This is the 3rd of a series of posts dealing with
my fourth trip to South California. I’ve made minor corrections to these
reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a ¾ year
later or to add further clarification.
These are indicated by “NOW”. After I booked the trip I unexpectedly had
to move and during that had an Eastern Canada trip that didn’t go that great,
so I was already pretty tired before the trip began.
As I was nearing the bus stop this morning so was
the 47 bus (Orange County Transportation Authority/OCTA). Made it to the stop
before the bus did It swung east from Garden Grove to Orange and then went to Anaheim
where I got off. I walked to Harbor Blvd
and looked at the hotel I stayed at last time (Howard Johnson) and the main
two restaurants my dad and I ate at Mimi's and Millie's; the latter was dark
and not open when I passed. I ate breakfast and won a free month of Hulu,
sadly not good in Canada. I walked to
the entrance to Disneyland Park. There were only a couple of other people there
then so I was the first at my particular turnstile. Part of the park opened before the rest so I
walked to the bottom right section of the half circle at the centre and waited
for the park to fully open.
[NOW: I left from Orange Mango Hostel in Santa Ana.
Looking at Google Maps I see now that I was not actually in Garden Grove that
morning, though Garden Grove was very close to the bus stop in Orange. Millie’s
is definitely closed.]
When the park opened proper I walked to
Fantasyland. I rode Peter Pan's Flight (minor but nice track ride), tried to
ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (mechanical issues), rode Alice in Wonderland, rode
Storybook Land Canal Boats (nice smooth boat ride; real ducks didn't want to
get out of the way), rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster (got brave and
even took photos), tried to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride but it broke down again
(after a couple more checks gave up). rode Pinocchio's Daring Journey (minor
track ride), and rode Snow White’s Scary Adventures ride.
[NOW: I realized that the photos I took in Peter
Pan’s Flight weren’t that good so I later revisited just to try to get better
photos. I did manage to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride on a later day. Alice in
Wonderland, Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White’s Scary Adventures I just
rode this day this trip].
I walked to Tomorrowland, passing Captain Hook, Alice,
and Mad Hatter en route. There I rode Space Mountain (roller coaster; put away
camera; Halloween horror effects are great), Star Tours (I like the old version
better with a robot pilot on first journey, but the new one with R2D2 and C3P0
trying to smuggle a spy is still okay, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters (track
ride shoot up).
[NOW: After Halloween Space Mountain reverts to its regular effects, which are also nice.]
In Adventureland I rode Indiana Jones Adventures
(high action jeep ride), then in Frontierland rode Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad (western themed roller coaster; took photos) and rode Sailing Ship
Columbia. This is a nice boat ride
around Tom Sawyer Island.
[NOW: I had to split my initial reports into two
halves because my mini-notebook’s power was running low and I didn’t want to
lose anything. The rest was sent after the second half.]
Rode the flume ride Pirates of the Caribbean in New
Orleans Square, Made a couple attempts off and on for Splash Mountain in
Critter County (mechanical issues), rode Haunted Mansion also in the Square (for
the holidays made to look like Nightmare Before Christmas; much prefer normal
graphics), rode Jungle Cruise comedy boat ride in Adventureland, did the minor
walkthrough Tarzan’s Treehouse same land, had lunch at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierlandland
where I caught the tail end of a drag comedy act, saw Enchanted Tiki Room in
Adventureland (singing/dancing birds), The Disney Story Featuring Great Moments
with Abraham Lincoln in Main Street USA (bio with animatronic Abe at end), saw
Pluto, returned to Critter County and finally rode the flume ride with bug drop Splash Mountain.
[NOW: Unfortunately unlike Space Mountain, the garish
Haunted Mansion graphics don’t revert after Halloween but stay until after
Christmas. I only visited Tarzan’s Treehous and Disney Story the one time this
trip.]
Same land, saw Tigger and Eeyore and rode the minor
track ride Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, got a Fastpass for Big Thunder
Mountain Railroad (lets you go on shorter line later), did the Sleeping Beauty
walkthrough in Fantasyland, rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds again (both times used
single line entry, which I also did with Splash Mountain), redid Star Tours, redid
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, got another Fastpass for it, redid Splash Mountain,
redid Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Fastpass then without, then did a long
wait at Space Mountain (said 50 minutes but that way I got say a little after the
park switched to the pricier Halloween Party). I left the park and had dinner
at same McDonald's as before. This time won a drink coupon I could use (Smoothies)
I took a 47 bus back to the hostel and gave the hostel owner the Hulu voucher
and petted the dog.
[NOW: The 47 bus was again OCTA. On the way back it
does briefly pass through Garden Grove. The dog's name is Smokey.]
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