After a four year hiatus, we were finally headed back to a Disney property.
It was a cloudy, drizzly morning in Anaheim. The snails were out again on the walk in front of our AirBNB. I’m not exactly sure where they come from. (There was a metal grate in the lawn that I assume serves as storm drainage, so maybe there?)
The drive to Disneyland was pretty uneventful.
I had remarked about how we really hadn’t seen any sort of grocery stores or shopping centers on the drive down from Los Angeles. It seemed odd. Normally, when you are driving on the Interstate in metropolitan areas around the country, you will see Targets and Walmarts and various shopping options along the main drag.
That wasn’t the case for us. And as we drove through Anaheim to the park, we still didn’t see any evidence of a Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, or grocery store. Weird.
Anyhow, we arrived at the Disney parking garage at 7:37 a.m., roughly 20 minutes after departing our AirBNB.
We were spending one day (Thursday) at Disneyland. We were set for Disney’s California Adventure (it’s like Hollywood Studios at Disney World) for the next day (Friday). Both parks are right next to each other.
PRO TIP: There is a tram service outside the garage that will transport you to the park entrance — we’d recommend that you take it. We didn’t take it on the first day, and it was something of a hike through Downtown Disney (the shopping/dining area outside the parks that is something akin to Disney Springs in Florida). You‘ll be on your feet all day — rest them as much as possible.
We made a quick stop at City Hall (guest relations) near the entrance to get me and Bridge added to the Disability Access Service (DAS) pass that Neil and Theresa had set up already with Disney. As I‘ve mentioned before, Anson is autistic and he gets anxious in large crowds, and theme parks have notoriously long, crowded queues. Neil and Theresa did a pre-interview with Disney guest relations via Zoom (and Anson, although he didn’t know what it was for, obviously, since the trip was a surprise to the kids) to get the pass arranged for ahead of time. But they weren’t able to connect us to the pass ahead of time, so the cast member they talked to said to stop at City Hall on the way in and they’d handle it — and they did.
One thing I will say: How Disney handles their disability accommodations was light years ahead of Universal Studios Hollywood. The combination of the DAS pass and having purchased Genie+ for each of the members of our group meant we never waited more than 15-30 minutes in line for any ride we selected. That resulted in a much better experience for everyone, including Anson. The DAS pass doesn’t allow you to “cut the line” or “skip the line” — you just wait out the normal standby time (plus 10 minutes) outside the normal queue and then go through the Lightning Lane entrance, which still has a line, but it’s usually a lot shorter than the regular standby line.
Once that task was accomplished, it was time to explore. Despite some differences, the park itself is laid out in a hub-and-spoke arrangement (with Main Street leading to the hub) similar to Magic Kingdom at Disney World. So if you are familiar with that, you'll find yourself fairly well oriented with things here.
As we made it to the central area (featuring the Sleeping Beauty Castle), we headed to our left (west) toward Frontierland.
We decided to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride first. We have a tradition of going on this ride early during our visit to Disney Parks (we made this our second stop at Disney World in 2019 — read my blog post).
This version of Pirates of the Caribbean was different than the one at Disney World. For example, there was a point early on in the ride where the boat went down a slight drop.
I’ve gotta be honest, I thought I took some good pics during this ride (it was dark, but I thought my iPhone was up to the task). It turns out that most of them were pretty blurry (and I didn’t want to use the flash on the phone), but this one was somewhat decent:
I like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It reminds me of some of the attractions at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch that we enjoy each season.
Afterwards, we debated about whether or not to try the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. We ultimately didn’t go on the ride at that point, but would visit the attraction again in the evening (more on that later).
Next up was the Haunted Mansion (another ride that reminds us of Vala’s). This ride was a favorite during the Disney World trip in 2019 (I went on it twice) and we enjoyed it again this time.
For some reason, I wasn’t on my photo game at that point in the morning (it was a little before 9 a.m.). I only got a couple pics of the Haunted Mansion.
Despite the lack of photos early, we’d already been on two rides — a much better pace than we had during our days at Universal Studios Hollywood.
We decided to take on Splash Mountain while we were there. The ride is set to be rebranded this year, and we thought we’d get it in during our visit.
Neil, Blaise, and Scotland weren’t interested in the ride (Scotland, in particular, isn’t a fan of the scary rides). Theresa, Anson, Bridget, and I decided to give it a try. So, we “poncho’d up” and headed inside.
I give Anson credit for going on the scarier rides (not that Splash Mountain is particularly scary, but it does have a big drop at the end). Theresa said she thinks Anson enjoys the way drops on rides make his “tummy tickle.”
Neil took video of the “big drop” that happens at the end of the ride. I’m glad he captured the screaming. I combined that video (along with a picture of us captured by Disney PhotoPass) to make this short video:
Each of us got wet to varying degrees. But Bridget — who was in the front of the boat — got drenched (despite the poncho). She said the water came in through the hood of the poncho and hit her in the face before soaking the front of her shirt.
I will say that the expression on Anson’s face in this picture is just classic! (On the other hand, I look like I’m taking a nap!)
We headed to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge next, entering a galaxy far, far away... in this case, the northwest side of the park.
Galaxy’s Edge was not open the last time we visited a Disney Park (it was still under construction at both Disney World and Disneyland in 2019).
I was looking forward to experiencing it. I had avoided spoilers online (any of the various YouTube channels dedicated to park walk-through videos).
I also wasn’t sure exactly what we were going to be doing.
I did know that we were going on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride, but knew very little about it. I wasn’t sure if we were going on the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride.
I also didn’t know how much time we would have in the area since our time at Disneyland was limited to a single day.
My friend Mike Schellhardt has made a couple of lightsabers in the Savi’s Workshop at Galaxy’s Edge in Florida, but I didn’t know if anything like that was on the agenda.
They’ve done a nice job of making the Galaxy’s Edge attraction “feel” like it’s out of “Star Wars.” There are a lot of little details and nods to the various movies and TV series in the virtual world.
On some of the pathways to the rides there were even impressions that looked like C-3PO’s footprints and R2-D2’s “wheel tracks”:
Those details are all very neat.
After a brief restroom break, we headed to the line for Rise of the Resistance. I should note that the restrooms were also designed to look like they were part of the world:
Same thing with the trash cans:
The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride was just fantastic. I mentioned in a previous blog post that I should probably have a GoPro to capture the full experience of some of these rides when we go to theme parks in the future.
I did capture this intro for the ride — along with some other video snippets (including some from “live photos” taken by our group) — on video. Here is my compilation video for Rise of the Resistance:
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience they created. This turned out to be my favorite ride at Disneyland — primarily because of the overall look and feel. You felt like you were in a “Star Wars” movie.
They make it feel like you are on a mission:
You’ll encounter Imperial officers and Stormtroopers (and get taken prisoner) during the experience:
In the latter half of Rise of the Resistance, you ride around in cars that look “kind of” like Imperial Troop Transports (controlled by a droid).
It was just a lot of fun.
This is going to sound ridiculous, but as a big “Star Wars” fan, I was kind of overwhelmed at the end of the experience — it might have been the fatigue, but the ride shows just how good the Walt Disney Imagineering team is.
I’ll have more on this ride later in the post...
We left Galaxy’s Edge around 10:15 a.m. I grabbed a few more pics of the exterior of the buildings as we left.
I also took this one of astromech droids in a rusting jumble:
We walked across the complex to the Tomorrowland section of the park. We decided to check out Autopia — a ride featuring cars on tracks.
This ride is similar to the Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney World (a ride that was being renovated when we visited Orlando in 2019).
Blaise drove by himself:
Anson drove Theresa:
I drove Bridget:
I liked the old school vibe of the ride. I’m glad we were able to experience it on this trip.
Next up was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride. The original Submarine Voyage ride debuted in 1959 (it operated until 1998). The current ride uses the same lagoon and submarines as the original.
If I’m being honest, I'd have to say that this ride is somewhat dull (I’m sure it was very exciting in 1959).
The interior was darkened and you looked out portholes to see various items in the water as the submarine moved. It sort of made me sleepy (I think Neil might have taken a cat nap), but it was nice to have a moment to rest our feet.
After our moment of submarine zen, we headed back to Galaxy’s Edge. This time out we were riding Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
It’s pretty awesome that they have a life-size Falcon in the park. It offers a number of photo opportunities for fans (we did have some pics taken via Disney PhotoPass, but we were lukewarm on the three photos taken).
You enter the ride in this holdout area:
There is an animatronic version of Hondo Ohnaka (who has appeared in various properties including “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” animated series) giving instructions before the ride.
Bridget and I went on the ride with Theresa and Anson. One of the cast members asked Anson if he’d like to pilot the ship. Anson very politely said, “No thank you.”
To be honest, he probably should have piloted the ship (he’s really good at playing Minecraft and Roblox...among other games). Instead, Bridget and I were tasked with piloting the Falcon.
Piloting the ship was harder than it looked. We managed to hit a number of things on our path. The other four people (including Theresa and Anson) were in charge of other tasks in the cockpit. (I believe Theresa and Anson were both running engineering.)
Theresa got a picture of Bridge and me in the pilot/co-pilot seats. I’m glad she was able to get a good one!
The ride isn’t quite as interesting as Rise of the Resistance, but it is fun!
We walked back to Tomorrowland.
It was in the noon hour and we ordered lunch using the mobile ordering on the Disneyland app before they went on the ride. So Bridget and I found a table and waited on the food while Neil, Theresa, and the kids went on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride.
We had lunch at the Galactic Grill. Our crew ordered burgers, chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, fries, Mandarin oranges, and drinks.
A couple of the burger orders had the incorrect toppings. The concession stand staff replaced them when it was brought to their attention. But they were very good — the meat patties were very flavorful.
Blaise seemed to enjoy his chicken tenders and Scotland enjoyed her macaroni and cheese.
After lunch, we took a brief bathroom break and some more pictures.
I was trying to get some good ones of Bridget and the kids.
Then we headed to a venerable classic at the Disney Parks — the It's a Small World ride.
Note: In this selfie I took with Bridget in front of the ride, you’ll see our nephew Blaise in the background. It’s funny to watch the “live photo” because he is running across the background, and just happened to look our way at the exact moment to be captured in the still photo.
It’s a Small World debuted at Disneyland in 1966. It was first created for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. It has been updated over the years to include some of the new characters.
Like the Submarine Voyage, this is one of the more “genteel” rides in the park.
But there’s something about it that continues to draw people in. It’s kind of neat to see what a Disney ride looked like 50 to 60 years ago.
We then made our way to Main Street to find a spot to watch the “Magic Happens” parade. Well, Neil, Theresa, and Anson headed there.
Bridget and I took Blaise and Scotland on the Star Tours ride — which is sort of the OG “Star Wars” simulator ride.
While not as intricate as the newer “Star Wars” rides Disney offers, they update Star Tours periodically with video from the current movies to try and keep things fresh.
Once the ride concluded, we headed over to our companions waiting along the parade route and waited for the show to start (around 3:30 p.m.)
Neil and Blaise got this amazing looking sundae:
If you haven’t had the chance to experience one of the daily parades at Disneyland or Disney World, I put together this video with some clips from the parade we watched during our California trip:
After the parade, we walked by Sleeping Beauty Castle on our way to the north side of the park.
It definitely has a different vibe than the Cinderella Castle at Disney World, but is a pretty attraction nonetheless.
Next we went on the Alice in Wonderland ride. It is another one of the old school rides in the park, launched in 1958.
We didn’t get any indoor pictures during the ride, but Neil got this picture of us riding on the exterior track:
We headed to Mickey’s Toontown after Alice in Wonderland. We were there to check out Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride, a new attraction.
The Runaway Railway ride was fun. At first (as we waited in line) we heard the ride was down, but they were ultimately able to operate it, (I dunno if we missed any aspect of the ride or not...it seemed complete to me.)
There was a video intro for the ride, and we weren’t sure if they were still experiencing glitches or not. There were also some colorful sets to see in the ride.
When the ride came to a close, Neil, Theresa and the kids stayed in Toontown while Bridget and I headed back to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
That’s when Bridget broke the news to me that she had made a reservation for me to make a custom lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop.
I wasn’t expecting to make a lightsaber on this trip since we hadn’t talked about it beforehand. But I was very excited to have the opportunity to do it. (Bridget made the reservation 60 days ahead of time, at the first opportunity to do so, since these reservations sell out quickly.)
You checked in along the exterior of Savi’s Workshop. You choose the type of lightsaber you are going to build (they have pictures of the parts and let you look at the pieces used beforehand) — the choices are “Peace and Justice,” “Power and Control,” “Elemental Nature,” and “Protection and Defense.”
I didn’t get a picture of the options, but my friend Mike Schellhardt did when he was at Disney World a few weeks before:
When you’ve made your choice, you get a corresponding pin to wear (so the cast members in the workshop can see which parts to supply you with):
And you also receive a card to show you’ve reserved a spot (which you return to them upon entering):
Once inside, they set you up at individual stations arranged in an oval in the room.
They bring you a tray with the parts for your particular lightsaber and offer instructions. Then you begin the process of constructing the lightsaber.
Bridget was along to observe the sacred art behind the construction of my lightsaber. She took pictures and video clips.
I made a video with her footage of the process. If you plan to make a lightsaber someday — and want the process to be a surprise — you don’t have to watch the video below. But if you’d like to see what it’s like, I think you’ll find it interesting:
As noted in the video, when they came around to have me select my kyber crystal, the cast member for my station only had blue and purple crystals left. I’m glad she motioned to other gentleman, because I wanted a green lightsaber.
So this is what the blade looks like lit:
And this is a close-up view of the finished lightsaber:
You receive a carrying case with a shoulder strap upon completion. That was really handy for toting the lightsaber around the park.
Overall, it was a great experience! I’m really glad I had the opportunity to make one! I have a decent-size “Star Wars” collection (I mean, a whole room in our house is dedicated to part of my collection) and I was happy to add a lightsaber to it!
Our family rejoined us a short time after the lightsaber construction.
While we waited, Bridget purchased this sweatshirt (in my size — because SW apparel isn’t really her thing — in the Droid Depot) because she was cold. She and Scotland both took turns wearing it over the course of the next couple of days.
(By the way, you can make your own custom astromech droid in the Droid Depot, so maybe I’ll get to try that when we visit a Disney property in the future!)
Theresa booked all of us on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride for the second time.
Most of us had a great time on our second run of the ride. Anson (who just turned 6) was like, “I don't like that ride, Jonny. And I don’t want to go on it again...”
Knowing Anson as well as I do, I thought it was a pretty funny comment. (Even though his mom booked us on the ride, I thought it was cute how he was holding me responsible for us having to go on the “Star Wars” ride a second time!)
It was 7 p.m. at that point, and we hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch, so I chalked it up to him being “hangry.”
Before we left Galaxy’s Edge, I purchased one of these bottles of Sprite that looks like “thermal detonator.” (Theresa purchased the Coca-Cola version.)
When you are in Galaxy’s Edge, the Disney cast members stay in character (like you are actually in a galaxy far, far away...).
But the young woman who sold us the bottles that evening seemed to be totally “over it.”
Next up was dinner. We ate at the Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland.
The entrees offered were Chicken Tenders, Hand-Dipped Corn Dogs, or Fish and Chips.
I had the chicken tenders and fries:
Bridget had the fish and chips:
Blaise and Theresa love corn dogs, so they opted for that:
It was a little after 8 p.m. when we finished eating dinner. We debated whether or not to go on another ride, or go and find a spot for the “Wondrous Journeys” show at Sleeping Beauty Castle. We opted for the castle.
We had a good spot, but the show didn’t start until 9:30 p.m., so we had a bit of a wait.
The show is similar to the “Happily Ever After” show at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. I will say that “Happily Ever After” is probably the “gold standard” of Disney’s evening light/fireworks shows, but we enjoyed “Wondrous Journeys.” However, due to the wind, they weren’t able to shoot off all the fireworks they usually do during the show.
I took some video clips of this and thought I’d put them in a video so you could experience a bit of the show for yourself:
I haven’t really mentioned the MagicBands we were all wearing.
We had these when we were at Disney World. They have since upgraded to “MagicBand+” devices. The previous MagicBands and then new “+” version allow you to gain entry into the park, get into rides, and purchase food/merchandise — BUT, many of these features aren’t enabled at Disneyland. (For example, you cannot use them to purchase concessions or merchandise.)
The MagicBand+ devices do have LED lights that kick on at certain points when you are in the park (like during the “Wondrous Journeys” light show).
You used to get the MagicBands (the basic models) for free, but you now have to pay for them. Bridget ordered me one with a “Star Wars” design, but everyone else had a generic version.
Some might prefer to use their phones to check in to various rides in the park. MagicBands might make more sense if you are visiting Disney World and staying on property in one of the Disney resorts.
PRO TIP: If you do get MagicBand+ devices for yourself and/or your group, be sure to charge the device and update the software in advance. Don’t wait until the night before. (Neil and Bridget coordinated charging and updates for seven devices in one night. It was a bit stressful.)
Was that it? It was almost 10 p.m. Did we call it a night?
We decided to go on one... more... ride.
I mentioned earlier in this post that we had thought about going on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride.
We decided to head over there after the light show and try it out.
Blaise and Scotland seemed concerned. They had watched a video of the ride on YouTube, so they knew what to expect, but I think they were worried it might be scary. (I know Scotland was.)
The hallways encompassing the holdout line looked like they stepped off the set of an “Indiana Jones” movie.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with my newly-minted lightsaber on the ride. (It did look like they had netted pouches in the cars where you could stow items, but they looked small.)
Unfortunately, the ride broke down before we had the chance to ride it. We could have waited, but we were all running on fumes at that point. And given our experience with Mario Kart at Universal Studios Hollywood, we weren’t up for another long wait.
Before we left, Bridget wanted to ride the Disneyland Monorail. It turns out, that was a great choice.
The Monorail ran on a course that would take us back to Downtown Disney (where you enter and exit the Disneyland and California Adventure parks).
We rode the monorail to Downtown Disney, but we weren’t quite ready to be done with the day’s adventure. So we looked at some of the shops before they closed, then headed to the parking garage.
And that was it for our jam-packed day at Disneyland (well... other than a stop on the way back to our AirBNB to get some bottled waters at a nearby McDonald’s). We walked until our feet were sore and did our best to finish strong.
It was a day full of all sorts of entertaining activities, fun rides, and good food.
And we were looking forward to trying the rides and attractions offered at Disney’s California Adventure — Stay Tuned for Part 5!
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