It’s not that I’m impatient. I’m just not into waiting in lines.
This morning I got to Disney around 10am. I waited in line at the parking lot to ask how to get to the parking structure. (Structure is better, come on!) After getting lost on the way to the structure (I found it 20 minutes later) I waited in line to take the tram from the structure to the park entrance. After getting my free ticket (thanks Disney!) I waited in line to get in the park. After waiting in line to get in the park I waited in line for California Screamin’ at California’s Adventure.
California Screamin’
This is the sole “legitimate” roller coaster at the park and it’s a fun one. I made a big mistake waiting in this line though. I waited for about 15 minutes, then saw the “single rider line” so headed to that line. The single rider line took another 20 minutes and I saw the people who were behind me in the original line go on the coaster a good 10 minutes before me. Oops. That said, I absolutely love that Disney has single rider lines for certain rides. (I wish it was for all rides, but hey, it’s a great start!)
The Disney parks are the only parks I’ve been to that have these lines and it’s because they simply make sense. At every park I’ve been to I see empty seats left and right. They could easily be filled by single riders, thereby speeding up the wait times for everybody. Less waiting = happier customers. Happier customers = more profits. ;)
Disney not only has single rider lines, but they also have Fast Pass, for free. Fast Pass lets you get a ticket for a ride with a long wait time with a specific time to come back to the ride. You go through a separate Fast Pass line when you come back which is a lot quicker than the normal line. Say a 10 minute wait instead of 60+ minutes. Before I went on California Screamin’ I went over to the Hollywood Tower of Terror and got a Fast Pass that said I could return between 12:25 and 1:25. I picked up the pass at 11:00. Sweet deal.
Since my goal here was to go on the 4 rides on my list and not some of the other fun attractions (Tower of Terror wasn’t on my list, but I wanted to go on it anyway) I headed to the Disneyland park. (To be clear, there are two separate parks. Disneyland and California’s Adventure.)
At Disneyland my first stop was the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
But that wasn’t a very good first stop because they were closed for renovation. :( I’ll go on them at Disney World in Florida twice to make up for it. ;) (EDIT: Oops, no I won’t. My mistake. No Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disney World.)
So then I headed to …
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
There was no single rider line or fast pass here so I had to wait about 30 minutes, which gave me just enough time to begin getting annoyed at all the children going nuts and their Parents not caring. :)
I’ve been on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad many times before. I was actually at Disneyland to celebrate the New Year 10 years ago. They gave everybody noise makers on the way in. Just sit and think for a second what a mistake that was. The New Year’s celebration/production was awesome though. Why am I talking about New Year’s 10 years ago?
Right … Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a kiddie coaster, but it’s fun none-the-less. No loops or big drops, but an enjoyable ride through the old west. :)
By now it was time for …
Vegan Food At Disney!
Vegans get excited when places make a concerted effort to please them. Because, for the most part, nobody cares. Disney is smart like that. Appeal to everyone and make that money, baby. :)
Pictured above is the Vegetable Gumbo in a Sourdough Bread Bowl available in New Orleans Square. With tax it was $9.78, and you know what? It was exceptionally tasty and filling. To the point that I didn’t eat again until I got to Encinitas (where I’m writing this) 6 hours later and ate at The Greenery. (The oyster crackers you see pictured are not vegan, by the way. So if you’re vegan ask for the gumbo sans crackers.)
Err, back to coasters …
By this time I needed to head back to Tower of Terror to use my Fast Pass. First I went over to Space Mountain to get a Fast Pass. Problem, the Fast Passes were almost “sold out” and the time stamp on mine was 10:30pm – 11:30pm. No way I was hanging around that long, but I got the Fast Pass anyway.
I’m told this is slightly different than the Tower of Terror at Disney World, but I’ve been on both multiple times and I don’t know the difference. It would help if my experiences weren’t all years apart. :)
Anyway, this is a drop ride with a fun Twilight Zone story line. You ride an elevator that goes haywire and drops you from the top of the tower to the bottom. Similar drop rides are at every park, but I usually avoid them. I went on this because, well, Fast Pass! :)
Soarin’ Over California
Soarin’ wasn’t on my list because it’s not a coaster, but hey, single rider line, and I remember the Soarin’ at Epcot being fun.
Soarin’ is a “virtual” ride with some added physical elements. You sit down in a “glider” that lifts up in front of a massive screen. The screen plays a movie of different California scenery, and with the added elements of wind, seat movement, and scents, it actually does feel like you’re hang gliding. Seriously. I’ve gone hang gliding.
Although there is no element of “I could die if this thing breaks” so it’s not quite as intense as a real glide. When I went hang gliding my instructor (it was a tandem ride) asked if I wanted him to put the glider into a freefall. “Yeah, sure.” And so he did. I white knuckled the handlebar so hard my hands are now in a perpetual state of holding on for dear life.
Breakin’ The Rules on Space Mountain
So now we get to it. This was the last ride I needed to go on. The wait time was listed at 65 minutes and my Fast Pass wansn’t valid until 10:30pm. It was 3:30pm. Hmmm.
I went through the Fast Pass line, but when I handed my ticket to the girl she said “uhh, you can’t go in, this is for later.”
Me: “Oh, that’s cool, I’m with the media.”
Her, with confused look on her face: “Uhm, just get the correct pass next time.”
Me: “Yeah, sorry about that! Thanks!”
Sorry Disney. I know you gave me a free ticket, but I really didn’t want to wait in line for Space Mountain, as fun of a ride as it is. I’ve got work to do!
I hung around Disneyland for another hour or so, checked out the attractions (considered going on the new Star Tours but the wait was 130 minutes with no Fast Pass available), but didn’t wait in line to go on anything else. And then I left before too many more kids, strollers, and human beings could jump on me.
More Disneyland & California Adventure photos here.
Tomorrow I’ll be at Belmont Park in San Diego at 11am, then I’m driving to Primm, NV. It’s kind of Vegas, so I’m doing my best to go “all in” and get a free hotel room. :) I’ll let you know what happens.
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{ 12 comments }
When you go to Primm just look up Tripadvisor and make sure there’s no bed bugs in the hotel you’re staying @. The lil town looks so quirky and fun, but we almost made that mistake thinking – oh how quirky and fun – and cheap too! It’s all quirky and fun until someone loses their eye. Or gets bit, or whatever. You know whatamean.
Haha! Damn. Well, I’d be staying at the hotel with the coaster. The one I linked to. I’ll use my own sleeping bag. ;)
Awesome stuff Karol :)
Where did you go hang gliding? Would love to hear more about it in general, sounds fun :)
I went in Florida –> http://www.wallaby.com/
It’s a great time. :)
Hate to rain on your parade, but there is no Matterhorn Bobsled at Disney in Orlando. We live in Orlando and go to Disney all the time. The thing I like about Disney coaster is they always have fun and intersting settings/scenery. They coasters by themselves are ok, but they really make it a more immersive experience, which makes them pretty fun.
I see you have three days scheduled for the Disney parks in Orlando. You could actually hit the roller coasters in all four parks in a single day. Granted it would be a little more relaxing to spread them out, but I just wanted to let you know it’s possible. Also, a great time to ride stuff at Magic Kingdom is at night during the Electrical Parade and Fireworks. Most of the tourists would rather watch that stuff, so we usually take advantage of that to hit a lot of the rides with almost no waiting.
Are you going to include Test Track at Epcot in your Roller Coaster Tour? I’m not sure it’s technically a roller coaster, but it’s pretty close.
I’m actually planning on doing the Disney World coasters in one day. It’s a logistical nightmare because getting around these parks isn’t easy. But it’ll be fun. :)
You’re right about the Disney coasters: they’re not much in and of themselves. It’s the immersive experience and the detail put into the surroundings.
Definitely going on Test Track. :)
Here’s my suggestion on doing all the coasters in one day at Disney. Back in high school my friend and I did the “four park challenge” and this is how we did it. This should be a generally good plan for you.
Start at Animal Kingdom. It’s the most separated from all of the other parks and it closes earliest (8PM) because the animals go to sleep, so it’s best to do first. There are two coasters there, Expedition Everest and Primeval Whirl (however this one is closed for OSHA inspection due to a recent accident, and will be for months). I’d also suggest riding Dinosaur (dark ride + motion simulator), time permitting. There aren’t any other thrill rides there.
Take a Disney bus from Animal Kingdom to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If Rock ‘n Roller Coaster has a long line, get a FastPass for it. If not, try to get a FastPass for Toy Story. It’s a 3D shooting gallery that’s really cool, but often has a 120+ minute wait. Ride Tower of Terror (the line usually isn’t that bad) so you can compare to California’s. Try to ride the new Star Tours there (same as Disneyland’s).
When you leave, take the BOAT (not the bus) to Epcot. It will stop at a few hotels and then drop you off in the back of the park, at the secret entrance almost nobody uses. Hit up Test Track (single rider line) and Mission Space (opt for the ‘more intense’ training. Everybody is scared of it so it never has a wait). It’s basically a motion simulator built into a centrifuge to produce G-forces. WAY cool. You can skip Sorain’ (it’s identical to DL’s).
When you’re ready to leave, hop on the monorail at Epcot. It’ll drop you at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and you can change trains and take the other monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Most of the FastPasses will probably be gone but there are some single rider lines and if you ride during the parades and fireworks the lines will be shorter. Also, at the very end of the night all the rides will post 30-60+ minute wait times. It’s a lie. When the park is about to close they inflate all the wait times to deter people from getting in line, so they can close on time. Sometimes they even hold people at the ride entrance to give the appearance of a line that is so long it extends outside the building.
Viola! Four parks in one day. I hope this helps.
Oh I should have mentioned that all the Disney transit is free. And you should be able to get a bus from Magic Kingdom back to Animal Kingdom to pick up your car. The buses run pretty late for this exact reason.
I was definitely planning on trying to go to all the parks in one day. :) Thanks for the tips Mike!
Unfortunately, you won’t go on the Matterhorn Bobsleds in FL twice, or at all. It’s only in Cali, and used to be my favorite ride until Expedition Everest came along and kicked its butt. (though I’m sure I’d still love the bobsleds)
That gumbo looks amazing!
There’s a “new” Star Tours?!
Yeah, Star Tours 2.0 or something.
The big difference between the FL and CA Tower of Terror is that the original version (in FL) has an extra sequence where the elevator moves forward from the initial (5 story) shaft to the drop shaft (13 stories). It’s a really cool sequence, but due to budget constraints it wasn’t duplicated in any of the other towers (in CA, Paris, and Tokyo). Those versions condense the whole ride into a single 13 story shaft.
Also it might just be me but I feel like the CA version is just less creepy. The paint is a bit more day-glo and there isn’t near as much dust and general creepy atmosphere as there is in the FL version. That could just be childhood memories clouding my opinion though.