I got up at the absolute butt crack of dawn. I was exhausted from the travel day before, but my internal clock is on Central Time, so I didn't have a choice. I got up and got ready for the day.
I didn't mention this before, but I managed to pack everything for the trip in a travel backpack! I've never been able to do that before for a multi-day trip! I still overpacked (it's a sickness) but I had managed to roll everything up in small, scrunched up bundles and get it all stuffed in there. It was very convenient! One day I'll learn to pack only what I need, but it was not this day.
Because I now knew that the weather was hot here, I decided to wear something that was supposed to be "moisture wicking" and "cooling." We will circle back to this in a little bit, so don't forget.
I stopped at the McDonald's next door for breakfast - McGriddles for the win! - and went on to the park.
One thing that doesn't happen at Disneyland that is very common in Disney World, is something called "Rope Dropping." For the unwashed, that is where attendees at the park wait in frothed-jaw, muscle-straining, eyes-on-the-prize anticipation for the eternally smiling cast members to unclip the barrier ropes into each part of the park so they can wheel their SUV sized strollers as fast as possible to whatever ride they have first on their Disney App itinerary.
Yeah, you could tell who was from out of town by the people who were scrambling to get into the park first thing in the morning. I didn't do that simply because breakfast took longer than I thought, but otherwise I just got there, went through security, beeped my magic band, took my picture so that they could eventually use it in whatever AI program that they have to track your face (allegedly) and walked in!
The very first thing I noticed was that the Disneyland Cinderella castle was much smaller than Sleeping Beauty one at Disney World. I mean, it was adequate. A good size. I'm sure it does the job just fine! However, there was a part of me that wondered if they would eventually put a lift kit and a loud engine in it, just to let you know it's just as good at the Disney World castle, OK?!
Heh.
Second thing I noticed was that it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be! Genuinely, it was almost quiet in there first thing in the morning. It was nice, because it allowed you to get your bearings before some flustered mom in a homemade "I'm here with my dwarves" Cricut shirt elbowed you in the face to get to Tiana's Bayou Adventure before the wait got too long
Actually, it really as nice without the morning crowd there. Since Disneyland is so much smaller than Disney World, I got the impression that it had a different vibe altogether, at least in the early part of the day. To me, it seemed more like a neighborhood boardwalk amusement park than THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!!!!! as I walked through and got on some of the smaller rides right away. I rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which was fun. I couldn't keep the skirt of my tennis dress down, so thank God for biking shorts! I walked right on It's a Small World (still creepy) and it was after that I started noticing the crowds getting a little bit heavier. I mean, I expected it, but it was a nice morning reprieve not to have to face a smothering crowd first thing.
**Stopping here to say that I know I sound snarky, but I had fun. How can you not have fun? It's Disneyland! Am I a huge fan? No, but I'm not going to be a cranky bitch about being at a theme park if I chose to be there, right? It was very cool to see the original park, and all the historic things that started the whole thing. The rides weren't exact copies of the ones in Florida, so it was fun to see the differences. All Disney parks are engineering marvels, no matter what you think about them otherwise, so if nothing else, seeing how they create such all-encompassing landscapes in such a small space was very interesting. The design differences were fun and exploring the nooks and crannies is always an experience.**
So I continued my day, getting on rides, standing in lines, slowly boiling in the heat like the proverbial frog in the saucepan. Y'all, it got HOT. I really wasn't expecting the kind of heat I encountered, but it was nasty. Granted, I am an indoor kind of gal, and my days are spent inside of an air-conditioned office, so a lot of it is just not being used to being outdoors all day, but jeez. I legit almost fainted at one point. I don't know what it was, but I got swimmy headed and had to sit in the shade and drink water before I passed out in Galaxy's Edge. Can you imagine? Fainting, and coming to to see a stormtrooper hanging over you? No thank you please. Once I felt better, I went on to ride the Haunted Mansion ride, which is very similar to the one in Orlando, and Pirates of the Caribbean, which is really quite different! The Pirates ride is longer, I think, and is set in Louisiana at first (a swamp, at least, so I think that's right) and even though it hit some of the same notes, it was different enough to be like a new ride altogether. After that I rode a lot of stuff, ate some stuff, and looked at stuff. It was a full morning!
It was about then that I realized two things: 1) It was too damn hot to be there in the crowd that had been steadily growing the entire day. and 2) I was within walking distance to the hotel.
So I went back to sit in the AC and take a nap! Actually, I took a shower and then took a nap, because I had been sweating so badly that I couldn't deal with it. That outfit I picked wasn't cooling or moisture wicking. It was swamp ass city and I was the only inhabitant. Yuck. Also, I had a blister on one of my toes! I wore my comfy, old-lady walking shoes that never give me any problems, and I had a blister! I was glad to rest a while. I knew I'd be going back later once the sun went down a little, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
You know that whole thing about overpacking? Well, it served me well. When I got up, I put on a clean outfit and headed back out. It was still hot, but much nicer than it had been earlier, so walking around wasn't as uncomfortable. However, by that point the crowds were SO bad. I mean, so bad.
Maybe the locals know better than to come to the park in the middle of the day when it is hot, so they wait until closer to the end of the day, but it was as bad as I've ever seen it in Florida. It was so busy that I decided that I wouldn't try to do very much else because I'd be standing in line for likely hours, so I mainly just walked around and looked at things. Also, I had a reservation at a restaurant called "Blue Bayou" which was a Cajun place attached to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and I didn't want to accidentally miss it, because it was a hard reservation to get. One day, if you're good, I'll tell you all about getting reservations at the Disney Parks. It'll make your hair stand on end.
The reservation wasn't supposed to be until 9:30 PM (What is this, Spain?) but I was so ready to eat and get out of the crowds that I finally walked up to the host and asked if there was any way I could eat earlier. Thankfully, there was! Yay! The restaurant was so cool on the inside, both in temperature and in decor. It was like eating outside under a big live oak tree by a stream, and I could see the riders on the Pirates of the Caribbean boats go by. The food was phenomenal, but I expected nothing less. It was one of the fancy restaurants on the property, and they never disappoint. However, my meal was almost ruined by the family at a table nearby. I need you to understand that I'm not saying that it was almost ruined because there were kids at the table, I'm saying it was almost ruined because there were terribly behaved children at the table, and adults who didn't give a f*ck about those kid's behavior. It was fine at first, because the kids were just being loud and kids are loud, which is normal. But I looked over JUST as the little boy spit a huge mouthful of chewed food out of his mouth and onto his plate. I very nearly threw up. Then the two little girls got up and started spinning around and yelling, almost hitting the people at the table next to them. Then they stood up to eat, messily, and then proceeded to do chorus line kicks, again, almost kicking the lady at the next table. The adults were on their phones, not paying attention. It got really bad, but thankfully they finally left, and I felt like the whole room heaved a sigh of relief.
The fireworks actually went off when I was inside of the restaurant, so I didn't see them, but that was ok. I was full, and sleepy, and ready to go back to my hotel and sleep some more. My foot was killing me by then, and it was only when I got back that not only did I have a blister on my toe, that blister had a blister underneath that as well. How does that even happen?! It was gross, but I was too tired to care, and I fell asleep very fast!
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