Got back to Phoenix this afternoon, so I wanted to submit a report on my first solo trip to Disneyland and DCA. I had purchased a 3 day park hopper, and I had intended to at least do two full days and decide after day two if I wanted to do a third day. Well, I ended up spending the whole day on Friday, but decided to head home this morning. I feel bad, as I still have 2/3 of my park hopper pass un-used, and it was kind of a waste of money since I only spent one day. Oh well, lesson learned.
First off, going solo was actually a very nice change! I got there well before the park opened, and was right by the rope at the rope drop in tomorrow land. For the first 2 hours, I pretty much walked on to any ride I wanted to ride (didn't do Fantasy land, so I can't comment on those rides). It was really nice being there for a couple hours and not having any crowds to deal with. I thought I would have had maybe a half an hour like that, but after two hours, I had pretty much hit all the big rides! I wasn't sure if I would even go to DCA the first day, but after I had ridden all the majors in Disneyland, I went over to DCA. My favorite ride at either park, is the Tower of Terror. I was able to walk on 5 times in a row, no wait! I would have gone a few more times, but I had a slight headache, so I moved on to California Screaming. I realize that as I get older, roller coasters seems to affect my stomach a bit. Tower of Terror actually doesn't make me sick at all, but California Screaming did make me a bit queasy. Anyway, rode a couple more things at DCA and then headed to lunch at a restaurant in Downtown Disney. After lunch, I walked through the Grand Californian Hotel, as I have never done that before.
Went back to Disneyland, and the crowds were now definately there. However, I was already completely satisfied from my early morning good fortune (as far as rides go) and I decided to just walk around a bit and check out things that I have really never taken the time to do. First though, I did do the Tiki Room, as I always have to see that when I go to Disneyland. I then spent time going through all the shops in French Quarter and in Main street, and I also rode the steamboat and went to Tom Saywer island. Of all the times I have been to Disneyland, I have never been on the steam boat. It's also been probably 20 years since I've been to the Island. I then went into a Ice Cream bar/Saloon in Frontier land and listen to a Hillbilly musical group. Didn't even know that "saloon" was there! I watched the parade in the evening, then went back to my car to get my sweatshirt. For some reason, they pushed up the fireworks to 8:45 instead of the published 9:30, so I wasn't quite prepared to see them when they started. I then also watched Fantasmic and did the single rider lines on Indy and Splash Mountain. I had rode Splash Mountain earlier in the day, and only had a few drops of water on me. Unfortunately, after the evening ride, I got soaked, and it was no fun being cold and wet. I should have known better...
By then, I was cold, sore and extremely tired. I had been planning on staying until midnight so I could do Fantasy land rides around 11:30 when lines are much smaller, but I was so tired, I only made it until about 10:30. I was completely satisfied however, as I felt like I had put in a really long day already and had done more than I originally thought I would. However, I was getting homesick and being so tired, I felt like I was ready to go home after only one day, and felt like my Disneyland cravings had been satisfied, at least for another year. I went back to the hotel, crashed, and left for home first thing in the morning.
That is a quick synopsis of my day, so here are a few things I learned about myself
First, going solo was actually really enjoying for me. I wasn't really lonely at all, and it was nice just do what I wanted and have no stress whatsoever about trying to keeps groups of people together or figure out what rides make sense in order to keep wait times down.
Second, being a solo person really is great when it comes to rides! The solo rider options really worked well for me. I did Indy and Splash mountain at PRIME time and walked right on the rides and bypassed the lines. Because of the light crowds in the morning hours, I really didn't need to take advantage of the solo stuff because there were no lines at all in the morning.
Third, when I go to Disneyland, I feel like I have to be going all the time. I can't take any time off, and so I push myself too much. I feel like I have to get my money's worth, but I probably should have taken it easier (taken a nap or something like that maybe). That is just a personal problem I have but it affects how I feel at the end of the day.
I am not sure I'll ever go solo again, not because it wasn't a good experience, but because of a bunch of other personal reasons that are kind of pointless to get into in this forum. However, if anyone is thinking about doing it, I wouldn't hesitate to try it at least once!
First off, going solo was actually a very nice change! I got there well before the park opened, and was right by the rope at the rope drop in tomorrow land. For the first 2 hours, I pretty much walked on to any ride I wanted to ride (didn't do Fantasy land, so I can't comment on those rides). It was really nice being there for a couple hours and not having any crowds to deal with. I thought I would have had maybe a half an hour like that, but after two hours, I had pretty much hit all the big rides! I wasn't sure if I would even go to DCA the first day, but after I had ridden all the majors in Disneyland, I went over to DCA. My favorite ride at either park, is the Tower of Terror. I was able to walk on 5 times in a row, no wait! I would have gone a few more times, but I had a slight headache, so I moved on to California Screaming. I realize that as I get older, roller coasters seems to affect my stomach a bit. Tower of Terror actually doesn't make me sick at all, but California Screaming did make me a bit queasy. Anyway, rode a couple more things at DCA and then headed to lunch at a restaurant in Downtown Disney. After lunch, I walked through the Grand Californian Hotel, as I have never done that before.
Went back to Disneyland, and the crowds were now definately there. However, I was already completely satisfied from my early morning good fortune (as far as rides go) and I decided to just walk around a bit and check out things that I have really never taken the time to do. First though, I did do the Tiki Room, as I always have to see that when I go to Disneyland. I then spent time going through all the shops in French Quarter and in Main street, and I also rode the steamboat and went to Tom Saywer island. Of all the times I have been to Disneyland, I have never been on the steam boat. It's also been probably 20 years since I've been to the Island. I then went into a Ice Cream bar/Saloon in Frontier land and listen to a Hillbilly musical group. Didn't even know that "saloon" was there! I watched the parade in the evening, then went back to my car to get my sweatshirt. For some reason, they pushed up the fireworks to 8:45 instead of the published 9:30, so I wasn't quite prepared to see them when they started. I then also watched Fantasmic and did the single rider lines on Indy and Splash Mountain. I had rode Splash Mountain earlier in the day, and only had a few drops of water on me. Unfortunately, after the evening ride, I got soaked, and it was no fun being cold and wet. I should have known better...
By then, I was cold, sore and extremely tired. I had been planning on staying until midnight so I could do Fantasy land rides around 11:30 when lines are much smaller, but I was so tired, I only made it until about 10:30. I was completely satisfied however, as I felt like I had put in a really long day already and had done more than I originally thought I would. However, I was getting homesick and being so tired, I felt like I was ready to go home after only one day, and felt like my Disneyland cravings had been satisfied, at least for another year. I went back to the hotel, crashed, and left for home first thing in the morning.
That is a quick synopsis of my day, so here are a few things I learned about myself
First, going solo was actually really enjoying for me. I wasn't really lonely at all, and it was nice just do what I wanted and have no stress whatsoever about trying to keeps groups of people together or figure out what rides make sense in order to keep wait times down.
Second, being a solo person really is great when it comes to rides! The solo rider options really worked well for me. I did Indy and Splash mountain at PRIME time and walked right on the rides and bypassed the lines. Because of the light crowds in the morning hours, I really didn't need to take advantage of the solo stuff because there were no lines at all in the morning.
Third, when I go to Disneyland, I feel like I have to be going all the time. I can't take any time off, and so I push myself too much. I feel like I have to get my money's worth, but I probably should have taken it easier (taken a nap or something like that maybe). That is just a personal problem I have but it affects how I feel at the end of the day.
I am not sure I'll ever go solo again, not because it wasn't a good experience, but because of a bunch of other personal reasons that are kind of pointless to get into in this forum. However, if anyone is thinking about doing it, I wouldn't hesitate to try it at least once!
One of my favorite things is to get a cup of coffee and a muffin and sit on the "front porch" on Main St. and just watch people.
