- In the Parks
- No
Hey everyone, just got back from a trip to Anaheim over the weekend. It's been awhile, actually, since before the birth of my 2nd daughter in November of 24. I was a little upset about not being able to go during the holidays last year, but you know - the birth and health of my child obviously took priority haha.
There is a number of points I thought I'd share if you care to read. I always like to write a summary of my trip, sort of as a way to reminisce and cherish the memories. Except there are some unfortunate negatives that need to be shared as well.
My family of 4 (wife, two girls aged 3 and 1) and my mom & dad all went for the trip. I drove in from South Phoenix while my parents flew in from Sky Harbor airport. We stayed at a hotel near Katella and the 5. We used 3 day park hopper passes w/ FP from costco.
2. The majority of CM interactions - In the past I haven't paid much attention to parade talent, mascots, or even asked much of CMs. With 2 kids that's all changed a bit and you know, I got to see and appreciate just how much so many of them do.
3. Tiana's Bayou Adventure - Okay, ready for this? I am shocked to admit that I actually liked it. Quite a bit. There is a lot of charm to the attraction. I still have my complaints; the story is on the weaker side, the secret spice song is insultingly basic compared to Zippadeedoodah, and I couldn't understand a word mama Odie was spewing. Some Danger should've been present, Dr. Facilier should've had an animatronic. But the feeling, the good vibes of the attraction, is enough IMO. Did Splash deserve this makeover... ehh that's hard to for me to say, I personally would've rather seen a Splash Mountain refurb & plussing. I can at least admit I had a good time on Tiana's. The going down the bayou section is lots of fun.
Unfortunately my 3yo didn't like it so much. She got soaked, and scared at the final lift hill. It was dark but halfway through I noticed she was already halfway off her seat trying to get out. I freaked and sat her back down. At the same time, the audio cut out for a split second then came back. No doubt in my mind an attraction CM was about to get on me through the speakers lol.
4. Christmas Decor, obviously - Through all of the changes that Disneyland has gone through, all of my favorite attractions being replaced, the overall bad this company has been putting us through - there is nothing in this world more homely, more comforting to me, than Christmas at Disneyland. I mean yeah the decor is top notch sure, but it's more about how much Disneyland just embraces it all. I love the holiday treats, the cooler weather, Haunted Mansion Holiday, IASW, the happy guests. I mean i'm literally listening to main street's Christmas loop as I type this out. I hold a high regard to Disney for not shunning Christ and keeping Walt's tradition alive with candlight processional, even though I haven't seen it yet.
5. Rise of the Resistance - Everything was working!?- this was the first time i've been on ROTR and the cannons were actually moving. The entire ride still in my heart feels like the best attraction experience in the park. It's excellent / impressive all around. I bet it's a ton of fun to be a FO officer, roasting guests all day. They had some funny insults for the teenagers next to us.
6. My children had a wonderful time - Other than TBA scaring my kid, they had a wonderful time meeting characters and doing the smaller stuff. We caught a fireworks show from Star Wars Land and their eyes were just glued to the sky. My 3yo's favorite ride ended up being the "bunny ride" and I'm sure you can guess which one that is.
7. Mobile Order - even with some of its glitches, mobile order is such a godsend. We used it all the time, refresh til we get a time slot we like, then enjoy food without waiting in a long line.
1. Going with children, and planning ahead, was a challenge. - So usually we uber to parks but this time we had to shuttle (didn't want to carry car seats with us). And the wait times for shuttles were ROUGH, about an hour in-between, without a promised ETA. On the days we didn't shuttle, we did $40 parking for the Toy Story Lot, and still had to wait for busses. It's also a little harder to enjoy yourself when you're spending $1000 for a trip just for the kids to play on the water ball in Tomorrowland for an hour lol. The failure is on me though we failed to properly come up with a itinerary. If you have any advice on how to handle it all with 2 very young children, I will gladly listen and love you for it.
2. Fastpass or genie+ or whatever they're calling it now. - the value isn't there IMO. The real value is getting up early / staying late, and hitting the big rides then. With 2 kids FP was just plain stupid, we can't do a majority of the big rides in a timely fashion anyway. And they all book up really fast. Definitely wouldn't have bothered if it didn't come with our costco passes.
3. Where did all the park benches go?- seriously, i feel like there was a ton more seating available in the past. Maybe I'm just getting older?
4. I had 3 negative experiences with 3 separate employees. I don't know how much to say about this. 1 CM at toontown demanded (not asked, demanded) I move forward, but not enough apparently, in a line to see Minnie. I did, she barked at me to move up more, doing a sarcastic hand remark, and rolled her eyes at me when I scooted up half a foot (which is literally the free space I had). Still not sure why I was the target of that interaction. An ART driver gave me a hard time for my stroller. A CM doing main street traffic control (pre fireworks), gave me an unreal, rude and sarcastic response when I said I was following a party member into a store. A simple "I'm sorry we can't have you go this way" would've done wonders.
I get it, this job is tough. I'm not filing a complaint against anyone. And despite my good intentions, I know something I did triggered them. But I don't think we deserve the attitude like we're just stupid annoyances hindering their duties.
On a lighter note, some CM's seemed to give mixed answers as to why my inactive magic key could still get discounts in some places, if it was actually active or not, or what would activate it. A well-intended parking CM gave me false information. I feel like a lot of them are ill-informed or just don't know what's happening outside of their field. Thankfully a kind CM at guest relations gave me a straight answer that Magic Keys only activate once scanned into a gate. Still, some CM's were nice enough to honor the discount in some places.
5. The crowds were horrible on Monday. Which is whatever, right, we're going during the holidays. But I don't understand, why is Disney allowed to cram so many people on main street for fireworks, and NOS for Fantasmic,...... but we're not allowed to roll strollers into tiki room because Fire Hazard?
What about a trample hazard?
6. The prices. - Disney wanted $30 or $40 for a hat. Yeesh.
7. Why did they get rid of the vegetable skewer at bengal BBQ? It was one of my favorites!
8. - It is heartbreaking to see the trolley sit at Buena Vista St. To me it invoked the same feelings of when I walk into Tomorrowland and see the peoplemover that's been abandoned for 20 years, except it's way more fresh. A real punch to the gut. IMO, this just puts the failure of executive level park management on display.
There is a number of points I thought I'd share if you care to read. I always like to write a summary of my trip, sort of as a way to reminisce and cherish the memories. Except there are some unfortunate negatives that need to be shared as well.
My family of 4 (wife, two girls aged 3 and 1) and my mom & dad all went for the trip. I drove in from South Phoenix while my parents flew in from Sky Harbor airport. We stayed at a hotel near Katella and the 5. We used 3 day park hopper passes w/ FP from costco.
The Good to Great -
1. I've been tough on CA in the past, but driving from AZ to Anaheim and back actually felt really easy. California has done something - cleaned their highways or widened lanes outside of Palm Springs or something - but it was such a nice ride despite the ride being 7, almost 8 hours long (the benefits of having an EV - I had to charge twice there and twice back).2. The majority of CM interactions - In the past I haven't paid much attention to parade talent, mascots, or even asked much of CMs. With 2 kids that's all changed a bit and you know, I got to see and appreciate just how much so many of them do.
- I told Pooh bear at a meet-and-greet that my 3yo was scared on TBA. The CM gave her an extra hug and a little more attention that just made all of us melt.
- We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Clarabelle, Jack Skellington, and all of them were just amazing. They did an amazing job of juggling between my kids, and my 1yo was all giggles and touches for it. My 3yo was a little shy but these CMs broke her out of her shell and she always left happy.
- I actually want to add that I had a difficult time understanding Jack through the new mask. I think I preferred the old one simply for that reason. And Sally wasn't present on the day we met Jack, which was sad. My girl loves Sally. Jack did a great job regardless.
- In the Christmas fantasy parade, Elsa blew a kiss to my kids and they waved back (yes 1yo too), to which she responded with the sweetest face and hands on her heart.
- For none-mascots, most of the CMs at rides & restaurants were helpful. A few helped me get milk when the mobile order wasn't working properly. One at ROTR told me where to stand to avoid motion sickness (and it worked!). Security caught me with a pocket knife (honest mistake!) and apologized profusely for having me take it back.
- Our CM at Jungle Cruise, I think his name was Felix? He was hilarious. His sense of humor had the whole boat laughing.
3. Tiana's Bayou Adventure - Okay, ready for this? I am shocked to admit that I actually liked it. Quite a bit. There is a lot of charm to the attraction. I still have my complaints; the story is on the weaker side, the secret spice song is insultingly basic compared to Zippadeedoodah, and I couldn't understand a word mama Odie was spewing. Some Danger should've been present, Dr. Facilier should've had an animatronic. But the feeling, the good vibes of the attraction, is enough IMO. Did Splash deserve this makeover... ehh that's hard to for me to say, I personally would've rather seen a Splash Mountain refurb & plussing. I can at least admit I had a good time on Tiana's. The going down the bayou section is lots of fun.
Unfortunately my 3yo didn't like it so much. She got soaked, and scared at the final lift hill. It was dark but halfway through I noticed she was already halfway off her seat trying to get out. I freaked and sat her back down. At the same time, the audio cut out for a split second then came back. No doubt in my mind an attraction CM was about to get on me through the speakers lol.
4. Christmas Decor, obviously - Through all of the changes that Disneyland has gone through, all of my favorite attractions being replaced, the overall bad this company has been putting us through - there is nothing in this world more homely, more comforting to me, than Christmas at Disneyland. I mean yeah the decor is top notch sure, but it's more about how much Disneyland just embraces it all. I love the holiday treats, the cooler weather, Haunted Mansion Holiday, IASW, the happy guests. I mean i'm literally listening to main street's Christmas loop as I type this out. I hold a high regard to Disney for not shunning Christ and keeping Walt's tradition alive with candlight processional, even though I haven't seen it yet.
5. Rise of the Resistance - Everything was working!?- this was the first time i've been on ROTR and the cannons were actually moving. The entire ride still in my heart feels like the best attraction experience in the park. It's excellent / impressive all around. I bet it's a ton of fun to be a FO officer, roasting guests all day. They had some funny insults for the teenagers next to us.
6. My children had a wonderful time - Other than TBA scaring my kid, they had a wonderful time meeting characters and doing the smaller stuff. We caught a fireworks show from Star Wars Land and their eyes were just glued to the sky. My 3yo's favorite ride ended up being the "bunny ride" and I'm sure you can guess which one that is.
7. Mobile Order - even with some of its glitches, mobile order is such a godsend. We used it all the time, refresh til we get a time slot we like, then enjoy food without waiting in a long line.
The Bad -
Very unfortunately, I have some drama I need to share. It's only fair I bring attention to these topics, especially when I'm (all of us are) spending my hard earned money for a good experience.1. Going with children, and planning ahead, was a challenge. - So usually we uber to parks but this time we had to shuttle (didn't want to carry car seats with us). And the wait times for shuttles were ROUGH, about an hour in-between, without a promised ETA. On the days we didn't shuttle, we did $40 parking for the Toy Story Lot, and still had to wait for busses. It's also a little harder to enjoy yourself when you're spending $1000 for a trip just for the kids to play on the water ball in Tomorrowland for an hour lol. The failure is on me though we failed to properly come up with a itinerary. If you have any advice on how to handle it all with 2 very young children, I will gladly listen and love you for it.
2. Fastpass or genie+ or whatever they're calling it now. - the value isn't there IMO. The real value is getting up early / staying late, and hitting the big rides then. With 2 kids FP was just plain stupid, we can't do a majority of the big rides in a timely fashion anyway. And they all book up really fast. Definitely wouldn't have bothered if it didn't come with our costco passes.
3. Where did all the park benches go?- seriously, i feel like there was a ton more seating available in the past. Maybe I'm just getting older?
4. I had 3 negative experiences with 3 separate employees. I don't know how much to say about this. 1 CM at toontown demanded (not asked, demanded) I move forward, but not enough apparently, in a line to see Minnie. I did, she barked at me to move up more, doing a sarcastic hand remark, and rolled her eyes at me when I scooted up half a foot (which is literally the free space I had). Still not sure why I was the target of that interaction. An ART driver gave me a hard time for my stroller. A CM doing main street traffic control (pre fireworks), gave me an unreal, rude and sarcastic response when I said I was following a party member into a store. A simple "I'm sorry we can't have you go this way" would've done wonders.
I get it, this job is tough. I'm not filing a complaint against anyone. And despite my good intentions, I know something I did triggered them. But I don't think we deserve the attitude like we're just stupid annoyances hindering their duties.
On a lighter note, some CM's seemed to give mixed answers as to why my inactive magic key could still get discounts in some places, if it was actually active or not, or what would activate it. A well-intended parking CM gave me false information. I feel like a lot of them are ill-informed or just don't know what's happening outside of their field. Thankfully a kind CM at guest relations gave me a straight answer that Magic Keys only activate once scanned into a gate. Still, some CM's were nice enough to honor the discount in some places.
5. The crowds were horrible on Monday. Which is whatever, right, we're going during the holidays. But I don't understand, why is Disney allowed to cram so many people on main street for fireworks, and NOS for Fantasmic,...... but we're not allowed to roll strollers into tiki room because Fire Hazard?
What about a trample hazard?
6. The prices. - Disney wanted $30 or $40 for a hat. Yeesh.
7. Why did they get rid of the vegetable skewer at bengal BBQ? It was one of my favorites!
8. - It is heartbreaking to see the trolley sit at Buena Vista St. To me it invoked the same feelings of when I walk into Tomorrowland and see the peoplemover that's been abandoned for 20 years, except it's way more fresh. A real punch to the gut. IMO, this just puts the failure of executive level park management on display.
Conclusion -
If you made it this far, I appreciate you for staying around. The next trip we take I will definitely plan better. 3 days felt very short, especially given the amount of time we spent doing nothing, but all in all it was a good time. For upcoming trips I'm using all 4 day reservations on the keys.
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