Solo In LA & Disneyland, No Car, An Emotional Return - Complete - Final Thoughts

[Bad Pink Tink]

This will be my main trip report. I will detail about, hotels, transport, things I did, as well as a full review of my days at Disneyland. As each day is posted I will add a link to the main index in this first post

When I was away I did a live food report which you can find here
Solo In LA - The Food Report

Background

I am a solo female traveler from Ireland. I don't drive and use public transport , both buses, underground and a car service to get around.

From 2009 to 2019, I did a version of this trip every June.

This was my first time back since the world went a bit crazy and was essentially a replacement trip for my cancelled June 2020 / 2021 trip.

Index

Day 1 Sunday 23 January
Travel Day
Dublin to JFK
JFK to LAX
Overnight at Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North

Day 2 Monday 24 January
Transfer Day LAX Hotel to Hilton Universal Hollywood

Day 3 Tuesday 25 January
Out and About in LA

Day 4 Wednesday 26 January
Chill day at Citywalk

Day 5 Thursday 27 January
Pool morning
Citywalk afternoon

Day 6 Friday 28 January
Forest Lawn
Shopping in South Pasadena

Day 7 Saturday 29 January
Check out Hilton Hotel Universal
Check in Tropicana Hotel Anaheim
Shopping in Downtown Disney

Day 8 Sunday 30 January
Disneyland Main Park
Open (8am) to Close (11pm)

Day 9 Monday 31 January
California Adventures Park
Open (8am) to 6pm , park closed at 8pm
Avengers Campus
Lunar New Year

Day 10 Tuesday 1 February
Downtown Disney
Disneyland Hotel
Grand California Hotel

Day 11 Wednesday 2 February
Disneyland Main Park
Open (8am) to Close (8pm)

Day 12 Thursday 3 February
Check out Tropicana Hotel
Downtown Disney
Check In Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North

Day 13 Friday 4 February
Check Out Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North
Flight LAX to JFK
Flight JFK to Dublin

Final Thoughts

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 1 Sunday 23 January
Travel Day Dublin to LAX Via JFK

My flight to LAX was with Delta. It was the first time I traveled with Delta as I prefer the Dublin to LAX direct with Aer Lingus. But due to the way things are Aer Lingus have not restarted this route yet.

I chose Delta direct after looking at

• Aer Lingus code share American Airlines layover in Philadelphia
• Aer Lingus code share BA layover in Heathrow
• Delta code share KLM layover in Amsterdam
• Delta code share Air France layover in CDG
• United direct layover in Newark.

Delta direct had the best layover time and the best price, as I knew I didn't want a codeshare route.

I booked the flight in September and it cost €556.

Check in at Dublin airport was very smooth. I arrived 3 hours before the flight and there was no one in the check in queue. A Delta staff member checked my documents, negative Covid test and Vaccine Cert at the roped area and then sent me to the check in desk to get my boarding pass and leave my bag. My bag was checked straight through to LAX and I got both boarding passes.

Then it was up to Terminal 2 security. Again very smooth, only about 5 people ahead of me.

I was through into the main Terminal 2 concourse a lot faster than I had expected. This was my first flight since Covid from this terminal and I noticed some changes.

The Duty Free shopping area has changed and Starbucks has now opened in the area beside the toilets' which used to be part of Duty Free.

There are lots of new seating areas in the middle of the concourse, with phone charging plugs.

The upper level food area and Burger King was closed and there looked to be construction work going on.

Butlers Cafe has new extended seating area.

As usual the bar area was busy.

USA Precleance opened exactly 2 hours before my flight.

Down to Precleance and again not as busy as I expected.
This area is located on the lower level. You have to go down from the main shopping concourse to the Aer Lingus Europe and Domestic departure gates and then go down another level.

When you go down the stair / escalator, you have to go through a bag scan, take off your shoes and only take out electronics such as a laptop.

Once through that, you go over to the passport check and stamp area. USA passport holders can use the self service machine, everyone else has to go to the US Homelands Agent.

Again very smooth process, as soon as I got through the roped queue there was no one ahead of me. Only an eye scan this time, no finger print check and only the usual questions about my trip, no checking of vaccine cert or test result.

And then it was down to the gate area. I didnt book the lounge 51st and Green, but sat and people watched.

Boarding was very smooth but when I got to my seat, an aisle at the window section, I found I had a seat companion.

I waited until boarding was finished and the doors were closed and managed to move to a middle row, 4 seats which had stayed empty.

The flight from Dublin to JFK was fine and I watched

• Chicago
• Queen Victoria's 9 Children Documentary
• Amazing Hotels Documentary Series

The flight landed at JFK Terminal 4 and my flight from JFK to LAX also departed from Terminal 4. As I got off the plane I checked the screens and my next departure gate was just 2 gates down. I had about 3 hours between flights, so went for a walk around the shops and restaurants and got some food.

The second flight was a domestic flight and was a lot more crowded than the transatlantic flight. I had again booked my seat, an aisle at the window and again had a seat companion, but I couldnt move seats this time.

I posted about the food on the flights in my Solo In LA The Food Report

I landed at LAX terminal 2 which is a domestic terminal. As I had my passport stamped at Dublin airport, I just walked through the terminal and straight to bag reclaim.

I have arrived at this Terminal before, its where the Aer Lingus flights land, so I noticed some changes. The bag reclaim area has been sectioned off and is now a separate area that only ticketed passengers can enter.

Once I got my bag I headed back up to the departure level to get the shuttle bus to my hotel.

As I arrived at LAX around 9pm I had booked an airport hotel for the night. I booked the Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North. They have a free shuttle bus, so all I had to do was wait at the shuttle bus pick up area outside the door of the terminal for the next bus to arrive. The shuttle bus runs 24 hours a day, and picks up every 20 minutes or so.

I didn't have long to wait for the next bus and the drive to the hotel took about 10 minutes.

This hotel has larger rooms and suites and would be really great for families needing a hotel at the airport.

It has a central atrium and all the corridors overlook this atrium.

When I booked this hotel, I joined the Hilton Honors Loyalty program and I was able to get a cheaper rate. With the Hilton Honors discount the room cost $246.

I used the Hilton App to check in while I was waiting for my second flight at JFK. Before I left Dublin I had found the room plan. Using the Hilton App to check in I was able to choose my own room.

When I arrived at the hotel, I just had to confirm my credit card at the front desk and get my room key.

Another advantage of joining the Hilton Honors Loyalty program was free Wifi. Once I connected to the hotel Wifi I was able to use the App to open my room and use the lift.

I chose a room on the 5th floor, at the back of the hotel, so it was a quiet location.

The room was huge, a mini suite, but was classed a King room.

I was so tired after the flights that I just went straight to sleep.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 2 Monday 24 January
Transfer Day LAX Hotel to Hilton Universal Hollywood

Check out time at Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North was 11am so I had a relaxing morning after my flights.

Breakfast is included in the room rate but in my research before my trip all I could was that it was a grab and go breakfast. I was surprised at check in to be told it is now back to a self serve buffet. I woke up early and decided to go down and have a look.

After getting some food I came back to the room and just had a chill morning.

I was down in the lobby for 11am and I used the App to check out.

I had booked Midwilshuttle for pick up at 12pm and while I waited I used the Hilton App to check in to Hilton Universal Hollywood, my next hotel.

Again I researched the room plans and I knew which side of the hotel I wanted a room. I chose a room on the 7th floor, overlooking the flat roof area of the hotel. Theme park view rooms were available for an extra charge per night. If I was just there for 1 night I would have upgraded, but as I was there for almost a week, the upcharge would have added over $100 to my room rate.

Midwilshuttle arrived just before 12pm and I had a very pleasant drive over to Burbank and Universal. The traffic was surprisingly light and the drive only took 30 minutes. The driver was very happy and said he wished it was like that every day.

Even though I had checked in online, I had to go to the front desk to confirm my credit card and get a room key. Again I was given a code for free Wifi, as I am a member of Hilton Honors Loyalty program and once I was logged into the hotel Wifi, the digital room key on the App became active.

I was also given a piece of paper with the hotel info, opening times for the restaurant, pool, fitness centre etc.

I took some time to settle in and unpack and then I went to explore the hotel.

It was about 2.30pm when I was ready to walk over to Citywalk. However just as I came out the front door of the hotel, the shuttle bus pulled up, so I decided to take the bus instead.

The bus drop off / pick up is near Johhny Rockets , about halfway along Citywalk.

I knew from watching recent YouTube videos that Citywalk was very quiet during the day. To me this was really nice, as my previous visits to Citywalk were in June and it was very crowded. It was really nice not to have to battle through crowds.

By this stage I was getting hungry, and I just wanted something fast and filling. So I went to Pizza Hut / KFC on the upper level food court.

It was really nice to sit in the sun, outside and just soak up the sights and sounds of Citywalk. I could feel my body start to relax, all the stress and strain of the last two years start to ease, I had finally made it back to my beloved LA.

Once I was finished eating, I spent the next few hours wandering through the shops. Theres been a few changes to Citywalk since my last visit.

Hard Rock Cafe closed in January 2020, just before the world went crazy, which I knew about.

The replacement for Hard Rock, Toothsome Chocolate Emporium were supposed to open in 2020, but due to everything, that opening has been delayed. They are now due to open in summer 2022. Part of the construction work for this new restaurant can be seen from the upper food court level near KFC / Pizza Hut.

I also knew that Starbucks had closed, I had asked on Disboards back in November, and got a reply from someone who had been at Citywalk the previous day.

I had watched a recent YouTube video and found out that Blaze Pizza had also closed after Christmas.

I had been keeping a watch on Universal Park closing times through the Universal App and found out that many of the remaining restaurants only opened in the evening time, when the park closed.

This was to be expected, as due to the lack of tourists, Citywalk only gets busy when the park closes. Thats why all the shops are empty too, as the park goers are all locals and only go to Citywalk for restaurants or to park.

Once the park closed at 5pm, there was a steady stream of people into Citywalk.

I left about 6pm and walked back to the hotel. The walkway back is well sign posted and easy to do. It took me about 8 minutes, as I took my time and walked slow to enjoy the walk.

I didn't do much in the evening back at the hotel and had an early night.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 3 Tuesday 25 January
Out and About in LA

This morning I was up early as I wanted to make the most of daylight. I'm not used to being in LA when it gets dark early.

I posted about my food for the day in my food report thread

I left the hotel about 9.30am and walked down the hill to the Red Line Underground Metro station.

There is a new bridge walkway from the shuttle bus area to the underground station, which makes it a lot easer. The last time I was at Universal, I had to cross all the streets and it took ages, waiting for all the pedestrian crossings.

It was strange, even though its been a few years since I have been at this station, I automatically just knew which escalator to go down and which platform to stand on, without checking the signs.

Before I left Ireland I had topped up my TAP card online so all I had to do was tap the card to get to the platform. The fare is a flat fee of $1.75 no matter the length of journey.

Todays plan was to go to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale and then go visit my friends in the afternoon.

The reason I go to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale is because I am what some would call a superfan of Michael Jackson and he is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. Thats why I usually go to LA in June, as thats when the anniversary of his death is.

The first part of the journey to Glendale is the Red Line Underground from Universal to Grand Park Station in Downtown LA.

I have done this journey many many times over the years. The one big thing I noticed this time was the lack of tourists. Usually the passengers are 50% tourists 50% locals, as the route goes through Hollywood and Downtown LA, big tourist areas. This time, I didnt even see any "entertainers" or people selling water from backpacks, which was really odd. I did see homeless on the train and at the stations, but thats normal in LA and something I'm used to seeing.

The second park of the journey is a bus from Grand Park Station in Downtown LA direct to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. Again I used my TAP card at the machine beside the driver but as I was a transfer from underground to bus I didnt get charged. Ive done this journey many many times and its always an interesting journey, as the route goes from Downtown LA, through Chinatown and then into the residential parts of Glendale. The bus stop is directly outside the main gate of the Cemetery, so its very easy to get to.

Once I got to the Cemetery, I went first to the flower shop, as I had ordered and paid for flowers. I always get flowers at the Cemetery flower shop, as its the most convenient and easy place to get them.

Then it was up the hill to Holly Terrace at The Great Mausoleum where Michael Jackson is buried.

Only family are allowed into Holly Terrace at The Great Mausoleum, so we leave flowers at the porch area. There is a seating area and its really nice to sit in peace and quiet. Forest Lawn Cemetery is really well landscaped and there are lots of birds and other small wildlife.

There is always lots of people driving around as there are many famous people buried at Forest Lawn, including

• Clark Gable
• Elizabeth Taylor
• Carrie Fisher
• Debbie Reynolds
• Paul Walker
• Michael Clarke Duncan
• Brittany Murphy
• Carole Lombard
• Jimmy Stewart
• Jean Harlow
• Humphrey Bogart
• Errol Flynn
• Spencer Tracy
• Sammy Davis Jr.
• Walt Disney

I knew I would be a few hours at Forest Lawn, so I brought some food with me. Before I left I went to the restroom and had a chat with security.

I had printed out the bus timetable, so I knew what time the bus back to Downtown LA would stop at the main gate. So I just had to make sure I left enough time to walk back down the hill.

The bus back to Grand Park Station in Downtown LA was almost empty, just a few old Chinese ladies doing their grocery shopping.

At Grand Park Station, I got back on the underground for 1 stop to Union Station. At Union Station I got an overground train to South Pasadena where my friends live.

I used my TAP card for all the journeys and after tapping on the bus at Glendale and being charged $1.75 flat fare, all the other journeys to South Pasadena were transfers and I wasnt charged anything extra.

Finally meeting up with my friends was such an emotional reunion. One of my friends T, met me at the train station and drove me back to their house. At the house it was another emotional reunion with J. Their cat ignored me , but thats to be expected ( I wish they were dog people! ) The last time I saw them was June 2019, as their trips home to Ireland and my trips to LA were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.

Then it was time for the presents, the chocolate, sweets, crisps and biscuits I had brought from Ireland. I'm not sure which got the biggest welcome, me or the bag of goodies!

We talked for hours and then in the evening went out to their high street area for food and shopping. They brought me to Target (grocery shop) and I got a few bottle of Ranch dressing and a USA SIM card as my previous one had been disconnected due to not being active for 2 years.

After the food they drove me back to my hotel at Universal Studios.

I just went to bed when I got back to the hotel.

[KristyA]

Great report so far and so lovely to see your friends again!

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 4 Wednesday 26 January
Chill Day at Universal Citywalk

This morning I had a chill morning in the hotel and caught up with online stuff.

Todays food can be found in Solo In LA - The Food Report

In the afternoon T came over to the hotel and we had an afternoon shopping in Citywalk. After over 2 years of Zoom calls and Facebook messages, it was so nice just to hang out for the afternoon / evening and go to a restaurant.

After she left I had another early night.

(not your typical LA tourist day I know, but chilling at the hotel, shopping and hanging out with a friend is something I havent had in so long and I really needed it after all the stress of Covid times)

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 5 Thursday 27 January
Pool Morning
Shopping Afternoon

Today, my friends were working, so I decided to have a morning at the pool and then go shopping in Citywalk.

You can read about todays food here Solo In LA - The Food Report

After breakfast I got myself ready and headed down to the pool. I'm not ready for indoor pools yet, so this outside pool area at The Hilton was perfect for me. And because it was midweek in January, I was the only one there.

The pool area gate can only be opened by a room card and the digital key in the App

After figuring out which way the sun was moving, I settled in to relax on a sun lounger

All the months in cold rainy Ireland, this is what I had been dreaming about, relaxing by the pool in the LA sun.

After a while I decided to try the water. Surprisingly it was pleasant. I grew up visiting my grandparents on the South Coast of Ireland and swimming in the cold Atlantic Ocean, so the Hilton Pool in January was really relaxing.

Then I found the hot tub.

Oh gosh, Ireland seems sooo far away

I spent the morning alternating between the pool and the hot tub.

Finally I was ready to leave. I went back to my room, had a shower and then walked over to Citywalk.

Todays plan was to buy some new Sketchers shoes and a new dress in Hot Topic and to go to Vivo Restaurant.

I ended up staying until about 7pm. It was really nice to just be around people, shops and restaurants, something that I havent had since Covid.

I got the bus back to the hotel and as we pulled up at the hotel, I noticed people and a bar area in the corner of the carpark area.

This is Five On The Hill, an outdoor bar area with live music. I had found into about this when I was researching the hotel but couldnt figure out where it was located. Like most places in the Universal area it has limited opening hours. Its only open 5pm to 9pm Tuesday to Saturday.

As I was going into the hotel lobby area I noticed they had Lunar New Year decorations up

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 6 Friday 28 January
Return to Forest Lawn
Shopping at Westfield Santa Anita Mall

Today is my last full day in LA and on my last day I always return to Forest Lawn.

You can find todays food in my food report

I just did a repeat of the journey I did on Tuesday.

When I got to Forest Lawn, someone had tidied up, and removed the flowers which were dried up. I was happy to see that my flowers had been watered.

Its nice to know that when other fans visit they water the flowers and keep the place tidy.

Around lunch time I left Forest Lawn and headed back to Downtown LA to get the train to South Pasadena.

Today was shopping day in South Pasadena. T had to do grocery shopping so the first stop was Trader Joes.

Then we went to Westfield Santa Anita Mall. I love this mall, so many shops and brands we don't have in Ireland.

We spent the afternoon here, I got some clothes in Forever 21 and Hot Topic, and some random Disney things in Daiso.

Then it was back to their house for evening food.

All too soon, it was time for me to leave and T drove me back to my hotel.

I really enjoyed this chill out week at Universal Citywalk. Being able to completely shut out my life in Ireland for a few days, see my friends and just not have any set routine or schedule was amazing.

Next up Disneyland

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 7 Saturday 29 January
Tropicana Hotel
Downtown Disney

Today I transferred from Universal to Disney.

You can find todays food report here

On the way back to my room after getting my coffee I stopped by the front desk to ask about late check out. Normal check out is 11am but I got extended free check out to 12pm. I'm not sure but this could be a Hilton Honours member perk.

I had booked my pickup with Midwilshuttle for 2pm, as I wasnt sure what I would be doing on my check out morning.

In the end I did nothing much, just packed and watched TV.

At 12pm I checked out on the App and found a comfy spot in the lobby to people watch.

When Midwilshuttle arrived the driver estimated 60 minutes to get to Disney but it took almost 90 minutes... LA Traffic !

I know the route to Disney and even though we were on the motorway, every time I saw a sign for a turn off I got a little bit more excited.

OMG, finally the signs for Disney Way, we are here

Driving down Harbour Boulevard and seeing the Monorail go past, and all the hotels I have spent months checking out on Google Maps, and the blue sky and sunshine, this is what I have been missing so much.

Checking in to Tropicana was easy, no App this time but never mind. My room was on the third floor at the front, very near the elevator and stairs.

Its a basic motel, with an outside corridor. The orange seat folds out to a single sofa bed, so the room could sleep 3 people very comfortably. While no where near the standard of The Hilton, the room has a decent TV, a safe, a coffee maker, a fridge and a microwave.

The location is the selling point. I forgot to take a photo, but from the corridor outside my room door you can see the top of The Materhorn and the fireworks at nights.

After settling in I went to explore the onsite shop. This is a small convenience shop with a coffee bar. It opens at 7am and the shop closes at 11pm, but the coffee bar closes in the afternoon.

Then it was time to head over to Downtown Disney.

The walk from Tropicana to the bag check at Disneyland Esplanade is about 7 minutes, depending on the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing.

As it was afternoon, the bag check security lines were not busy and I was through and finally back on Disney property.

Yes I did feel a bit emotional, hearing the music and the general atmosphere. All the long long months of 2020 when the parks were closed and the videos from locals of the closed gates, then to the joyous reopening in April 2021 but not being able to travel due to the travel ban, following everything online but not being able to go has been hard.

After letting everything soak in, I slowly started making my way through Downtown Disney.

My main plan this evening was to go to Star Traders Outpost. This is a Star Wars shop in Downtown Disney, located in the building where Rainforest Cafe used to be.

Back in December Disney messed up January reservations at Oga's Cantina and as compensation sent everyone a $25 email gift card.

I registered this gift card on the Disney Gift Card website

My plan was to get a physical Disney Gift and transfer the balance from the email gift card.

One of the relatively unknown Star Wars Galaxys Edge merchandise is a special metal Disney gift card called a Spira.

I checked before my trip and found that this gift card is available in the Star Wars shop in Downtown Disney.

As its a special metal giftcard, it costs $5 and you have to load $100 on it at the time of purchase. This was fine with me, as then I could use it over the next few days in Disney for food and shopping.

The writing on its is Aurebesh, the Star Wars language.

After having a good look around the Star Wars shop, I was starting to get hungry. Downtown Disney was busy as it was a Saturday evening.

I didnt really feel like doing much shopping so after my food and people watching at the Esplanade I just went back to my hotel for an early night.

Back at my hotel, I logged into the Disney Gift Card website and registered my Spira Gift card.

I then transferred the $25 from the email gift card to the Spira.

Now I had $125 on my Spira, ready to spend in the parks.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Day 8 Sunday 30 January
Disneyland Main Park
Park opening 8am to park close 11pm

Today finally in Disneyland.

You can find todays food report here

I was scanned through the Main Gates at about 7.30am
Once through into the park, I sat at the benches in the hub and tried to buy Genie Plus with my prepaid card. It wouldn’t work, so I ended up buying it with the credit card I had stored on my Disney account.

Once that was done, it was time to breathe, I was finally here. There were huge crowds streaming down Main Street so I decided to take a less crowded way, through the shops on the right side of Main Street.

I stopped on the way to check out some merchandise and take a few photos and I ended up coming out of the shops near the Plaza Restaurant just when the opening announcement was played.

I watched the crowds stream into the lands, then walked up to the Castle. All the Fantasyland rope drop people had cleared so I was able to get the coveted photo of The Castle with no people in the background

While I was taking my photos, I saw the Disney Photographer and remembered that Photopass is included with Genie+ at Disneyland.

So not only did I get a no people photo of The Castle, I also got professional photos of me at The Castle with no people in the background.

When I eventually got into Fantasyland, I saw that Peter Pan was closed. This is always my first ride at Disneyland.
But then I saw another Disney photographer at The Sword In The Stone beside the Carousel.

So again I got some great photos with no people in the background.

Just as I was finished with the photographer, I looked up and Peter Pan was just opening, so I walked with purpose and managed to get within the first 20 people.

After Peter Pan I did
Mr Toads Wild Ride
Alice In Wonderland
Tea Cups
Pinocchio
Snow White

Snow White has been updated since my last visit in June 2019. I purposely stayed away from spoilers and did not watch any YouTube videos. All I will say is, its magical and made me emotional.

All of the rides in Fantasyland were either walk on or less than 10 minutes wait.

By now it was 10am and I was ready for some food.

After refreshing at Red Rose Tavern I decided to go to the Princess Meet and Greet called Fantasy Faire which is located just outside The Castle at The Hub. This is something I have never done, but this year I wanted to meet some characters and get them to send a video birthday message to my niece.

Aurora and Flynn Rider were out, so I went to talk to Aurora.

I then decided to go to Adventureland and see if I could find a cm I used to know. She works in the Custodial department and Adventureland is her main area. I was delighted to find her and had a good catch up, well as best as we could as she was working. It was great to see that she is back in Disneyland and has managed to stay Covid free.

I didnt want to take up too much of her time , so after speaking to her I continued to New Orleans Square and to Haunted Mansion.

I checked Genie+ and saw that Lightning Lane was almost an immediate return so I booked it and scanned in.

After Haunted Mansion I did Pirates as it was a walk on.

After Pirates I checked Genie+ for Indiana Jones and again it was an immediate return so I booked it.

After Indian Jones I checked the time. It was 12.30pm and Big Thunder Mountain had a return time between 1.15pm and 2.115pm so I booked it.

As I was near Tropical Hideaway I got a Raspberry Mango Dole whip and then went over to The Mark Twain.

I had checked on the Disneyland App and saw that Mark Twain would be closed after today for refurb so I wanted to make sure I did it today.

After I got off The Mark Twain I went over to Big Thunder Mountain and scanned my Lightning Lane.

After Big Thunder Mountain I walked around Rivers of America and found a new seating area in the old Fantasmic viewing area. There are now metal table with bench chairs in this area.

I still had some time before my lunch at Cafe Orleans, so I continued around Rivers of America and found the dock where the Sailing Ship Columbia is tied up.

This area around where Sailing Ship Columbia is tied up is where Harbour Grill quick service food is and if you continue walking through the dock area there is a quiet seating area hidden at the back. If you keep walking through this seating area you come out on the path / walkway at Critter County.

By now it was nearly 2pm, I went back to New Orleans Square area and checked in for my lunch reservation using the App.

After lunch I started walking in the direction of Haunted Mansion and found that the river raft over to Tom Sayer Island was loading so I decided to get on.

Again this is something I had never done, as there is always a long wait time in June.

The island is really well themed and is a great place for kids to run around and burn off that energy. There are all sorts of caves and places to explore, and theres a mix of Tom Sayer and Pirates of The Caribbean theming in various places.

I found this on the island

I also found the Fantasmic stage area and it was really cool to get a photo looking over to New Orleans Square.

After walking around the top part of the island I had had enough and got the ferry / raft back to Critter Country.

After a quick stop in the shop at Pooh Corner it was finally into Galaxys Edge.

Yes I will admit I am a big Star Wars fan and I just love everything about Galaxys Edge.

I purposely chose this way to enter as I wanted to do Rise of The Resistance as my first ride.

After checking the App, I found it had an almost immediate return time so I bought the Lightning Lane.

I didnt want to go too far, so I sat on some rocks and played the Galaxys Edge Datapad game on Disneys Play App. This is a game that you can only do when you are in Disneyland. You can do various things on the App once in Galaxys Edge, such as scan the writing on the walls, or hack various objects and gain points.

Once my Lightning Lane window opened I scanned in.

Even though this ride opened in 2019, I have managed to stay spoiler free. I have been very careful not to watch any videos or read any reviews, as I wanted to experience it in real life.

OH MY GOODNESS, just wow. I didnt even take photos or videos, I just wanted to experience everything without distraction.

It was so worth the $20 I paid. Its such an unreliable ride and theres so many breakdowns, that paying for the almost immediate return time really maximized my chance of being able to go on it.

After Rise of The Resistance I walked around The Black Spire shops to The Millennium Falcon.

The standby line was not long so I decided to go standby and do the interactive game on play Disney App.

Again this is a game that you can only do when you are in the standby line, as you have to scan various objects located long the way.

As it was my first time I wasnt that good , and decided just to continue walking and go on the ride. I somehow managed to be pilot as the group I was put in were first timers and had no clue and they offered it to me.

One interesting change since Covid is that they are not handing out the role cards any more. I'm glad I got photos of them on my last trip in June 2019.

When I came out I went straight back in using single rider line. There was no one using single rider so I walked straight up the stairs to the group assignment area and was put straight into a group. This time I got engineer.

When I came out this time, I checked lightning lane and it was immediate return time so I decided to book it. I went straight in and again like with single rider I went straight to the group assignment area and again was put straight into a group as engineer.

When I came out this time, I saw A Disney photographer in front of The Millennium Falcon so I decided to use my photopass option and get some professional photos at night.

It was now almost 8pm so time for some food.

After my food I walked back to Rivers of America and found an empty table and chair.

The fireworks were at 9pm and instead of the being part of the sea of people in front of The Castle, I wanted to watch them from the far less crowded area at Rivers of America.

I knew from previous years that they play the music and and you can see the higher up fireworks from this area.

When Fantasmic is on, thy use the water fountains for the projections, but as there is no Fantasmic right, there was no projections.

It was really cool to watch the fireworks over the water and The Mark Twain. (screencap from my video)

After the fireworks I went on Pirates as it was a walk on. The whole New Orleans Square was almost empty, as most people were At The Castle or Main Street for the fireworks.

After Pirates I went through Frontierland and then into Fantasyland by the far side of The Castle. The main drawbridge entrance to Fantasyland was still closed as they were just finishing the last of the checks after the fireworks.

Fantasyland was very busy so I just sat at the carousel for a while and people watched.
I came out in front of castle and sat on bench and waited for the closing announcement at 11pm.

As I started to walk away from The Castle I saw a Disney photogrpaher at The Hub at The Partners Statue and got some final night time photos at The Castle.

I walked up Main Street through shops on the Jolly Holiday side of Main Street.

Before I finally left I took some photos of the light in Walts Apartment above the fire station.

With aching feet I walked out of Disney property and across the street to my hotel. I was so glad I didnt have far to go.

This is my Fitbit summery for my day at Disneyland