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Old 29 Jun 20, 01:01 PM  
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juliab
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The 260 Mile West Coast Wander - August 2019 - Day 21 - Disneyland 1st timers

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Saturday 24th August

We were so tired last night and fell asleep within seconds. I was awake at 3am though as I could hear this irritating noise coming from the air conditioning unit. I had turned the air con before we went to sleep as usual but there was still a loud annoying noise blowing through the vent?

I think because it was dark and in the middle of the night the noise to me seemed so loud. Thankfully it didn’t wake Scott up and because of the sliding doors the kid’s weren’t disturbed. I tried my best to get back to sleep but I struggled even with earplugs in.

It was 6am when both Scott and I got up, I was feeling tired but I knew that once I was ready and we had some breakfast I would be feeling fine. We were going to Disneyland so of course today was going to be amazing.

The kids were up next and once we’d all got ready we made our way down to get some breakfast. I had a quick word on reception about the noise and they said they’d get maintenance to have a look at the unit.

Only a couple of other families were having some breakfast so it was lovely and quiet and there were lots of hot breakfast foods available for us to munch on.



We filled ourselves up with all sorts the choices were really good and we left feeling more than ready for the day ahead

It was a beautiful day and we set off walking to the park we only saw a few other people out and about but as we neared the entrance we could see a lot more people. It took us around 15 to walk there so it wasn’t too far away.


No issue’s getting through security then we went over to the Magic Hour line where the cast member checked our tickets. Once she scanned us in she gave us a small ticket to use instead of the large paper ticket we had. I had got our tickets scanned into the app but it was good to have an actual ticket too.




We were then in the Disneyland park and what an amazing feeling it was to step inside here.


We called into guest services where a very helpful cast member got Hayden sorted with the disability assisted pass card. She circled all the information places and told us how we would obtain a return time for a ride. It was very similar to the one at WDW. She also told us to utilise the fastpass system too and then handed over a first visit badge for each of us which we were so chuffed about!

The cast member added a return time for us and Hayden picked out Space Mountain. She had been ever so helpful and we were so keen to start our time in the park.

The magic hour was nearly up but at least we’d managed to enter the park when it was really quiet and fairly empty.

What struck me about DisneyLand was how homely it felt and even though it looked very familiar it did feel so different.



We turned to look down Main Street and we could see the little castle at the end. Of course we had to get a photo on Main Street with the castle in the background it’s a tradition isn’t it?



Walking down to the castle was so lovely and the closer we got the more beautiful the castle looked.




After a few more castle pics we walked through the castle to Fantasyland and it felt so magical being here.





Not sure which ride to go on first but between us all we chose to go on Mr Toad’s Wild Ride as we’ve never been on this before.
Well what a fun ride this was, the cars seemed tiny but were quite fast. What a great first ride!



We then chose to go on the Matterhorn Bobsled’s we didn’t know what to expect which added to the excitement of going on new rides. We’d done so well over the months resisting watching Youtube videos of the attractions.

Poppy was a little unsure about this one but said she would give it a go. Thankfully we walked straight onto the ride so she didn’t have to think about it for too long.

On my we couldn’t believe how much of a boneshaker this was. It was so much fun though and we were howling with laughter all the way down!


Went on Space Mountain next with Hayden and Jamie and we didn’t realise that it was Star Wars themed.




It was so good we loved having the music in the ride vehicle it kind of reminded me a little of the one Disneyland Paris. Best ride of the day so far!

We met back up with Poppy and Scott and they’d really enjoyed their ride on the Astro Orbiter.

Figured whilst we were in the area and there wasn’t a line to go on Autopia next. The cars here seemed so much nicer for some reason.

Poppy wanted to go in a car on her own so she went in first and we all followed behind her.

I noticed that Poppy looked to be struggling a little as she kept starting and stopping? I then saw a cast member come onto the track and walk across to Poppy’s car, he then sat down with Poppy and I noticed from then on the car ran at a steady pace.
Apparently he kept his foot on the pedal as Poppy was struggling to do this.





Once we’d finished driving Poppy thanked the cast member and he said it was fine and that’s what we were here for to help you. I thought that was just so nice he’d gone all the way round the track with Poppy. I really enjoyed the drive too and I didn’t have an headache from the fumes either.

We went on another new ride next, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Again we walked straight on! We had been on something similar in LegoLand a few years back but this was so much better. This showed the full story of Finding Nemo - so loved how this was done.



Walked over to Frontierland next as we thought we’d look to getting a fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain.


As we approached the ride we saw that the wait time was only 10 minutes so we didn’t need to get a fastpass we just walked straight on.

Loved this ride so much it’s one of our favourites!












Went to the info spot next and we asked the cast member for a return time for Indiana Jones. Afterwards we walked to Splash Mountain where we picked up some fastpasses for the ride. It felt nice having actual paper tickets and yes of course I saved them all as souvenirs!


Wandering around again still not knowing where we were actually walking too we past Pirates of the Caribbean so of course we made this our next ride.

Again we didn’t know what to expect, apart from the obvious, it was so good. It seemed a lot longer and we liked how it passed by the restaurant. It was closed but it looked a lovely place to eat.






Walking a little further round we saw the Haunted Mansion, the wait time was just 13 minutes which of course means it’s a walk on.



This was so good again slightly different but every bit amazing as always.


After this we had a little sit down at the Mint Julep Bar where we purchased a few Mickey shaped Beignets and of course a drink of the refreshing Mint Julep. Whilst there we asked for some cups of cold water which the cast member was more than happy to oblige us with.


We chilled there for a while until our Indiana Jones return time was due. We amazed ourselves by actually being able to find this ride. As I thought Poppy was a little bit unsure to start with but was we walked further down the ride queue her confidence grew.

Oh my word this ride was just so good! Even though it was a little rocky and jerky in places but it was still quite smooth. A dark and fast paced ride with all those favourite Indiana Jones elements in it made this our favourite family ride so far!

Next stop was Splash Mountain as it was time to use our fast passes. It took us no time to get on this ride. Oh my word we got absolutely soaked, more so than usual but it was such fun and more than appreciated as it was so hot!









Our Star Wars mad son Hayden was keen to visit the new Galaxy’s Edge and ride Smugglers Run so we stopped off at the next info point and got a return time for the ride which was 45 minutes.

By the time we’d walked over to the new land and had walked round it was time for us to go for a ride. Wow we were totally blown away with the detail of the Millennium Falcon!


Whilst the ride didn’t blow me away it was still really good and the kids absolutely loved it. Poppy and Jamie were the pilots whilst Hayden and I were gunners. Scott was an engineer which he said wasn’t exactly thrilling but we all enjoyed getting immersed in the mission!







We all agreed that this new land looked amazing and that we’d spend more time looking around another time.


Picked up a fast pass as we walked past Star Tours, we only had a 20 minute wait which was still considerably shorter than the regular line.

It was early afternoon and as we thought it was starting to get really busy. Looking on the app at the queue times they’d all got considerably longer with some of them being over 60 minutes.

Star Tours was as brilliant as always and just the same as WDW. We love this one too it’s another family favourite.



Crossed over the park to Buzz lightyear where again we picked up a fast pass from the machine. We had a 20 minute wait whereas the regular line was 40 minutes. Made perfect sense to get a fast pass!

We so enjoyed this I really thing it brings out the competitive side of me! I noticed the score for the best of the day was 1.6 million! How the heck do they get a score like that I managed a measly 140,000.

Next we had a late lunch at the Jolly Holly Bakery where we had some delicious sandwiches. I wasn’t that hungry if I was honest after having a mega big breakfast but it was good to sit down and chill for a little while.


Churro time!


Afterwards we looked around the castle we walked through it and read the story of sleeping beauty. It really is such a pretty castle.








Walking back out into Fantastyland we continued walking a little further around


We finally stopped at another classic, It’s a Small World. Much to our delight it was walk on so we were soon sat in a boat singing along to that song!



Poppy noticed the characters within the countries such as Alice in England. We had a great time trying to spot many of them as we sailed around the world.






It was so busy now and I felt quite shattered so we decided to leave the park for a bit of peace. We stopped off for an ice cream at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on our way out though so the kid’s could enjoy a nice cool treat.




When we arrived back at the hotel I enquired at reception about the vent, they weren’t sure what I meant but said they’d send up someone from maintenance soon.

Somebody did come to our room quite promptly and he explained something about the units being built internally and this created the noise. Other people had noticed this issue but there wasn’t a great deal they could do the noise was always there. I asked if we moved room would that make a difference but he said he doubted it, people had encountered similar in the other 1 bed suites. Oh well, I thanked him for trying to help and that was that. I thought I might have to share the sofa bed with Poppy later!

Scott and Poppy had gone down to the pool at this point to cool down for a hour. The boy’s and I chilled for an hour in the room, I just wanted to have a sit down for a bit and have a little bit of quiet time. I then showered and felt really refreshed for having a bit of down time.

Once everyone was ready we headed back out to Disneyland. We arrived and it was a lot different form our earlier arrival with big lines at security. It didn’t take too long for us to get through and it was the same with the lines to get into the park too.

When we entered the park it was so busy people were sat all along the length of the paths waiting for the Electrical Light Parade to start. We tried to find a spot but we kept being moved on. Eventually we gave up trying and said that we’d watch the parade later when the park would be a little quieter.

Headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers instead where it was good to see there wasn’t a line. I somehow managed to get a worse score than earlier and I noticed the high score of the day had now gone up to 1.8 million!

It was still very busy even though the parade had finished the paths and walkways were still crowded as people were waiting for the fireworks. We were somehow ushered along to a spot which wasn’t the greatest but of course the fireworks are up in the sky so we could see that.

The Disneyland Forever Firework Spectacular soon started and again we hadn’t watched any displays on Youtube so it was completely new to us. Oh my word we loved it! The music was amazing and we loved the Tinkerbell and Nemo part. Of course there’s a lot of emphasis on the castle with the light show and also along Main St but this didn’t detract from our enjoyment. It had all the Disney magic – amazing!








Afterwards we felt so tired I think the early start had caught up with us all so we decided to go back. We thought we could always try to watch the ELP on another night.

We got some corndogs on our way out as we’d not had any tea. They were so good!



Back at our hotel we grabbed some hotel chocolate from the lobby area which was very much welcomed, somehow I’d been craving hot chocolate for the past few days.

Scott looked at our step count and we’d walked over 32,500 steps, wow I wondered why my legs and feet were aching that night!
Today had been everything I’d hoped it would be. I wasn’t quite sure how we’d feel about Disneyland but we all loved it and we couldn’t wait for more.

Steps – 32,602

Thanks for reading
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Old 29 Jun 20, 01:53 PM  
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ely3857
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Sounds like a fantastic day!
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Old 29 Jun 20, 04:15 PM  
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Sounds like a great day Julia. You got on a lot of rides - the queue times didn't seem that bad, especially in the morning.

I've just noticed your trip countdown - exciting plans - how is it looking for still going ahead?

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Old 29 Jun 20, 07:42 PM  
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What a great day, glad it felt so magical for you, it’s a worry that it won’t live up to WDW but so pleased it did.
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Old 29 Jun 20, 11:50 PM  
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What a fantastic, magical & exhausting day!

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Old 30 Jun 20, 11:09 AM  
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You managed to do so much on your first day! It's great to experience new rides isn't it? We were the same and didn't look on You Tube at all before going. A great read again and looking forward to the next day.
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Old 30 Jun 20, 12:45 PM  
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Yay, I've been so looking forward to reading this part of your trip! Looks like you had a fab day, lovely photos 😊 I'm so glad you enjoyed the park.
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Old 30 Jun 20, 09:43 PM  
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I'm so glad Disneyland lived up to your expectations. It looks a lovely park - I didn't realise there were so many different rides to WDW and the wait times generally seem quite low.

No wonder you were tired after your late night and early start, you did really well to go back in the evening to see the fireworks.
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Old 2 Jul 20, 09:19 PM  
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What a FANTASTIC day and you got so much done!
I just adore Disneyland, it's so gorgeous, but it does feel very busy because of the narrow pathways!
Mickey beignets are always one of our first stops lol, always about the food!
Indiana Jones is such a good ride, I really love it and remember riding it when I was 9 and being terrified when the big boulder rolls towards you!
Splash Mountain is deffo a soaker at Disneyland we always get drenched!
We too love the scoopy ice cream at Gibson Girls, it's always a must have for us at parade time!
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Old 3 Jul 20, 01:26 PM  
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juliab
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Originally Posted by ely3857 View Post
Sounds like a fantastic day!
Yes it was thanks
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