Trip Report My First Trip to Disneyland! - Spring Break 2026

Hello everyone! Welcome back to what I believe is my third trip report. However, this is my first for Disneyland! As you can tell by the title, this was my first ever trip to the parks in California. Actually, it's my first ever time to California. I have been to WDW 25+ times, but never made the trip out west. So let me get started with the basics...

When: March 23rd-27th
Who: My dad and I
Where: Fairfield Inn (across the street from Disneyland)
Why: My dad and I have been talking about this for a couple years, and we decided 2026 was our time.

Let's get started!

 

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Day 2, Part 1 - Rope Dropping Disneyland!

The plan for today was to rope drop Disneyland, then head back to the hotel for an hour or so in the afternoon before going to DCA for the evening. We had the World of Color Dessert Party planned.

We got to the park before the gates opened, so we found the shortest line and waited outside. Once we got inside, we went to the holding area for Fantasyland, as our plan was to rope drop Peter Pan's Flight, then hit up Toontown.

At first, the rope drop crowds didn't seem as bad as what we are used to at WDW. We were almost to the very front by the rope. Eventually, more and more crowds kept building. One they let us go, they very clearly stated to walk to the attraction. Did people walk? No. It was much different than WDW. People were running all over. It was honestly a big turn off and not something I have ever seen at WDW. And if I had seen it at WDW, the CMs put an end to it. The CMs at DL seemed like they had specifically been told not to stop anyone from running, because nobody did anything about it. I also noticed that none of the CMs did a "walk" to the attractions like they do in WDW. It seemed like very little crowd control. I would notice this all three days, and it's definitely better at WDW.

Another thing that surprised me were the amount of people who just cut in lines at DL. Those of us who had lined up in front of the castle had made it to PPF before those who were on the right side of the castle. But many people in that line decided to ignore the people who had got there first and just step in front of others like nobody else was there. At WDW, we're used to CMs with signs saying where the end of the line is.

A woman also had a 2 or 3 year old girl with her. She tried to park her stroller in a random place, and a CM told her she had to move it to the right spot. So the woman left her child with strangers in line, so she wouldn't lose her spot. It was insane.

At WDW, there are a lot more people there earlier than DL, but I think rope drop is much less chaotic there. DL was a lot.

Okay, now that we're past that...

I liked DL's version of Peter Pan. I'll say I probably like WDW's version better, but they weren't insanely different.

Our next stop was Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway back in Toontown. On our way we passed Pinocchio. I do like the roaming characters in DL, but I also feel like the guests in WDW would surround them a lot more and make it harder to do that.

Runaway Railway was fun, just as it is in WDW. The ride itself isn't too different, but the queue and buildup is. I liked the Mickey Mouse museum in DL's version, but I also like the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Studios.

Up next: Day 2, Part 2 - More Toontown!

 

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Day 2, Part 2 - More Toontown, Indy, Food, & Alice!

After Mickey & Minnie's, we decided to go on the Gadgetcoaster. The lines the previous day were always long, so we were going to do it while it was a 5 minute wait. What we didn't realize is how much of a kiddie coaster it was. The seats were so small, and I could barely get my legs underneath the lap bar. I also quickly realized why it had such long lines... it loads incredibly slowly and has a very small capacity. That's something I noticed with DL rides in general, too. They were slower to load, had less loading/unloading stations, and less capacity than WDW rides. I probably would never ride this one again, but glad I tried it once.

I did really like the ambiance in Toontown. Very cool scenery.

By this point, it was time to use our LL for Indy. I had heard good things about this ride, so I was excited. The queue was very cool, especially in comparison to many of the other rides we had been on. The ride itself was fun, but even a ride like this you can tell is not in the same category as rides theme parks build today. There's nothing wrong with it, it just made me realized how far technology has advanced in even the past 15 or so years.

After Indy, we were getting hungry. Based on my pretrip research, I knew I wanted to try the garlic cheese pretzel bread, so that's what we got. We found a bench in front of the castle and ate it there. It was delicious. 5/5. I wasn't expecting it to have actual garlic. I assumed it was just in a cheese sauce type of thing.

As my dad was finishing up, I went to take a few pictures of the castle.

Next we headed back into Fantasyland to ride Alice in Wonderland. It said it had a 15 minute wait, but I think it was closer to 25. Another difference I noticed in DL... the wait times weren't as accurate at WDW. WDW actually often overshoots their estimates, whereas DL often had underestimated theirs.

I liked Alice quite a bit, but like I said, I love a classic dark ride. That is vintage Disney to me.

Up next: Day 2, Part 3 - Submarines & Trains!

 

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Day 2, Part 3 - Submarines, Trains, & Carnation Cafe!

After Alice, we went over to ride the Nemo Submarine Voyage. I had heard that this ride had tight quarters, so I was a little skeptical, but it wasn't bad once I got in. Another example of deceiving wait times. The app said it was a 15 minute wait when we were entering the line. However, the line was moving slowly and it was actually a 30 minute wait.

The ride itself was unique. I enjoyed it, but you can tell it was definitely an old attraction. There's charm to it, for sure.

We weren't quite sure what to do next, since wait times were starting to get long. My dad suggested the train, and I jumped on board that thought. I had forgotten about it, since it doesn't have a wait time listed in the app. We wanted to board from the Main Street station. As we were walking there, we were able to hop on the double decker bus to take us down. I also like how they run the Main Street Vehicles most of the day, as opposed to WDW.

We were able to get on the first train that pulled up, and we got the one where the seats face sideway, which is what I wanted. I will say, this railroad is by far better than WDW's. So many better views, and I loved the dioramas of the Grand Canyon and all the dinosaurs.

We ended up riding one full circle, then onto the New Orleans stop again so we could climb the Treehouse in Adventureland.

The treehouse was okay. WDW's is better, but I liked Jane the Ostrich.

We did a little shopping/exploring on Main Street after that, as we needed to kill a little more time before our lunch reservation at Carnation Cafe. We stopped by the fire station.

We checked in for lunch, and we were seated within 10 minutes. I ordered the parmesan patty melt, and my dad ordered Walt's favorite chili.

I enjoyed mine, but it was very greasy and messy to eat. My dad also liked his chili.

The service was extremely quick, and you could tell they were trying to have high turnover. It did feel a little rushed, if I'm being honest, but I'd go back. I'd give my meal a 4/5.

After lunch, we walked back to the hotel to rest up before our first visit to California Adventure later that afternoon. We had several lightning lanes lined up and ready to go!

Up next: Our first visit to DCA!

 

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Day 2, Part 4 - Our First Visit to California Adventure!

I'll start this off by saying, some of these pictures didn't turn out the clearest because of the sun. It was going down and in the way of many of the things I wanted to take pictures of.

After resting and taking some naps at the hotel for a little while, we walked over to DCA for our first ever visit! When we first scanned in and entered, I liked the vibes of Buena Vista Street. It reminded me of Hollywood Studios, but still had a different feel to it. Maybe a little cozier?

As we continued walking down the main road, I really liked the waterfalls at Grizzly Peak. They were very well done and had lots of detail.

We continued on down to Little Mermaid, as we had a lightning lane for it. We got there about 10 minutes early, so we took in the ambiance and looked at the ferris wheel, water, and surrounding area.

The ride really is pretty much the same as WDW, except the animatronics were all working. The Ariel animatronic has to be one of the creepiest, though The line doesn't even compared to WDW's version, though. Their version is one of my favorite queues.

Up next: More DCA!

 

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Day 2, Part 5 - Avengers Campus & Carsland

After the Little Mermaid, it was time to use our LL for Webslingers. As we were walking by, we just happened to pass by Spiderman as he did his jump.

The ride was okay, but wasn't my favorite. I don't like how we had to sit with other people, and I prefer using a blaster like Buzz or Toy Story Mania. It wore my arms out, and it was harder to aim. I'm glad we did it once, but probably wouldn't have to do it again and would rather spend my time doing other things. I'm also not a Marvel fan, so that doesn't help.

After Webslingers, we walked past Grizzly Peak again on our way to Carsland. We bought the individual LL for Radiator Springs Racers to ensure we got on it, as we likely won't be back for a long time.

Carsland was absolutely packed, so I'll preface my next comments with that. But I was expecting more from Carsland. I have heard for years how it's some of the best work Disney has ever done. And it was good, don't get me wrong, but I don't feel it was great. I feel like maybe at the time it came out, that was true, but now that's the standard in theme parks. Actually, the standard is probably even higher.

We got in line for RSR, and the LL was pretty long, too. I think the standby was 125 minutes, and they kept coming on the speakers and saying it was actually going to be longer than expected. We probably waited 20-30 minutes in the LL, which didn't feel great after we spent almost $60 to ride it.

Taking all that out of the equation, the ride was really fun. I wouldn't wait 125 minutes for it, but I liked it. Our car won the race, too, so I feel fulfilled having only ridden it once.

Up next: Pixar Pier & Grizzly Peak!

 

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Day 5, Part 6 - Pixar Pier & Grizzly Peak!

After RSR, it was so packed in Carsland that there was no sense in exploring it. Plus, we had a LL for Incredicoaster to get to. We cut through San Fransoyko and made our way to Pixar Pier for the first time.

The pier was cool, but it felt very cluttered. I think that's my biggest thing with DCA... the layout. It's not organized very well, and it feels very cluttered. There aren't a lot of nice sightlines as compared to the other US Disney parks. I know they are limited on space in Anaheim, but still.

We made it to the Incredicoaster, and we again had a decent wait even with a LL. The ride was really fun, but I wish it had better theming. It was a lot longer than I expected it to be, and I honestly felt a little queezy afterwards. I think it's because we had paused for a drink break, and I had just had a whole bottle of Coke. When we rode it later in the trip, I didn't have the same issues.

Next, we were going to ride the ferris wheel, but by the time we got to it, the wait time had jumped from 20 to 30 minutes, and we didn't want to wait that long. Instead, we rode the Silly Symphony Swings. I hadn't been on that type of ride since I was a kid, so it was fun. Obviously it's not a must do, but it was something to do and have a little fun with.

Next, it was on to our Soarin' LL. As we walked through Grizzly Peak, I really loved the theming. It reminded me of Wilderness Lodge, which is at the top of my bucket list to stay at for WDW resorts. We were disappointed that Grizzly River Run was down on our trip, and it was scheduled to reopen the day we flew home (but stay tuned for future developments on that ).

I also enjoyed the statue of Big Al. He's a running joke in my family, so I had to send a picture of him to my cousins. We've been to WDW together many times, so we have a group chat called "Disney Adults".

Up next: Soarin' & World of Color!

 

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Day 2, Part 7 - Soarin' & World of Color Dessert Party!

I got a few more pictures from the other side of Grizzly River Run before moving on to Soarin'. We also stopped in some shops along the way, as we were a bit early.

When we got to Soarin', we were still a bit early, so we ended up doing a little more shopping on Buena Vista Street. I got a Disneyland sweater that I had seen the previous day, but they were out of my size. Well, actually they had the size that fit me, but I didn't know it. I take a large in everything I wear, but when I tried on the large at the Emporium, it was huge. I didn't think to try a medium, but I ended up trying on a medium of a different quarter zip because they were out of a large, and it fit me really well. So that made me think of trying a medium in the sweatshirt, and it fit well also! So I guess that means you lose weight in DL, because I went from a large to a medium!

Anyway, back to our originally scheduled programming...

After getting the sweatshirt, it was time for Soarin'. I was really excited for this, because it was Soarin' Over California for the F&W Festival. I loved this ride in Epcot. It was always a must do. I don't love Around the World. It's way too CGI heavy, and I don't like the jump scares to cut to a new scene. I feel like it's forced and fake. You also always fly upwards in the World version. In the Cali version, it's all realistic, and you fly downwards more often, which makes it more thrilling and feel like you're actually flying.

So even though this was not a new ride for us, it was probably my favorite of the trip. We asked to wait for B1, because I wanted the best seat in the house in case it was the last time I ever rode it. But (spoiler alert), we would actually ride it two more times before the end of the trip.

While in line for Soarin', we got a text that it was time for us to check into the World of Color Dessert Party, so we headed over to that next.

We checked in and got seated next to two women. We said hi to them, but got the sense they didn't really want to talk. That was okay with us, as we didn't really either. My dad is quite the introvert.

The views of Pixar Pier were stunning, and I loved all the lights.

We got out dessert boxes. I had been warned that you don't do the dessert party for the actual desserts, but rather for a place to sit and not have to fight the crowds. I kept that in mind throughout the night.

The desserts, as I was told, were just okay. I'm not a big charcuterie person, so the right side of the box wasn't my favorite. I liked the brownie bit and the cookie cup with fudge in it. The macaron was okay, as well as the rice krispie, but I'm not thrilled to have Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loop-type things in my desserts. I'm also not a big lemon fan, but if you are, then the lemon cake would've been good. I forgot that you got a pin with it, which was a nice touch. I ended up taking half of it with me and would snack on a couple things in the hotel through the rest of the trip.

Our waiter was great. He was very nice and took good care of us. I got the seasonal cocktail, which was okay. Nothing special. I also got a bottle of water to take back to the room, and a Coke. The Coke was warm, as they had everything sitting out just ready to grab when someone ordered it.

As the showed approached, I really liked the ferris wheel with all the colors.

Up next: More World of Color!

 

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Day 2, Part 8 - More World of Color & Disneyland!

The view of the show itself was good, but I wish we would have had a clear view of the fountains in the water. Instead, the people standing right next to the water were blocking it. I was glad that we didn't have a pole in our way, though, as some tables appeared to have. We also requested a high top table with hopes of getting a better view, and I think that really helped. I think the people sitting in front of us with low-top tables probably had a worse angle.

I really enjoyed the Muppets preshow. I got several good laughs out of it.

The show itself was okay. We had a special 70th anniversary edition called World of Color Happiness. I liked pieces of it, but wish it wasn't so heavily focused on Inside Out. I like Inside Out, but I don't have a huge attachment to it. I wish it was more of a mix of Disney films. I wish we could have seen the original World of Color, but this was good, too. The rainbow fountains at the end were very pretty, and I enjoyed watching them.

My final review of the dessert party... I'm glad we did it, as this will probably be our only time out there, at least for a long time. Because of that, we did spend some extra money on bonuses. The desserts weren't worth it, but I like that we got a special pin with it. The views were good, and I liked that we didn't have lots of people around us. I also really appreciated the fact that we could sit for over an hour after walking all day. It was nice not having the battle crowds.

All that said, I probably wouldn't do it again. I don't regret it at all, but it is more of a one-time experience for us. I think it's worth doing once.

After the show, we were debating what to do. I honestly was feeling a little off after all the desserts and the earlier ride on Incredicoaster, but we had previously talked about going back over to Disneyland for another hour or so since they were still open. I was ready to go back to the hotel, but I could tell my dad wanted to go back to the park (which is totally the opposite of how I normally am).

We ended up going back to Disneyland. We had another LL that we snagged for Buzz, just in case we went back over. I snagged a couple more pictures of Buena Vista Street on our way out of DCA.

When we got to DL, the fireworks were just finishing up. I got a cool shot of some fireworks over the train station.

We got to take the backstage route around Main Street on our way to Buzz. We used our LL, but it was only a 10 minute wait and didn't need to.

I liked how we could remove the blasters on this version of Buzz, but other than that I think I prefer the WDW version better. And with the update, I think it's going to be a clear winner for me in WDW.

After Buzz, we walked over to Frontierland. I stopped by the castle for some nighttime pictures as we were passing by.

We rode Winnie the Pooh, and it was a legitimate walk on. We did not stop once before sitting down in the ride vehicle. Not even to wait for the vehicle to pull up. Literally no wait.

I liked this version of Pooh better than WDW. I noticed it didn't seem was "trippy" as the WDW version.

Up next: Wrapping up our night at Disneyland!

 

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Day 2, Part 9 - Wrapping Up the Day at Disneyland!

After Pooh, there wasn't much time left, but we had hoped to get on Casey Jr. before the park closed. We also wanted to walk through Galaxy's Edge at night. Riding Casey Jr. had kind of become a running gag through our trip, because it always had a short wait, so it was always something we said we could do. Whenever we were looking at what to do next, we said Casey Jr, but we never actually did it.

We walked to Galaxy's Edge through the Frontierland entrance. We literally just walked through so we could get to Casey Jr. before the park closed. I stopped for some pictures because there was hardly anybody in that area of the park.

We continued on, and we got to Casey Jr. with just a couple minutes to spare. We got on the last train of the night. At 10:59, another group walked up to the line, but the CMs turned them down. We hadn't even finished loading yet, and they doors to the train were still open. It would have been so easy to let them on, but the CM was determined to be done for the night. Based on other comments she was saying, she was happy to be done working... even if the group technically had the right to get in line because the park was still open.

The train ride was a lot longer than I expected. I wasn't anything special, but it gave some nice views of the canals. It was also faster than I anticipasted.

After the ride, I got a few more pictures of Fantasyland at night, then we headed down Main Street and back to the hotel.

That concluded our night at Disneyland! I ended up being happy that we went back for the night. We were able to check off a few more rides that we hadn't done yet, and it was nice to soak in some nighttime park vibes. And this isn't going to be a trip we make often, so we might as well make the most of it.

Up next: Day 3, where we rope drop DCA!

 

[Baloo124]

At 10:59, another group walked up to the line, but the CMs turned them down. We hadn't even finished loading yet, and they doors to the train were still open. It would have been so easy to let them on, but the CM was determined to be done for the night. Based on other comments she was saying, she was happy to be done working... even if the group technically had the right to get in line because the park was still open.

Not the finest example of a CM by a long shot.

I realize they're tired by that time of night, but like you said, how much effort or extra time would it have taken to let them on and off a car?

Good thing for her there wasn't a mngr strolling around to overhear the "happy to be done working" remark on stage.
Keep that talk for breakrooms.

 

[MinnieM123]

@PUSH , just wanted to say that the composition and quality of your photographs, are excellent!

 

[trr1]

Day 1, Part 3 - Mr. Lincoln & Small World!

After the Canals, we had a little bit of time to kill before our first LL for Space. We decided to sit for a little bit and watch Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I didn't realize that some of this overlapped with The American Adventure in Epcot. Seeing the animatronic was cool, though, knowing there's a lot of history behind it.

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We still had some time before our LL, and we saw that Small World had a low wait, so we went to check that off. Again, the queue isn't anything special, but the facade was much better than WDW. We got to see the people come out and move around, which was neat. The downside to this line was the family behind us... they had a young kid who kept running ahead of us. The mom kept telling him to get back, he said no, and she did nothing around it. He was multiple groups ahead, and she just let him wait there. He was bumping into everybody, and she just kept telling him to come back, but he never did. It was pretty annoying.

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The ride itself was fun. I liked seeing all the characters, but it was done in a subtle way that didn't seem like they forced an IP down your throat. I would say the scenes are better at DL, but I like how the water goes right up to the scenes in WDW. If I was ranking them, I'd probably lean in favor of DL, but WDW isn't too far behind.

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Up next: Day 1, Part 4 - Tomorrowland!

Mr teacher didn't put him in detention?

 

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Day 2, Part 7 - Soarin' & World of Color Dessert Party!

I got a few more pictures from the other side of Grizzly River Run before moving on to Soarin'. We also stopped in some shops along the way, as we were a bit early.

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When we got to Soarin', we were still a bit early, so we ended up doing a little more shopping on Buena Vista Street. I got a Disneyland sweater that I had seen the previous day, but they were out of my size. Well, actually they had the size that fit me, but I didn't know it. I take a large in everything I wear, but when I tried on the large at the Emporium, it was huge. I didn't think to try a medium, but I ended up trying on a medium of a different quarter zip because they were out of a large, and it fit me really well. So that made me think of trying a medium in the sweatshirt, and it fit well also! So I guess that means you lose weight in DL, because I went from a large to a medium!

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Anyway, back to our originally scheduled programming...

After getting the sweatshirt, it was time for Soarin'. I was really excited for this, because it was Soarin' Over California for the F&W Festival. I loved this ride in Epcot. It was always a must do. I don't love Around the World. It's way too CGI heavy, and I don't like the jump scares to cut to a new scene. I feel like it's forced and fake. You also always fly upwards in the World version. In the Cali version, it's all realistic, and you fly downwards more often, which makes it more thrilling and feel like you're actually flying.

So even though this was not a new ride for us, it was probably my favorite of the trip. We asked to wait for B1, because I wanted the best seat in the house in case it was the last time I ever rode it. But (spoiler alert), we would actually ride it two more times before the end of the trip.

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While in line for Soarin', we got a text that it was time for us to check into the World of Color Dessert Party, so we headed over to that next.

We checked in and got seated next to two women. We said hi to them, but got the sense they didn't really want to talk. That was okay with us, as we didn't really either. My dad is quite the introvert.

The views of Pixar Pier were stunning, and I loved all the lights.

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We got out dessert boxes. I had been warned that you don't do the dessert party for the actual desserts, but rather for a place to sit and not have to fight the crowds. I kept that in mind throughout the night.

The desserts, as I was told, were just okay. I'm not a big charcuterie person, so the right side of the box wasn't my favorite. I liked the brownie bit and the cookie cup with fudge in it. The macaron was okay, as well as the rice krispie, but I'm not thrilled to have Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loop-type things in my desserts. I'm also not a big lemon fan, but if you are, then the lemon cake would've been good. I forgot that you got a pin with it, which was a nice touch. I ended up taking half of it with me and would snack on a couple things in the hotel through the rest of the trip.

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Our waiter was great. He was very nice and took good care of us. I got the seasonal cocktail, which was okay. Nothing special. I also got a bottle of water to take back to the room, and a Coke. The Coke was warm, as they had everything sitting out just ready to grab when someone ordered it.

As the showed approached, I really liked the ferris wheel with all the colors.

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Up next: More World of Color!

Well Disneyland is smaller so I guess you shrunk

 

[trr1]

@PUSH I am enjoying the report so far. I have a few questions that may be nosy . 1) how much were the individual cost of all the lighting lanes you got or the total cost as it may help with my trip planning budget. 2) what was the food prices like for a hot bottle of water and soda and food itself?

 

[PUSH]

@PUSH , just wanted to say that the composition and quality of your photographs, are excellent!

Thank you!

 

[PUSH]

@PUSH I am enjoying the report so far. I have a few questions that may be nosy . 1) how much were the individual cost of all the lighting lanes you got or the total cost as it may help with my trip planning budget. 2) what was the food prices like for a hot bottle of water and soda and food itself?

I am not sure what the LLs were. At DL, you can add them to your ticket when you purchase it. We also bought a package, so our ticket, LLs, and hotel were all bundled in one. I would say that LLs are very worth it in DL.

Food prices varied. I noticed the QS meals were more expensive at DL than WDW, and the portions were smaller. It was $15-16 for a chicken strip basket with 3 chicken strips in it. The TS prices seemed comparable. A bottle of water I believe was on par with WDW, like $5ish. However, I'd just get a cup of ice water for free.

 

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Day 3, Part 1 - Rope Dropping California Adventure!

We got up once again for rope drop. On our way out, I realized I hadn't taken a picture of our hotel yet, so I did that. Like I said, it was a nice hotel and I'd definitely stay there again. However, it's just a hotel. It's not a resort like you find at WDW, and we really missed that. When people say it's just a hotel at WDW, I firmly disagree. They are resorts, and you can have a true escape from the real world the entire time.

Security had not yet opened when we got there, so we had to wait for that. Then we waited for the gates to the park to open, and they did so a little after 7:20. I enjoyed listening to the music they play in the esplanade, especially the Soarin' soundtrack.

We decided to rope drop Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, since we hadn't done that the night before. I liked the ambiance of this street.

Once again, the crowd control wasn't great. They gave clear instructions about what to do, but nobody followed it, and it created a mess of people everywhere. Really, if you chose not to do what they said, you got ahead of everyone else. Those who followed the rules had to wait longer.

Once we got in, the wait wasn't too bad. The ride itself was fun and much longer than I expected. I was expecting just a few drops like on Tower of Terror. It's hard not to compare it to both ToT in Hollywood Studios and Cosmic Rewind at Epcot. I prefer both the WDW rides to Mission Breakout. They have better stories. It's almost like trying to force a story into an existing attraction doesn't always provide Disney's best.

Up next: Day 3, Part 2 - More DCA!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Having just gotten off Tower of Terror 10 minutes ago I’m going to disagree about TOT and Mission Breakout. Breakout is just more fun and bouncy with better drops. I’m just disappointed now in the TOT drops and it used to be in my top three attractions. I do like the story of both, but I happen to love the Guardians movies. I don’t think comparing Guardians at Epcot and DCA is a fair comparison because they are different ride system, so a coaster would be the winner. All three are great. I do agree that it is chaotic to rope drop Mission Breakout.

Overall it sounds like you got to see a lot at both parks.

 

[PUSH]

Having just gotten off Tower of Terror 10 minutes ago I’m going to disagree about TOT and Mission Breakout. Breakout is just more fun and bouncy with better drops. I’m just disappointed now in the TOT drops and it used to be in my top three attractions. I do like the story of both, but I happen to love the Guardians movies. I don’t think comparing Guardians at Epcot and DCA is a fair comparison because they are different ride system, so a coaster would be the winner. All three are great. I do agree that it is chaotic to rope drop Mission Breakout.

Overall it sounds like you got to see a lot at both parks.

I like the story of ToT better, and I love the theming. I also like how you move forward and into different "scenes". It's more than just going up and down. I again noticed with Mission Breakout that there was not a separate loading and unloading area, which made the wait to load longer. Again, this seemed to be a whole DLR issue, likely due to lack of space. I did like the Rocket AA in the preshow. That was well done.

I know the Guardians at Epcot is not a direct comparison, but I more compare the stories versus the ride itself. The story at Epcot with the preshows is deeper than Mission Breakout.

Also, I've never seen any of the GotG movies, so this is all from an outside perspective. I also prefer original storylines to IP based stories. I know ToT is technically an IP, but it doesn't really feel like it.

We were able to get on everything we wanted to do, except ride the Columbia. It wasn't open the times we walked by. I'm not sure if it has set times, or if it was even open at all while we were there. But everything else we did at least once, and many 2-3 times.

 

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Day 3, Part 2 - Monsters Inc, Soarin', Pixar Pal-a-Round, and Goofy's

After Mission Breakout, we walked over to Monsters Inc. I took a couple pictures of some signs along the way. I didn't realized we'd be going to Hollywood Studios while in Disneyland!

Monsters Inc was a fun little ride, but wouldn't be one I'd wait a long time for. We waited 5-10 minutes.

By the time we got off, it was time to use our first LL, which was for the second ride on Soarin' for the trip. We passed by the Storytellers statue.

This time, we didn't request any row like we did the first time. We just let lucky guide the way. It just so happened that luck was on our side, and we got B1 again! We sat on the opposite side of the row than we did the previous time. Once again, I love this version of the ride. It's far superior to Around the World. I hope Over America will be equally as fun and return to the original soundtrack. The Around the World soundtrack is good, but the straight original song is elite music.

After Soarin', we headed back to Pixar Pier to ride the Pixar Pal-a-Round. Yes, I know I've been calling it the Ferris Wheel so far in this TR, because I couldn't remember the actual name and was too lazy to look it up. But now that we were actually going to ride it, I felt the need to figure it out. You're welcome.

We got in line for the swinging carts(?). Do we call them carts? Baskets? Anyway, we were put inside with a mother and daughter. The daughter was probably in middle school, and she was not excited about it, but had a good attitude. It seemed like she was trying to overcome her fear of it.

My dad and I were facing backwards. It was a little nerve-wracking, but overall wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Maybe it's because we couldn't see the swings happening. The worst was when we were past the top and swinging over the water. I'm glad we did the swinging side, but I think I would have actually preferred the stationary ones better, just to focus on the views.

After the Pal-a-Round, we had a LL for Goofy's Sky School. This always had a long wait, but we wanted to try it. When we got on, we didn't realize how much of a carnival ride it was and how little theming it had. I was at least expecting Primeval Whirl level of themes, but it was essentially just a gray metal track with a couple pictures of Goofy. Out of all the rides, this was probably my most disappointing one. Glad we did it once, but if I ever go back, I probably will never ride it again. It's not worth the time.

Up next: Lunch at Flo's, Downtown Disney, and some Disney hotels!