Hello everybody! I took a break from blogging for a while because while in Europe, I had posted every day and had exhausted my limits. Well I am back now and ready to tell you guys about my weekend in Disneyland! Now, fair warning, it has been a week so I am definitely a little fuzzy on the specifics.
Last weekend, August 30th & 31st, we got to spend some time in the most magical place on Earth, Disneyland and California Adventure! I have been wanting to go since the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in May of this year as I am a fan of the recent trilogy and grew up watching the old ones as well so I really wanted to visit the new land. Also, it had been two years since our last visit in 2017 so it was definitely time to go back! This is Part 1 or the Disneyland part of the blog. Stay tuned for Part 2 or the California Adventure part!
Thursday, August 29th, 2019
Our journey to Anaheim started on Thursday when we took a plane from the San Jose airport to the Long Beach one. This flight was very short, around 50 minutes, so I spent most of the time watching my mom play Bubbles (a game on her phone). The flight also was not very full so there was nobody sitting in the middle seat between my mom and I. Upon arrival in the Long Beach airport, we headed out to pick up our rental car and then drove about 30 mins down to Anaheim and to our hotel, the Homewood Suites at Anaheim.
We checked into our hotel, headed up to our room and then decided on where we should go for dinner. It was late because our plane was delayed so our choices were slightly limited but we eventually decided on Outback Steakhouse. I got the 6oz Filet Mignon with fries and broccoli and we started the meal with a Bloomin’ Onion, basically like an onion ring but a whole sliced onion that’s fried. After dinner we were all full so we headed back to our hotel and got ready for bed and our FULL day in the parks.
Friday, August 30th, 2019
The morning started off with waking up at like 7:30am, getting dressed and ready, and then going downstairs for the free breakfast. My brother, by the way, had a minimum day at school so we decided to just take him out and not go. Disneyland was not opening until 9am today and did not have “extra magic hours” so we had plenty of time. For breakfast, I had half a waffle, sausages and potatoes, as well as some apple juice. After breakfast, we headed to the Toy Story parking lot just next door to take the bus to the park. It is also a mile walk to the parks as well but it pays to save your legs when you know they are going to be dead at the end of the day.
We arrived at Disneyland at around 9:15am and immediately headed to Space Mountain, our “tradition” if you will. It is best to go to the popular rides in the morning upon opening as it would be the least crowded, especially on a weekday! We had not ridden *HyperSpace Mountain (cause it was Star Wars themed) in a while because it was closed for refurbishments/Halloween overlay the last time we visited. The wait time was only 15 minutes so we rode it once AND got a fastpass to ride it AGAIN just an hour later. After Space Mountain, we decided to head down to Star Tours, but the ride was not open yet so we did Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters instead. According to the photo taken, I had scored 0 points, which I believe because none of the targets turned green when I was aiming at them, but the score on the game said 4500 just from hitting the button so frequently.
Afterwards, Star Tours was still closed so we headed to the Matterhorn (which now has fastpasses!!) since it was nearby and rode that. The Matterhorn hurts your butt since it is very bumpy and very fast so we only rode it once. The Abominable Snowman had gotten a terrifying makeover though so it is now MORE scary! (I used to be very afraid of it as kid) We headed back into Tomorrowland for our Space Mountain fastpass time and at this point, Star Tours was open so we got to ride. There is SUPPOSEDLY over 300 combinations you can get on the ride but we usually end up getting ones we had already seen, which is what happened this time. We ended up getting the planet of Naboo and the underwater world of Otoh Gunga as well as another planet that I can not remember. Once we had finished with Star Tours, it was officially the window for Space Mountain so we had gotten to ride it a THIRD time. Space Mountain is the entire family’s favorite ride so we definitely did not mind at all!
After Space Mountain we had decided to head to Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain, but decided to do Star Tours again before we headed out. This time we got, what is probably my favorite combination, the planet of Jakku from The Force Awakens and Crait from The Last Jedi! It was complete with appearances by Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren, and a transmission from my FAVE, BB-8! We then left Tomorrowland for a little while and headed to Frontierland. We rode Big Thunder Mountain and had gotten a Fastpass to ride it a few hours later. Afterwards, I wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh because he is my favorite character and the ride has great air conditioning, which was definitely needed as it was in the high 80’s at this point. This ride is also meant for the little kids amongst all the ‘big kid’ rides, but it is good to have a change of pace every once in a while.
I wanted to meet Pooh so after we rode his ride, we walked to Critter Country and got in line to meet him! The line is a one stop so you would get in line and meet Tigger and Eeyore as well! (The cast members play the characters so well so MAJOR props to them, all their personalities were spot on!) Tigger liked my sparkly ears, Eeyore was sad like he always is, but super cute, and I got to tell Pooh that he was favorite and he blushed, blew me a kiss and gave me an extra hug! Ugh I love that ridiculously cute bear so much.
We had gotten a fastpass for Splash Mountain at some point so we zipped by the line and got to cool off by going on this water ride. My brother sat in the front so he got the most wet when the water would flow over the boat at every drop.
We finally ventured into Galaxy’s Edge via the Critter Country entrance afterwards and it was everything I dreamed of! There are three entrances into Galaxy’s Edge, one at Critter Country, one at Fantasyland, and one at Frontierland. The Critter Country entrance is the furthest walk in but you get to pass the sight of the future Rise of the Resistance ride and get to enter by the restrooms, water fountain, and shops! We also passed by Chewie! We headed to Smuggler’s Run, the only ride open in the land until January, and waited in line for 45 minutes. On this ride, you are actually “piloting” the Milennium Falcon so you are assigned roles to be. My dad and I were the Pilots and my mom and brother were the Gunners. The “vehicle” holds 6 people so there were also two others who were the Engineers. We suffered about 70% of damages and did not do too well but that did not mean that the ride was not fun! We then walked around and I found the Milk stand and got to get a Blue milk, which was SO GOOD and tasted tropical and like Skittles! Though, I do not think it is worth the $8 price tag, but it is a must get for sure! There is also green milk, which I did not get but have heard mixed reviews about. In this land the characters roam freely so we saw the Stormtroopers a few times and Kylo Ren with them at one point! (But be careful not to be interrogated by them!)
After exploring the land a little bit, we headed back to Big Thunder for the fastpass and rode it. Then we went to Plaza Inn on Main Street USA for our usual Disney Fried Chicken (late) lunch! I was not very hungry from drinking the blue milk so I shared a plate with my mom. The Plaza Inn is also by one of the many restrooms and an entrance to the tunnels where the characters go so we got to see many Fantasyland characters walk by such as Aurora, Peter Pan, and one of the mice from Cinderella.
Now this is where the details start to get a little more fuzzy so bear with here. I believe we went back into Tomorrowland to ride Star Tours and Space Mountain again. On Star Tours we ended up getting the same new movie combination as the 2nd time but I enjoy that combo so I definitely did not care at all. Then, we were curious as to what the Star Wars Launch Bay was so we ventured into there and found out it is where you can meet Chewie, Darth Vader, and sometimes Kylo Ren and Rey as well. They also have a little screening area for their documentary on all the Star Wars things (films, land, games, and VR), props from the movies, and an area where you can play the XBox lego game! You are actually not allowed to sit on the floor in there but they have benches against the wall and in the screening area for you to sit if your feet are killing you like mine were. We all chilled in the air conditioned room for a little while.
I then wanted to save my legs a bit so I opted to take the Disneyland Railroad back to New Orleans Square (which is also the stop for Galaxy’s Edge, Critter Country, Frontierland, and Adventureland). The railroad goes through a long tunnel so they put in a model of the Grand Canyon and dinosaurs to make the ride through the section more interesting. We stopped by the Main Street Station and got off at the New Orleans Square Station. We headed to Pirates of the Caribbean and got to ride that and got a fastpass for and rode Indiana Jones, which was broken down up until that point. After Indy we went to the new Tropical Hideaway for Dole Whips, my (new as of 2017) MUST GET treat every time we go! I got the Raspberry-Pineapple swirl and my mom and brother shared the Orange-Pineapple swirl. It was delicious and needed in the heat! (You can also mobile order them now!)
After Dole Whips, we went to the Golden Horseshoe so I could meet up with a fellow duck who was doing Disney’s College Program this semester and we got to chat about school and about the parks and program. (Bella, if you are reading this, HI! Hope you are having fun!) I think afterwards we went back to Big Thunder and rode it a third time and then went back to Galaxy’s Edge to ride Smuggler’s Run again. We went to the Single Rider line this time because the wait time was about 60 minutes and there is not a fastpass. The single rider line took half the time and my dad, brother, and I all ended up together! My mom switched with someone and she ended up being with us as well. This time, my dad and I were the Gunners and my brother and mom were the Engineers. Two strangers were the pilots. We were more successful this time with only 40% of damages and Hondo said something MORE positive this go around. After that, I wanted to find the porgs that can sit on your shoulder because we saw a lot of cast members and people in the parks had them but found out they were sold out park wide :(. We also saw the Droid Depot where you can make droids that can move with a remote and have their own personalities for $99.99 plus tax as well as Savi’s Workshop where you can build your own lightsaber for $199.99 plus tax. You are not allowed to into the actual room at Savi’s unless you are building the lightsaber.
We then walked back to Tomorrowland, rode Star Tours (got the same new movie combination a THIRD time) and saw a screening of The Path of the Jedi at the theater next to Space Mountain. This screening was basically a montage of Luke Skywalker’s moments in the films and how he became the jedi he is. It was put together before The Last Jedi because they discussed where the series was left off before that point. My brother also went to grab the last of the fastpasses for Space Mountain. I wanted to see the Main Street Electrical Parade but decided to go do Star Tours with my family again, which we got the planet of Kashyyk, another planet, and a Yoda transmission which I do not think we have ever had before. After, my dad took me to see a little of the parade as it passed by Tomorrowland.
Our new must do at the parks is Big Thunder during the fireworks so we walked back over to get in line to try and get on the ride while the fireworks were going on (which is a 15 minute window). We managed to get on and ride during the tail end of the show and got to see Batuu (Galaxy’s Edge) all lit up at night and viewed the finale as we walked out of the queue. It was late at this point (around 10pm) and most of the restaurants were closed for the night so we had difficulty finding a place to eat. We settled on Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland and I shared half a cheeseburger with my dad and the Galactic Slush (a lemon slushie with a light up ice cube). The Dance Party was going on at the stage by the restaurant so it was very lound and I got to see Chip, Dale, a penguin from Mary Poppins, and the Queen of Hearts and White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland! We also listened to many Disney Channel hit songs like “This is What Dreams are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie and “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical. I did not go onto the stage to party but you can best believe I was dancing in the wings!
After dinner, it was around 11pm at this point so we closed the night out with Space Mountain and made our way out of Tomorrowland and down Main Street. We went shopping for our usual snacks, though we did not get Mickey-shaped gummies or lollipops this time and left with two bags of the cheddar popcorn, my favorite! We headed back down and out to the Toy Story Parking shuttles. I told the cast member that we would like to sit because my legs were DEAD and i was IN PAIN and ended up taking the bus behind the one that was there. We walked back to our hotel and got ready for bed as soon as we got back because we had another park day tomorrow at California Adventure. Good Night!
Thanks everyone for reading part 1 of this Disneyland blog! I love Disneyland soooo much and wish I could visit ALL the time! It truly is the most magical place on Earth! Thanks to my parents for taking us there and for letting me see characters because they are definitely a ride family and I am an experience person! I want to see all the characters and shows and do the rides and eat the food! (I can only afford so much though) I hope to get an Annual Pass in the future so i can go ALL the time! Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog, which will be coming soon. It is on our California Adventure day, which we have not been back to since BEFORE CarsLand even OPENED! BYE!
Ashley's Travel Diaries 