Bye Bye Bug's Land (2018 DLR Trip) – Day 2

Day 2, May 24, 2018
Woke up bright and early, around 7:00 PST, and got ready for Disneyland. Magic Hours began that morning at 8:00. Let me tell you what I had for breakfast. When you have a corn allergy, it’s dangerous to eat breakfast out. So my Mom packed some bacon for the trip. How did we cook it? We wrapped it in aluminum foil and ironed it on an ironing board. Nice and crispy, delicious I might add. Tori arrived around 7:30 with fresh doughnuts. We ate about half the box that morning! Love California doughnuts!
We left the room, walked through Downtown Disney, and then it began to rain. In California. On our last trip, it also rained, so we must be bringing rain with us! Thankfully, it wasn’t that hard for rain, but it was really cold! Got to the gates of Disneyland and waited for the park to open. Alas, the gates opened and we walked to Peter Pan’s Flight. Along the way, we purchased Maxpass for the day, and it was so helpful! We made a Fastpass for Hyperspace Mountain right away. Then we got to Peter Pan and it was already down! So our next stop was the Matterhorn Bobsleds! I had never been on them before because they always seemed to be closed when we visited, but this was our chance! We walked straight on to the Tomorrowland side, and it was a bumpy ride! Not only that, but Harold was still sleeping! I really enjoyed the Matterhorn. Loved it a lot.
Since it was raining, Alice in Wonderland was also down, so we walked right on to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It was a “hell” of a ride! Got off Toady and found out that Peter Pan was back up…with a 40 minute wait. Thankfully, Tori used to work Fantasyland, so he was able to pull a few strings and get us an expedited entrance. It’s been at least 8 years since my last Pan ride, and it was amazing! I was blown away at the number of sways and dips! Next, Snow White’s Scary Adventures where we jokingly screamed the whole time! And the ending is so awkward on that ride!
We got right off Snow White and dashed to Pinocchio, but it was down! The greeter recognized Tori, so they began discussing how they missed each other, and during that, the ride went back up! We were the first people on Pinocchio’s Daring Journey that day! Got off Pinocchio and it was STILL raining! So we decided to do Tomorrowland. Started with the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage due to the long waits it can gain. We waited about 10 minutes before we got in our “yellow whale.” It wasn’t as fun as I remember from when I was a youngling, but it was still fun. Now the park was open to everyone. We walked to Hyperspace Mountain for our Fastpass. I’m glad they brought it back for me, but I still prefer regular Space Mountain. It was still a lot of fun though! It felt like we were in a real space battle! I loved it! Walked into another space battle with Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. I’m so used to the mounted cannons and the hard buttons that I had a little trouble pulling a trigger. And I don’t know the secret targets on this ride, so I scored a modest 122,000, which is nothing compared to my Florida scores. After that, made a Fastpass for Big Thunder.
Next, we wanted to do either Autopia or the Monorail, but due to the rain, Autopia was down. And if Autopia is down, so is the Monorail. We were trying to kill time before Toontown opened so we could rope drop that, but we had nothing in the area to do!….or could we ride a certain ride again? Yup! Small World again! This time front row! It was much more enjoyable now that I wasn’t comparing rides like crazy. We got off of that and walked straight on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. I still don’t know why this ride feels so plot-less and why it’s so hard to spin or stay straight, and also, why are some of the effects down? Anyhow, got off that and made a Fastpass for Indiana Jones. We wanted to ride Gadget’s Go Coaster, but it was down because of the rain. We also wanted to go in Mickey’s House, but Mickey was meeting in his entrance and there was a huuuuge line. So we walked to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was a blast! And we got to see Star Wars Land construction! Got off and made a Fastpass for Splash Mountain.
It was then time for our Indiana Jones Fastpass, and it’s one of the best rides ever! Although I blame it for giving me eye contact problems. Then we went on Splash Mountain. There were some annoying people in the queue…did you know Grad Nite is the best time of year to visit Disneyland? Lots of loud chanting and someone yelled at me because I wouldn’t put them in my video…my camera wasn’t even on nor filming. The ride itself was pretty good sure as you’re born!….and very dark! I expected it to be brighter, but I guess that’s what happens when the ride is underground. Usually, you get very wet on this version of the ride, but Tori and I were lucky enough to sit in the back. I barely got wet at all! I was dry before we even got off the ride! It was so weird! Next was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a very nice ride. I appreciate how this ride is hidden in the back corner and hardly ever has a wait, as well as how much more advanced and fun (and dark) compared to Florida. Although I wish it was at least in chronological order of the movie. Now, Haunted Mansion, where I learned that Morgan now works at HM! No more Pooh for her! Last time we went, the Mansion was down for Hatty’s addition, so it was a pleasure to ride it again. The Stretching Room was full of loud graduates as well. I hate it when people scream in the Stretching Room, especially when Emelia does. I was amazed at how stretched the Stretching room got! It went so far up! Then we saw the Hatbox Ghost for the first time, and honestly, he’s much shorter than I envisioned. I expected him to be taller! But he was quite a spectacle.
Thanks to Maxpass, we decided we had so much free time that we could actually eat at a sit-down for lunch. Mom was craving a Monte Cristo, so we decided we would eat at Cafe Orleans. Tori tried to get a reservation while Emelia and I went up Tarzan’s Treehouse. It was nice, but the people in front of us just kept stopping at causing traffic for pictures. It was hard to spend time and look at things with all the people behind us, and all the sections where you can let people pass are all the staircases. It was around this time that it finally stopped raining! Finally! We couldn’t get a reservation, so we decided we’d just walk up to the restaurant. We were told it would be a 30 minute wait, so we sat down and waited 5 minutes before we were called! I think it may have had to do with telling them about my allergy, but no matter. We got a waterfront view before Morgan would meet us for lunch (and the free wheelchair!). The four of them enjoyed a Monte Cristos and I got the steak and potatoes. Not the best steak I’ve had, but still good. We also got some of the Pommes Frites (French for French fries) and they were also quite tasty! I would eat there again. After lunch, we made another Fastpass for Hyperspace Mountain in the afternoon. Maxpass is so helpful!!!!
Got a ride on the Mark Twain in. A nice cruise down the Rivers of America. It was also cool to see the updated version with the Death Beaver and what not. Very peaceful ride. Afterwards, Emelia expressed interest in seeing the Disneyland Dapper Dans so she could compare. I reluctantly obliged and we caught them on Main Street. They sing better, but they’re not as funny nor as handsome. Maybe I’m just picky. Then we went to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I wish we had more time to look at the displays in the lobby, but the show was about to begin! It also had a much different theater than I remember from eight years ago. It could just be my memory failing, but I recall it looking like the American Adventure theater with all the Spirit of _____ statues everywhere. The show was nice, it was like watching the American Adventure but focused more on Lincoln! We got quite a chuckle out of “Two Brothers” and “Golden Dream” being used! Right away afterwards, we walked up the Main Street Train Station and found the train pulling in! So we took the whole train around. I love how the train cars face inward on the park and you can see all the happenings within. And the left turn was really something! Although I was quite disappointed with the Primeval World diorama because the T-Rex and Stegosaurus (much like the scene from Ellen’s Energy Adventure) were behind a curtain! They were my favorite part! While on board, we re-scheduled our Hyperspace Mountain Fastpass to a later time.
Once off the train, we returned to the Hotel room. Emelia and I wanted to go swimming the night before and ride the Monorail slides, but the slides closed before we got there yesterday. So we suited up, strapped on the GoPro, and dashed to the pool while everyone else rested. We got to the Yellow Monorail slide when we were informed that you couldn’t take the GoPro down the slides! So I did something I will never do again. I LEFT IT OUT IN THE OPEN ON A POOL CHAIR. This is probably one of the dumbest mistakes I’ve ever made, leaving a $400 camera out for anyone to see. Thank God it was still there. Anyhow, we went down the Monorail slides and they were really disappointing! The yellow one barely picks up speed before it ends. As for the Red one, I got stuck in one of the helixes and had to inch my way down before picking up speed! After that, we spent some time in the D-Ticket before realizing how cold we were! So we hopped in the hot tub for a bit before returning back to the room. We both washed up, made a Fastpass for the Matterhorn, and, surprisingly, I took a nap! After our naps, we all dined at Earl of Sandwich since we hardly eat there in Florida. I’m kind of obsessed with their sandwiches. Mom went back to the Hotel room to meet an old friend while Morgan, Tori, Emelia, and I went back to Disneyland via Monorail Blue.
After our Monorail ride to Tomorrowland, we dashed through a parade route right before the Pixar Play Parade began! We’re lucky it hadn’t come out yet! We went back to Toontown and got in line for Gadget’s Go Coaster. We waited about 20 minutes. I’m surprised they only have one train for it! I was also sad that the spitting frogs were down. Anyhow, we got front row (without asking) and went on a crazy ride. We then took a stroll through Mickey’s House which also doubles as a cartoon studio apparently. Mickey’s House is weeeeeeeeeird. At the time, meeting Mickey had no wait, so Tori suggested we meet him since he usually has a huge line (he would know, he used to work there). We opted not to just because Emelia has character anxiety.
Next on the rained out plans was Alice in Wonderland. We waited about a half hour before the ride broke down and had to be evacuated. We just got out of line and headed for the next attraction, Autopia! We also made another Fastpass for Indiana Jones. The new Autopia was pretty cool, despite having a teenager next to me who wouldn’t stop panicking due to a “traumatic Autopia experience” three years ago. I love the Bird and Robot scenes! Poor Bird can’t fly! I was shocked to learn that Disney doesn’t have Bird plushes! I would have purchased one on the spot if there was!
Walked straight off Autopia and right into the Monorail queue. While in line, I was notified by the Disneyland app that our Hyperspace Mountain Fastpass was good for any other time due to a breakdown. This was great for us! Back to Monorail stuff. I was determined to sit in the front, also known as the Nose. We waited an extra 15 minutes to sit in the Nose, and it was so worth it! We got to see a totally new perspective of the Monorail! It also bobbed up and down a lot, which was a little scary. We also had a nice chat with our first Monorail Pilot about Florida and how the Monorails are so different. Disneyland fun fact: Monorail Pilots only drive one leg of a trip before going back on the platform. Disney World Pilots at least get to drive the whole line. So we got to Downtown Disney and met a new Pilot, one that Morgan had met before. He was a lovely gentleman and a lot of fun! Thanks to no longer having to worry about our Hyperspace FP time, we got in line for Alice in Wonderland once again. We actually made it on this time! Third time’s the charm! It was fun to journey down the Rabbit hole and… have the audio go out when we were running from the Queen of Hearts. I guess they got our heads and we were descending down to Hell… or the Mad Tea Party scene.
Got right off Alice and went to our Matterhorn FP. This time, we rode the Fantasyland side, and I have to say, I liked it better. Also, Harold was awake, so we got yelled at by him! Such a pleasant individual. Then we used our Fastpass for Hyperspace Mountain. Again, a lot of fun. Before we left again, Mom said Tori could buy us one treat each. Emelia decided she wanted a Disneyland churro. We got her one from Tomorrowland, so she got a lightsaber churro! It was blue. The fireworks had just begun, so we quickly ran across the Hub and got to the Enchanted Tiki Room. Realizing I hadn’t gotten a Dole Whip yet, it was time for one. Tori and Morgan also got one. So we sat in the Enchanted Tiki Garden, enjoying a Dole Whip, before venturing into the bright Tiki Room. Much brighter than Florida’s! Anyhow, I love how the show is almost the same, but certain songs have cut lyrics while others have more lyrics. Also, the Hawaiian War Chant is quite different when a Tiki is right behind you. He was quite loud! Our final ride was Indiana Jones once again. It’s Morgan’s favorite ride and so she wanted to ride it with us. Instead of filming it like I normally would and throwing in random commentary, I just decided to enjoy it. Sometimes I ponder upon just not filming and just enjoying the parks instead of making goofy videos telling my day. Either way, I enjoyed Indiana Jones to the fullest and may or may not have looked in the eyes of Mara.
Morgan left for her car and Tori decided to stay in the room with us. So the three of us headed back to Frontier Tower at 11:00 PST where we all hit the hay….did I say all? I meant everyone except me. I noticed that my SD card on my camera was nearly full and would need the files exported if I was to film Bug’s Land the next day. So I stayed up on my laptop exporting the files and didn’t go to bed until around 11:45 PST. I regret nothing…except maybe riding Buzz Lightyear again. Oh, and I would’ve done the Castle Walkthrough that we forgot about. Overall, a very good day, thanks to the help of Maxpass!

Total video footage: 2 hr 1 min 38 sec