Our last day at Disneyland for this trip started out purposefully slow. We’d done everything we wanted to do, some attractions multiple times. Today was about just taking it easy and going with the flow.
On our second day I realized this trip might be the last time we get to ride Splash Mountain in its current iteration. A promise of a Princess and the Frog transformation to the ride will bring and end to the Zippity Do Dah ride as we now know it. I’m excited to see what they do with the new theme but I’ll miss the classic ride since it’s been a part of my Disneyland experience since 1989.
Mike scored us boarding passes for one more ride on Rise of the Resistance. This was our third go. Now that we’d done it twice we began to try and figure out how they do certain effects. It was just as fun if not more fun the third time since we were in the front and on the left mirror side of the ride for the first time. (The trackless ride vehicles take one of two mirror like paths.)
There was just one ride we hadn’t done yet and the wait was just 25 minutes so we hopped in line for Alice in Wonderland.
This is a fun dark ride with some nicely updated video projections that work well with the rest of the ride.
After our Alice ride we went back to the hotel and through the looking glass to nap-land. this has always been one of my favorite rides. On our way out we thought we’d grab a churro. We asked Lupita, a cast member, where the closest open churro stand was (the one we found was closed) and she told us the entire park was out of churros. I will never forget the 2021 churro shortage. I assume it’s because the shortage of microchips.
What is a visit to Disneyland without a visit to the Tiki Room? Still a pretty good visit but when everything else is really crowded it’s a decent choice. “In the clicky clicky clicky clicky room…”
Seating for dining was extremely limited in the park but we found shaded seating at the outdoor Mexican restaurant in Frontier Land. The restaurant itself was closed but the seating area wasn’t. We eat there 4-5 times.
After dinner we headed over to DCA again where we rode IncrediCoaster 3 times, Little Mermaid once and Gaurdians of the Galaxy once.
They play a different 70’s rock song each time you ride. I enjoyed the last song they played and danced throughout the ride. (Can’t remember what the song was now…)
After our final ride on IncrediCoaster we to a stroll through Cars Land. It is beautiful at night.
Final Thoughts
I was performing for a bunch of kindergarten classes in LA and as one class was leaving there was one child assigned as a line leader (in the front) and one assigned as the “line caboose.” I thought, “what a clever way for the teacher to make being at the end of the line special even though it really sucks.”
The kindergartener who was assigned “caboose” said under his breath, “man, the caboose is for suckers.” He knew.
I say the regular lines at Disneyland, known as stand-by lines are for suckers. Ever since Disneyland started the Fast Pass line system back in 1999 that is the way to go in my opinion. You end up waiting 5-15 minutes.
Even better, SINGLE RIDER where you wait for an open single seat to be available on certain rides. Much shorter wait than the stand-by lines.
All of that being said I get why Disney couldn’t do either of these options during a pandemic. I look forward to the return of these two options.
This was a great re-entry to leisure travel for me and Mikey. I have missed traveling so much during the last 14 months but it just seemed foolish to travel unvaccinated during a pandemic.
I tried to get Mike to go to Hawaii before we were vaccinated since they were requiring testing before people got on the plane but he said it just wouldn’t be relaxing to travel during a pandemic. I think he was probably right and I’m glad we didn’t travel before we were vaccinated.
Art’s Travel Adventures 