Disneyland WITHOUT Kids TR

[Amy]

The coasters were built by different companies ~ Intamin AG for California Screamin' and Vekoma for Rock 'n Roller Coaster, but they both are launched. Found online they do have slightly different launch systems as well ~ Linear Induction Motor for California Screamin' and Linear Synchronous Motor for Roch 'n Roller Coaster. But similar enough. And both very fun! (http://rcdb.com/ if you are interested ~ neat little facts about just about any roller coaster you'd like on this site)

Thanks for the info on the ART buses. Handy to know.

The parks closed relatively early when we were there so it was nice to be able to bop on over to the other park to get a few more hours of fun in. It was super crowded the whole time we were there, but I think we were just there during a busy season with the holiday show of WoC running, and the holiday versions of It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion going.

[cy1229]

Wednesday, July 8
The Day We Do the Dark Rides





We spent the entire day this day at Disneyland proper. First was Snow White, then the Storybook boat, followed by Pinocchio. We wanted to ride the newly opened, refurbished Peter Pan, but the line was already at over an hour wait, and it's not a fastpass option. Thus, we deferred this attraction to the early morning next day.

Then it was over to the Matterhorn. I must say, I really did not like this attraction. Jostled and jerked us around, bumpy track (and supposedly it's much smoother than before!) and it was a lot of round and round dizzy-making. So, I came, I saw, I rode, I left.

Next was Alice in Wonderland! Hubby loved the tall grass and wanted to make it look like our kids weren't mowing the yard.



The stand-by line for Space Mountain was at 40 minutes, so we took it. I found the mostly outdoor queue to be interesting and a nice change from the all indoor queue at WDW. And, I love the California version of Space Mountain SO MUCH MORE than WDW. Smoother. So much smoother. Saved my back.

Next, we took a trip on Buzz Lightyear to try and defeat the evil Emperor Zurg.







Next was lunch! I don't remember what we ate. Probably a burger. It was fine. Next we moseyed over to near the castle, and checked out its 60th Anniversary bling:



Selfie!



Silly selfie! (This photo makes me giggle every time I see it.)









Love this little scene, too.





Then we decided to walk through the castle, where the story of Cinderella is told. LOVED IT! I'm so glad we did that.





















Thanks to the Photopass photographer for this one, on our phone. Which, btw, was better than the one taken on the official Photopass camera.



Next we rode the horse-drawn street car to the park entrance, and then decided to ride the Railroad. Look what we were *right* next to!







I took 5 separate shots from the upper level of the Main Street USA Railroad station and had Photoshop combine it into a panorama. I don't know if you can see it very well on Subsonic, but if you click it you can open it on my Photobucket. Feel free to download if you'd like, but please don't use it outside of your own enjoyment.



So that was our day. This was our parting shot:



We rode ART back to the hotel, and then ordered in some Thai food. SO GOOD. And they delivered. SO GOOD.



I'm pretty sure we were both asleep by 9:45, when the booming of the fireworks ended.

[cy1229]

Thursday July 9
We Bid Adieu

This was our earliest start to date - there at 8 am. We stuck to our original plan and went straight to Peter Pan. The posted wait time was 60 minutes - we decided to stick it out, and in reality it was only about 45 minutes max.



I don't know what it looked like before the refurb, but I can tell you this ride looked fantastic! Some fiber optics have been installed and it isn't intrusive, just enhances everything. Hubby tried to take video of it but it was a little too dark, so you're just going to have to go yourself. (Oh darn. )

This was what we did next, with our wait times in parentheses:
-Big Thunder Mountain (8 minutes)
-Pirates of the Caribbean (3 minutes, which is how long it took us to walk through the whole thing and onto the ride)
-Small World (essentially a walk-on)























We did some shopping in Toontown Town and hopped the Railroad back to New Orleans Square. Hubby thought this would be a good shirt for daughter #1:



We got in line for lunch at Cafe Orleans - and really didn't have to wait at all.





We shared the pommes frites. Hubby ordered the Monte Cristo and I got the 3-cheese Monte Cristo.







After lunch we went to Downtown Disney to do some serious shopping. Got the kids some treasures, and I got a cool coffee mug. But not that cute purse I saw.

After a nap and a supper of our leftover Thai food and sandwiches, we went back to the park and poked around Main Street a bit.















After all that poking, we went back to Pirates (15 minutes), then to the Haunted Mansion (20 minutes). A wrong turn (left instead of right) took us to the dead end that is Critter Country, so we rode Winnie the Pooh, then made our way back to the hub, where we watched the Paint the Night parade from afar - and saw the Frozen float that we hadn't seen the previous time. No pics though... and Mack was NOT working that time. I imagine with all those lights and wiring, something is bound to go wrong.

At that point we watched the Fireworks, held back a bit to let the crowds disperse, and bid our final farewell to the Happiest Place on Earth.



The next day we slept in (sort of), had breakfast, packed, and went to the airport. I needed to pick up my rental car, get to a laundromat, and meet my colleagues in Palm Springs for our first week of two, while hubby flew home. We had SUCH a good time. I was so sad to leave - we were relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. It was the first time we'd travelled without the kids in 6 years and I know it's going to be awhile before we can do that because of swim schedules, college costs, and whatnot. It was expensive, even with all the travel points we redeemed, but SO WORTH IT.

Everyone who's only been to one US Disney location, whether it be east or west, needs to visit the other if at all possible. Each has its own charm and its own delights. The cast members at each park will say they have the better park but from a fan perspective, they're both good, and each for different reasons.

Now, I wonder if I can get work to pay the airfare to Paris? Hmm.........

[Amy]

Great TR ~ you captured some really nice photos. Can't believe how you lucked out with such short wait times for most things. That was great!

[MmeLeota]

Looks like you had a blast! I can't wait for our trip next week! We only get to go for 1 day, but it's been 2 years since we were last at DCA, and 4 years since our last trip to DL.

I know they updated WoC for the 60th, and Neil Patrick Harris was added. I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the show was changed.

Did you guys watch Fantasmic!, and go on Matterhorn? (The lines for Matterhorn were extra long due to the recent updates. It's not on any of my favorites lists, but I think we will have to go on it once for those purposes)

Thanks for the heads up about Paint the Night/Disneyland Forever. I didn't realize they run right after each other. We will keep that in mind when deciding where to park ourselves for the parade.

When Grand Californian first opened, one of the advertised perks of staying there was the private entrance into DCA...and they heavily enforced it. Then somewhere along the line, they kind of ignored it for a while. It sounds like they are back to enforcing it. Now, I don't know if the entrance is still only for guests of the GC or if guests of the other resort hotels can use it as well.

Disneyland just released a new app that seems to be maybe the first step to My Disney Experience for DLR. We will be trying it out for our trip, so we will see how accurate it is. (Seriously, FP+ and Magic Bands will NOT work for DLR like it does for WDW...DLR is a totally different creature, but that's a different topic. Sorry, cy1229 )

I can't place where your hotel was, but utilizing the ART system sounds like it worked well for you!

I love your photos! You two look like two really big kids (and I mean that in a good way)!

[MmeLeota]

Ok, so I posted my response before reading the rest of the TR...
Glad to know I am not the only one who isn't a Matterhorn fan...we haven't been on it since they updated the cars (there used to be 2 large seating compartments per car...it was more comfy for those with long legs).

I definitely agree about DL's Space Mountain too!

[cy1229]

Our hotel was south of the resort, on Harbor, past Convention Way, adjacent to the Cortona Inn. It's only about 14 months old so it wouldn't surprise me you didn't know about it since you've been away longer than that.

No Fantasmic. We just weren't interested, and had more fun doing rides and shopping. The hour + we were waiting for WoC killed me. I enjoyed it, but that's also something I wouldn't do / wait for again.

You're right, two big kids.

[MmeLeota]

Ah, ok...I know where that is. We're staying not too far from there (and across the street).

Too bad about Fantasmic...even though it's similar to the WDW version, there are notable differences that make the show more unique to DL.
The first time we saw WoC, we were rather underwhelmed by it. But we gave it another chance and chose to stand all the way up front in the "splash zone". It forever changed my perspective of the show. Of course, I don't know what to expect from the updated show, but I'm looking forward to it.
(I should probably add that at the 2009 D23 Expo, we were at a presentation about the show with the creator and saw sneak peeks of the show and had some insider insights to it as well. Our expectations may have been slightly exaggerated. )

[wewantsdaredhead]

Great TR Cy....then best part is looking at the two of you---you look like school kids. All giddy and smiley lol
I love it!! You look like you are having the time of your lives...

The one thing that I really wanted to do at DL was The Matterhorn, but it kept breaking down on us--sounds like I didn't miss much!!!

Great pics--thanks for sharing.

[cy1229]

Great TR Cy....then best part is looking at the two of you---you look like school kids. All giddy and smiley lol
I love it!! You look like you are having the time of your lives...

The one thing that I really wanted to do at DL was The Matterhorn, but it kept breaking down on us--sounds like I didn't miss much!!!

Great pics--thanks for sharing.

Thanks WWDRH. We did have a great time. We needed the time. Since you have kids, I'm sure you get it. Lesson learned - we will spend more time as a couple and not worry about "leaving the kids out" now and then. In fact, I'm planning an epic road trip for our 10th anniversary in a few years. Maybe TOO epic...

Matterhorn isn't BAD... but the lines were long and I didn't like it. Younger people who don't have middle-aged bones and muscles probably like it.

[Thumper1]

Thanks for all the pictures and the detailed trip report! Loved the Sulley pictures, also loved the castle pictures!! Glad you guys got to go and that you had a great time!!

[cy1229]

Thanks for all the pictures and the detailed trip report! Loved the Sulley pictures, also loved the castle pictures!! Glad you guys got to go and that you had a great time!!

We had a fabulous time! In fact, now that we're a little over 6 weeks past, we sigh heavily and wish we were there. Yesterday I had a particularly tough morning and I texted hubby and told him I was going to Disneyland. He asked if he could come.

[Amy]

Thanks for all the pictures and the detailed trip report! Loved the Sulley pictures, also loved the castle pictures!! Glad you guys got to go and that you had a great time!!

We had a fabulous time! In fact, now that we're a little over 6 weeks past, we sigh heavily and wish we were there. Yesterday I had a particularly tough morning and I texted hubby and told him I was going to Disneyland. He asked if he could come.

If money were no object, I'm thinking neither of you would have to think too hard about hopping on the next plane!

[cy1229]

Thanks for all the pictures and the detailed trip report! Loved the Sulley pictures, also loved the castle pictures!! Glad you guys got to go and that you had a great time!!

We had a fabulous time! In fact, now that we're a little over 6 weeks past, we sigh heavily and wish we were there. Yesterday I had a particularly tough morning and I texted hubby and told him I was going to Disneyland. He asked if he could come.

If money were no object, I'm thinking neither of you would have to think too hard about hopping on the next plane!

More like wouldn't have to think at all...

[Amy]

More like wouldn't have to think at all...

Well....you might want to think a second if you would take the kids this time...right?