LWM

It had been a couple of years since the family and I last went to Disneyland so we took off Friday after work and headed over to California for the weekend. The original plan was to leave early Friday morning and enjoy the ride over but then my daughter had to work, the wife worked and my son had a memorial service to attend so we didn't get on the road until 5pm.

We arrived at my Brother-in-law's place in Pasadena at 11pm so visiting was out of the question and we arose (yep that's a word) at 0600 hours so we could get on the road by 7am for the 8am park opening. Well like everything else we got to a late start and ended up arriving at Disneyland around 9:30am.

A one day/one park pass is now $79.00 per adult, glad my tickets were free... well they really wern't free but close to it. Disney had a volunteer program this year where if you volunteered a day of service at a non-profit organization then you could get a free pass to the park, the family & I donated a day doing some landscape work at a nursing home in the Phoenix area.

The pass was good for one park so we had to choose between Disneyland or California Advneture (East coast people copuld chose between any of the Disneyworl parks). We picked Disneyland since we wanted to see the Halloween features.

The park was crowded, I do not remember a time when I have seen more people there at any one time, the lines were extremly long and it took forever to get from one place to another.

Like so many people we thought we would start out on Space Mountain and after waiting in like for 20 minutes or so the ride broke down and we wondered off to look for the shortest line to stand in. Didn't find a short line but we did go ride Indiana Jones and attempted to locate the "Hidden Mickeys".

Last week I purchased a book titled "Hidden Mickeys" and it discussed all the places where the animators and staff and hidden images of Mickey Mouse around the park, I think I found 3 or 4 during the day, not real impressive. The rides are too dark and now due to the crowds they are also too fast in order to move more people through.

We picked up the "fast pass" for hounted mansion and then rode Pirates of the Carabeian before lunch. Attempted lunch at eh Golden Houseshoe but the tables were all full of people waiting for the show that was to start an hour later. I miss the old days where they gave you a ticket and you couldn't show up until show time.

$60 for 2 chicken strip lunches and 2 fish and chips with drinks was a bit much but what are you going to do, they di not let you bring food in any longer and there is no place close enough to be worth leavin gthe park to save a few bucks.

While waiting for lunch my son ran to space mountain and picked up our fast pass for later in the day, much later as it turned out. he came back with passes for 7:45pm

Pirates was fun, really loud however. As a matter of fact the whole park was loud, and people were rude too. what happened to the happiest place on earth? People pushing and shoving to wait in a 45 minute long or longer line. One lady if you can even call her that told me when I walked up to her that the end of the line was "back there" and pointed three feet behind her.

Later the kids thought they would try the line at Space Mountain so the wife and I did our own thing (Pirates & Thunder Mountain Railroad) while the kids waited in line for two hours to ride the one ride, as soon as the got off we used our fast pass and went as a family. When we got up to the door the kids recognized people waiting in the other line who had been there waiting for two hours with them.

Ride total: Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain Railroad (x2), Pirates (x2), Mr. toads Wild Ride, Small World, Haunted Mansion (not impressed with the Nightmare before Christmas theme), Space Mountain (x2), Buzz Lightyear, Jungle Cruise & Spalsh Mountain.

Trip total, including gas, food and all extras: $300.00 (imagine if I had to add two nights lodging and 4 tickets).