DAY 1, MAY 23, 2018
After a day of packing and little to no sleep, we arrived at the airport. Apparently, this was “My and Emelia’s trip” so we had to do all the planning and packing and airport stuff out of the blue. FUN! Got the luggage tags on and, after a weird encounter at the baggage drop-off (the guy wanted us to guess his age…), we said goodbye to our dad and headed through TSA. We were all sad that Dad couldn’t come along, but if he did, he would have to take off work with Disney which is a big no no according to Disney. Anyhow, we got through TSA with no problem and got to the Gate when I realized I had left my refillable water bottle at home! Drats! So we went to a nearby shop and bought a water bottle for $5!!!! You can bet I used this bottle a lot. I actually still have it….maybe I should take care of that.
Got on the airplane for our 5 hour flight to Phoenix, Arizona. It was a nice flight, especially since we saw Epcot and the Mickey Solar Panel Farm during takeoff! The hostess came around with snacks and we got some “Plane Cookies.” Assuming it was just a pun and that they were plain flavored, we were shocked to discover they were cinnamon! And in the shape of Airplanes! Soon we landed in Phoenix and found our next flight for Orange County. Spent a good deal of time in Phoenix, and I couldn’t get the Wi-fi to work! Not only that, but I refilled my water bottle with a nearby “filter fountain” and it tasted like metal! Disgusting! Got on the plane to Phoenix and met a lovely couple also travelling to Disneyland….and also Cast Members! The husband was an Attractions Manager at the Studios! Got on the airplane for our 45 minute flight. Very quick and nice.
We landed at about 3:30 PST (6:30 EST), got our luggage, and met my brother, Tori, and his wife, Morgan, outside. The two drove us to In-N-Out which should be no surprise. I had three burgers before we drove down to our hotel, the Disneyland Hotel! Morgan dropped us off so as to avoid the parking fee and we checked in. Emelia stated that she wanted to stay in any of the towers except Frontier Tower. We got Frontier Tower! Not like there’s much difference in the towers. Stopped by the room to get in some theme-park attire and we rushed to Disneyland. Morgan met us there with a wheelchair for my Mom (she has Rheumatoid Arthritis and it can sometimes wear her down too much, especially her feet). Our goal was to try and ride the Matterhorn first, but the wait was an hour and the next Fastpass time was not until 11:30 that night, way too late for us! For some reason, Small World has Fastpass, and it was an instant one! So we got our Fastpasses and went straight on Small World. I was shocked to find out that the paper Fastpasses were merely reminders, not the actual Fastpass! Although I’m glad I get to keep the papers now.
We got the back row of Small World and I was amazed at how colorful it was! I got so used to WDW’s attractions that it was like a totally different world, despite the fact I used to visit Disneyland so much as a kid! About halfway through the ride, I had realized that all I had my mind on was comparing it to Florida. Once I realized this, i also realized how annoying it could be, so I just tried to take it all in and accept it how it is. We got off Small World and decided we could squeeze in the Tea Cups before fireworks. I hate the Tea Cups. CORRECTION: I hate riding the Tea Cups with Emelia, much less Tori. Tori is the ultimate spinner, so I sat this one out with Mom and Morgan.
It was about an hour to the fireworks time, so we decided to stake a spot near the Jolly Holiday. We get there and a couple, both on ECVs, pull up and start yelling at us! Apparently, it was their spot and the Cast Members wouldn’t let them have it yet. We offered to move over, and they gladly took the offer. Two feet really isn’t going to affect the viewing all that much. Soon the crowds began to pick up in the Hub, and the one guy on the ECV got up and left! He was using his ECV as a placeholder for his spot! I was so mad! And then 10 minutes to showtime, he comes back with soup and sandwiches for his wife! I wanted to sock this guy!
I couldn’t sock him though, because it was showtime for “Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular.” It wasn’t that spectacular. It’s supposed to celebrate friendship, but it felt more like a giant Pixar ad that was forced. The WALL-E scene was cute. And Buzz and the Up house flying through the sky was cool. But there was absolutely no story or pattern. One moment you’re flying with Up, the next the Incredibles are fighting an Omnidroid and, get this, Frozone is in his suit and still yells “WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT?” And the ending was also interesting because they had a huge hug montage and they used that as an opportunity to plug all the other movies from Pixar like The Good Dinosaur and Brave. Oh, and they used the Trash Compactor scene from Toy Story 3 in the show! One of the most dramatic moments in Pixar history!!!! In a show for kids meant to be fun!!!! Such a crazy show.
After that crazy hour, we decided we would try to ride Storybook Land Canal Boats. This was something we intended to cut due to lack of time and since you can see all of it from Casey Jr. Thanks to the surprise of going that night, we could ride. So we got to the ride and used the wheelchair queue. We got straight on and a private boat ride! Storybook Land is quite the ride for me. The miniatures are cute and it’s a peaceful ride, but at night, it’s pretty difficult to find a lot of things. And the arches near the Casey Jr. station are supposedly “A whole new World,” which makes little sense to me. Oh, and you can see the boat storage at the end of the ride behind the waterfall. After Storybook Land, in order to save time for the next day, I suggested a ride on Alice in Wonderland. Well, it still hadn’t re-opened from the fireworks, so we opted for Casey Jr. One thing that’s been on my bucket list for a while was to sit in the very back of Casey Jr. on the caboose, going backwards on the track. Thanks to the wheelchair, I got that opportunity. It was reaaaaally trippy to see the other direction! It was so crazy to me!
It was about 10:45 PST, so we decided to head out for the night. Tori and Morgan went back to their apartment and the three of us headed back to the Frontier Tower. After we all showered, we hit the hay at about 11:15 PST, very late for us!

Total steps: I don’t keep track
Total footage amount: 48 min 32 sec