On Tuesday after Labor Day, we finally had reached the time of our Disneyland reservations. We jumped in the car at 6:30 am and headed down to Anaheim. We parked on the fifth level (row 54A) of the Pixar Pals parking garage. We grabbed our bag, and headed down the escalator. We boarded the parking shuttle and headed for the park.
It’s Halloween Time in Disneyland, and the front gates were resplendent in characters made out of giant faux pumpkins. Orange and yellow colors abounded in the Magic Kingdom!
As we scanned our app and entered the front gates, we stopped to buy Genie+ (which can’t be done until you’ve entered the park). We also bought the individual Lightning Lane pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with a time of 9:30 - 10:30 to enter. We got another Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion (the Halloween Version), and headed down Main Street toward Frontierland.
Those first few steps into the park were magical. At 8 am, it was still relatively cool, and the sun was pink and low in the sky, casting a glow all about the castle and around Main Street.
Haunted Mansion
The line at Haunted Mansion was pretty quick, and the Nightmare Before Christmas theming was very strong. It was amazing to people watch, and to see all the care people had taken with their own custom ears and hats, and personalized t-shirts for their group or occasion (or a display of their favorite fandom)!
For me, I stated out wearing my Grogu Ears, that I had purchased in a FB auction 2.5 years ago (when it was just “the Child” and we didn’t know his name), for the trip that was delayed. Around every turn, there was another fantastical set of ears or custom shirts. It’s been more than 10 years since I was last at Disney, and the custom game has definitely increased, with all the possibilities with Cricut/ Silhouette machines and custom crafting!
Big Thunder Mountain
After a spin through the mansion (which was fun, with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, but definitely not as good as the original), we grabbed another Lightning Pass and headed to our first coaster of the day: Big Thunder Mountain. At Big Thunder Mountain, thanks to the Lightening Lane, in less than 15 minutes, we were in a coaster and headed out.
I had forgotten how much I enjoy roller coasters! this last 9-10 years, I’ve only been able to fit in a few coasters, and I have really forgotten how much fun they are. I love that Disney is so much more inclusive in their rides and have really thought about accessibility!
Galaxy’s Edge: Rise of the Resistance, Smuggler’s Run and Blue Milk
After Big Thunder Mountain, it was time to head to Galaxy’s Edge and get ready for our Rise of the Resistance ride. Our first stop was the Blue Milk Bar. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t milk at all, but an icy and slightly citrusy, non-dairy choice. It was getting hotter by the minute, and that cold drink was very refreshing (though at $8 for about 6 ounces, it was a pretty spendy treat).
While waiting for our Resistance lightning window, we walked by the Millennium Falcon, and saw that it was a very short line for Smuggler’s Run, so we jumped into the line (after snapping a fast Lightning Lane) and entered the ride. We were divided into a group of six, and then climbed into the cockpit of the Falcon. We were assigned the Engineer’s role (in the back row of seats). We were seated with a family of 4, and their two young kids were the pilots. The ride was surprisingly quick moving and exciting. I found I wanted to be able to watch the screen and not the buttons over to the side, and it was really fun!
We went back out into Galaxy’s Edge and wandered about, including refilling our water bottle and watching this eyeball creature pop up and look at you as their water drained into the bottles. That line was a bit long, as a mom filled four of the water fans and several water bottles, but eventually we all got through.
One thing that’s incredible about Disney is the unique style of all the guests. The woman ahead of me had long pink-toned dreadlocks (or a wig, it could’ve gone either way), and was dressed head to toe in a dozen different shades of pink!
We wandered through the stores, eventually found a place to sit in the shade and drink a cold diet coke, and then made our way over to Resistance.
The amount of money and design and work that went into this ride is absolutely incredible. While the cast actors tried to portray the evil First Order and it was a bit of a cheesy fail, it was a lot of fun. Walking into one of the rooms after being captured, it was incredible to see the rows and rows of life-sized stormtroopers!
The ride did not disappoint. It was fast moving, fun, exciting and filled with amazing show/movie tie ins. I actually filmed the entire ride, which will be fun to watch!
Adventureland: Boats, Boats and More Boats!
After Rise, we wondered back through the portal to Frontierland, and grabbed a Lightning Pass for Jungle Cruise. We stopped and took some great photos of Big Thunder Mountain and the train, and then boarded the Mark Twain Steamboat for a slow tour of the river. There was a breeze and it was a beautiful trip around!
From the steamboat, we saw the famous canoes... and had to admire the willness of these hard working park-goers. In 100 degree heat, there was no way we were rowing around anything!
Entering Adventure Land, we stopped at the enchanted Tikki Room for a Dole Whip (pineapple and raspberry) and a few Pork Limpia with a sweet chili sauce that was really delicious.
Pirates of the Caribbean didn’t have the Lightening Pass option, but the line wasn’t too long, so we jumped in line and headed into the coolness of the ride. It was a great ride… long, cool, plenty to see, comfortable, and a bit of a thrill with a few splash downs and declines. The art and display, not unexpectedly, were great.
We made our way over to Jungle Cruise, and had another boat adventure, but this time with lots of cheesy one-liners and animal hijinx. This was the longest line of the day and some of the stops in hot corners inside were really stuffy and unpleasant, but we made it through safely!
We made our way back to Mainstreet (looking for a bathroom and City Hall for the First Time badge, bu the line was long, so we shopped instead). We stopped to try to find lunch (after grabbing our Lightning Pass for Indiana Jones, which was a few hours away), and we looked for a place to have lunch We went into River Belle Cafe, and the kind woman at the front stand helped us to sign up for the Standby List on the app (and gave us our First Timers buttons, because it’s been more than 7 years for Todd and I was a newbie). As there was an almost 45 minute wait for standby, we wandered over to the Golden Horseshoe, got in line, and cancelled our reservation.
Todd found a table upstairs, I secured food and beverages, and we sat in the cool A/C and perked up! Lunch was Fish and Chips )
It was finally time for Indiana Jones, so off we went. While in line, Todd shared that he’d taken his mom to Disneyland for a fun trip in the late 1990’s (when she was 70 years old) and she loved the ride so much, they rode it twice. After our trip around the jungles, I can see why. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, so I strapped into the “jeep” and held on as the wild ride began. That car moved vertically and quickly and was a laugh a minute!
Tomorrowland & Space Mountain
Admittedly, Tomorrowland is in the most need of a major overhaul. Space Mountain was honestly the most painful of the rides for me, it was much faster, bounced me around the most, and with the darkness, was impossible to prepare for… you couldn’t see what was coming!
After Space Mountain, we tried to go to the Star Wars 3D ride… but saw them handing out glasses at the door, and knew that meant Todd wouldn’t be able to enjoy it, so we headed to Fantasyland.
Fantasyland
The part of the park that is packed full of little princesses and tired parents! It was cute, it has all the things you expect from the Magic Kingdom, including the tea cup ride, It’s a Small World, and all the little rides for very small kids.
We walked around, went into a few of the stores, and looked at the different sections of this area of the park, and decided that none of them were quite what we wanted at the end of a very long and very hot day… so we decided to take a few more photos, and headed back to Mainstreet.
Onward and Homeward
We stopped in a few more stores (Todd was disappointed to learn that the place his family always got a favorite cookie - the Market - is now a Starbucks), and headed for the train.
The trip around the park was exactly as advertised (we watched a few train ride photos). It was cute, the wind was very nice, and it was a good way to wind down. Todd’s family used to start their day with the train, so it seemed nice and fitting that we ended ours that way!
As we walked out the gate, we took a quick trip through the main Disney store at Disney Downtown (which was huge and had everything we saw in the park and so much more) and Todd finally found a few souvenirs to buy. We jumped into the shuttle and headed back to our car and headed back to our hotel.
Thanks for stopping by!
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