Master and Apprentice: A Disneyland Trip Report

https://forum.touringplans.com/t/the-epic-battles-of-the-fab-5-test-monkeys/80967

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Thanks!

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Question: I saw two plaids riding rides with their guests. One on BTMRR, the other on Indiana Jones. I thought that wasn’t allowed? Maybe I was mistaken, or maybe the rules changed?

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It is allowed and happens often.

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I usually see the plaids riding with the group but at a separate seat. One trip I had said I felt sad they had to ride alone and my daughter said dont be they still get to ride! :rofl::heart:

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TRIP RETROSPECTIVE

I’ll divide this into sections so you can just read the parts that interest you:

Courtyard Marriott

Great hotel - checks all my boxes of comfy beds, cleanliness, responsive thermostat, good water pressure, vanity separate from shower / toilet area (our room also had a tub by the vanity), and close (though not the absolute closest) to the Harbor entrance. Walking time was like 10 minutes - not bad at all. Staff was all very friendly and helpful.

Food

The lines for festival food were all long and we were on a budget, so we stuck to quick service options. Docking Bay 7 was great, though I missed some of the options that were available at WDW. Corn Dog Castle was perfect as always, if you like corn dogs (and who doesn’t?!). Smokejumpers Grill was very meh, though the onion rings and waffle fries were good. Cocina Cucamonga’s menu had changed, unfortunately, and none of the new menu items looked good to me, so we skipped it. Disneyland needs to up their QS game.

Snacks

We got churros, blue milk, beignets from Mint Julep, and Clarabelle’s ice cream. All fantastic, as expected. Remember to order beignets using Mobile Order! Do NOT wait in the ridiculously long line! But you need to order at least 30 minutes before you want them, if not more. You can choose your return time.

Rides

I was so glad to catch Soarin’ over California for its limited run! So good. After doing Webslingers a couple of times, I think it’s just ok – TSM is better. Indiana Jones is in need of some serious TLC - several of the effects aren’t working properly, and the audio is not very clear. My favorites are still Incredicoaster, GotG, RSR, BTMRR, Space Mountain, and RotR.

Genie+

Lightning Lane worked great for us. We were able to do every major ride, and most minor ones, in one day (moderate crowds - 5 Friday / 6 Saturday). The only major rides we missed were Splash, Matterhorn, and Grizzly River Run, which were closed. We could have squeezed them in if they were open. The app is a mess - very cluttered and not intuitive. But we succeeded in spite of that. The entire system is very similar to MaxPass, so veterans of that system will do well. Rookies need to study up and perhaps plan on having one day to figure it out before they can start maximizing their time.

Mobility Access

The Mobility Access system was helpful at Disneyland. We didn’t use the “return time” feature very much though, because LL was usually the more convenient way to skip the line. I would say MA saved us about as much time as having an ECV cost us (e.g., being slow, having to park it, etc.). In that way, it is an equitable system. We skipped a half-hour line for Jungle Cruise, 30 minutes for BTMRR, and 45 minutes for Peter Pan. We didn’t use it at all at DCA.

We took the ECV into a few queues where allowed, and in some it was kind of annoying (especially Indiana Jones with all the switchbacks and tight corners). We often parked the ECV when reporting for our LL return, or standby queue if short, especially in Fantasyland, etc. where space is tight. Most rides / queues at DCA were easily navigable for ECVs.

In general I would highly recommend an ECV if you have mobility issues, not because it saves you time in line, but because it is a way to rest your feet and get around more easily. By the same token, don’t begrudge the person next to you who has one – they likely aren’t getting an advantage from having it.

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Is that the case at WDW, too? I know I’ve seen plaids waiting at the exit for their guests.

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This statement surprises me. There is a lot of great QS there already, much more than in WDW in my opinion. When I was there in December we only ate TS once in 5 days, and I still didn’t get all my favorite QS meals eaten.
I’ve never been a fan of Smokejumpers though, there is a lot better food in DCA. Have you been to Pym’s test kitchen yet? I quite like it.

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Final Thoughts

I’m going to get real here for a second, because I need to get this off my chest. If you don’t want to think about depressing things, feel free to skip this post.

I mentioned elsewhere that I have friends who live in Ukraine through my connections teaching Russian in college. My closest Ukrainian friend, a woman who taught Russian with me, lives in Kyiv with her husband and two young children. Last week a couple of days after the bombing started, she decided she needed to leave. Her husband drove her with their two children and mother to the Romanian border. She is now safe in Germany thanks to the support of friends abroad. Her husband and father had to stay in Ukraine because they are within the 18-60 age range.

I have been able to think of nothing else but what is going on there for the last 2 weeks. I was hoping to be able to disconnect for a couple of days. My grief does not help anyone, and I firmly believe we need to continue living our lives despite people suffering. (I also think we should help those suffering.)

The first couple of hours at Disneyland I was not able to enjoy it very much. It just seemed absurd to be pursuing amusements at such a time.

Then we rode It’s a Small World. I’m not sure why my brain and emotions chose this moment to be completely overwhelmed by all the thoughts and fears that had been plaguing me. Added to it, I had just purchased an individual lightning lane, and I had a Schindler’s List moment where I realized how much money that was to the people in Ukraine. How many people could I have fed or evacuated with that money? And yet, it was nothing to me. I just got my bonus and raise and it is obscene to think about how much I’m being paid. (I’m not super wealthy, but in this context, I am almost ashamed. I don’t deserve it.)

Folks, I broke down sobbing on It’s a Small World. I tried to keep it together enough that I don’t think anyone noticed. I am a very stoic person and don’t show my emotions often. I was so embarrassed.

After I calmed myself down I remembered this tweet thread that I had seen earlier in the week:

https://twitter.com/jsher88888/status/1498446994863378432?s=20&t=X4vFWfiXMf3qxhi5q6uOtg

The week Walt Disney assigned my dad and uncle, the Sherman Brothers, to write a song for his “Children of the World” pavilion, the Cuban Missile Crisis was underway. That afternoon they wrote three versions of “it’s a small world.”

Dad always said he and Dick were terrified that nuclear war was possible and possibly imminent. “Small World” was their prayer for peace. All my ancestors came from a small village near Kyiv. They escaped the Cossacks, fleeing in the middle of the night…

I realized that the world has survived this kind of tragedy before, and we’ll survive it again. If the Sherman Brothers can write “It’s a Small World” in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I can get it together and enjoy a couple of days with my wife and her family.

I was eventually able to “escape,” for which I alternately felt ashamed and relieved. It was a good trip, and I’m grateful I had the chance to take it.

Thanks for your support and care. :blue_heart::yellow_heart:

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There is, and I chose one of the bad ones, apparently. I was trying to avoid a huge crowd, so I didn’t go to Pym, but maybe next time I’ll try the chicken sandwich. The Cocina Cucamonga menu change irked me too.

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Small World always gets me a little verklempt simply for what it’s meant to represent, even when there are not more-terrible-than-usual stuff going on in the world. Given your connection to current events I am not surprised how it struck you.

I’m so glad your friend and her children are safe. And I hope her husband and Dad will be too.

It’s very hard to reconcile living as we do, “going on” as it were, in times such as these. Still, I’m glad you were able to do just that for a little while.

:yellow_heart::blue_heart:

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I’ve seen plaids riding at WDW.

Hugs to you @Jeff_AZ :yellow_heart:

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Not sure about WDW, but at DLR It is up to the plaid and the guests they are with. I usually see all the plaids waiting for their group on GRR LOL! I don’t think the want to spend their day soaked. On other rides I often see them riding with their guests.

Checkout this YouTube video of a DLR VIP tour:

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I’m glad your friend is safe. I hope her husband and dad make it through unscathed.

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I’m glad you were able to “escape”, I know that was hard for you. It is difficult to continue doing fun things when others are suffering, but I think at some point we all realize that we cannot change what is happening other places by punishing/denying ourselves of living.

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What are they serving at Cocina right now?

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Mostly street tacos. I know corn is more authentic but I liked the old flour tortillas! :rofl:

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I like flour much better than corn too.

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I think this is the key. You were enjoying time with your family. It doesn’t have to be an either or scenario. You can go enjoy time with friends and family AND donate to some of the amazing charities that are helping in this crisis. Hugs to you my liner friend. I will be thinking of your friend and her family and hoping for the best and quickest out come!

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