we spent the rest of our time arm wrestling each other, playing “Mercy,” and seeing how hard we could squeeze each other’s fingers and wrists. As most people do when they visit Disneyland.

The scene of the crime

Over the Top in real life

At 1:00, we were entering Disneyland’s gates and made our way to Galaxy’s Edge to ride Rise of the Resistance again. The line snaked through the caverns that serve as The Resistance hidden base (the storyline is completely immersive) and about 20 minutes into our queue, the attraction broke down. The cast members didn’t know when it would be fixed, and they gave us the choice to wait or exit the line. If we chose to exit, we would not be allowed back in later. We chose to wait, and made ourselves as comfortable as we could on the floor of a cave, and cast members handed out water bottles. Some people got out of line, but most people—the ones who have waited their entire lives for an experience like this—stayed put. 30 minutes later, we boarded our shuttle to begin our secret mission, and I won’t tell you the rest.

Waiting for the ride to open

When the ride was over and we had thoroughly praised it, it was time to go to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar for drinks. It’s located at The Disneyland Hotel, and it’s one of my favorite places at the resort. After 15 months, both the hotel and the bar open today. Ashley wanted to stay at Galaxy’s Edge, so Chad, Jackson, and I walked half a mile to the Disneyland Hotel. When we got to Trader Sam’s there was a line of about 30 people out front and no hope of getting a table because they weren’t actually open. They were having a glitch of some sort, and I didn’t want to wait. So, we walked to Downtown Disney instead and enjoyed happy hour at the open-air Uva Bar.

Ashley texted and said she was going back to the hotel to rest. The 3 of us walked back to Disneyland and rode the railroad around the park and ended up in Tomorrowland. Jackson wanted to ride Star Tours, and we’d only been in line for 5 minutes when I looked up and saw Ashley in the same line waving to us. She had come back to the park to ride Star Tours and had no idea where we were. It was just a coincidence that we found ourselves in the same line.

Now that we were all back together, we rode Small World and even went to Toon Town. I'm not quite sure why we go to Toon Town, but we always do. We walk in, Jackson talks like Roger Rabbit the whole time, and we take pictures like this:

The setting sun was turning the blue sky pink, and we wanted to go back to Galaxy’s Edge to see it in the dark. Chad, Jackson, and Ashley rode Smuggler’s Run while I wandered the park admiring every square inch and taking pictures like this:

Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities

We stayed in Disneyland until the park closed, and crossing the street to our hotel took all the energy I have left. Right now, everyone is asleep, and I’m so tired I can barely see straight. We still have a half day in the parks tomorrow and, at this point, I’m not convinced my legs will even work when I wake up.

I’m too tired to sign this, but I will.

-The Niemeyers