Disneyland Trip – Day 2

After a good night’s rest we were ready for our first full day and it began early. We arrived at Disneyland at 7:30 a.m. The park opens early on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to resort guests an hour before opening to the public. Only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were open. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the bakery on Main Street. It was overcast again but the crowds were very low so we took advantage and tried to get some pictures.

Then it was on to Space Mountain which I think was great. Love the side by side seating instead of the rocket cars at Space Mountain in Disney World which can be hard to get in. It starts out slow and then it feels like it gets faster and faster as the ride progresses. It was a nice smooth ride and the retro music they play is at a nice level and is not loud or annoying. I like it better in Disneyland than in Disney World.

Next up was Matterhorn Bobsleds over in Fantasyland. This is a classic ride and it feels like a classic in that it is old, bumpy, and jerky. I wanted to like this one but I just found it too rough. We each rode alone because it looked really uncomfortable when sitting two in the same seat. Seeing as it is so jerky and bumpy, there would lots of head bumping when riding two adults in one seat. It was worth doing once but if I want to see a yeti I will head to Animal Kingdom and ride my favorite ride, Expedition Everest.

Next up was It’s a Small World and I thought it was done much better than in Disney World but our boat leaned over to the right pretty bad. All the adults were sitting on that side leaving mostly kids in the left. Kind of weird but I bet it happens a lot. A liked how Disney characters were worked into their respective countries. I know some don’t like that but I thought it was fun and I loved seeing some of my favorite characters in a ride I don’t like to do that often. Makes me want to ride it more than before.

We then checked out Toontown because it opens at 9 a.m. and we timed it just right at opening so we were able to hope right on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. Not much to say about this ride. It was cool seeing a character that is not really represented in Disney World and I loved the movie but the ride was just ok. You ride in a yellow taxi like the one from the movie and it has a wheel that you can spin as you weave through the scenes. Our car didn’t really spin much so maybe it was broken. Toontown is pretty cute and themed much better than the version in Disney World that will soon be going bye bye for the Fantasyland expansion.

Onto Frontierland where we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which is one of my favorite rides in Disney World. It is now one of my favorite rides in Disneyland as well and I loved it! There a few differences but nothing major and I just love them both equally. I will say I love the boulder scene better in Disneyland and the wolves and turtles you pass as you zip through the mountain. It’s just a great ride.

Another favorite of mine was Pirates of the Caribbean which is so much better in Disneyland. I loved it! The first time we rode it the people in front must have taken hundreds of flash pictures. Why must people do that? I left the ride with a headache from the several flashes. But thankfully we rode it a second time tonight and no flash picture taking and it was perfect. Dark rides are always better at night cause you can make out all the details and Pirates has lots of great details.

We had lunch at The Blue Bayou. The food was just ok. Not worth the price but I am sure most of what you are paying for is eating inside next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It is very dark and you really can not make out what you are eating. I am glad we did it at least once. I don’t think we will be going back.

After lunch we went back to the room to rest. Then we wandered over to California Adventure to take some pictures before dinner. We did ride Mickey’s Fun Wheel. We rode in the non-swinging side. It was fun and some great views. That was about all we did. We had to run over to Disneyland for our reservations at Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue. This is an all you care to eat meal served on picnic tables with some country music entertainment. They served barbecue chicken, ribs, sausages, corn on the cob, beans, coleslaw, and cornbread. Drinks and dessert are nit included which was disappointing for the price. It was good. Nothing too special really.

After dinner we were going to watch the fireworks but our feet were and still are killing us so we decided to head on back to the room. Tomorrow we have our picnic dinner that gets us reserved seating at the World of Color. We are pretty excited about seeing the show and we are going to try and get video of it. We were told earlier today by a cast member that we would probably get a little wet so hopefully that will nit hinder video taking. Ok long blog but it was a long day. Hope you all are enjoying the reports. Oh, pictures will be in a separate post later. More technical difficulties.