The Airline Ruined My Trip To Disneyland, So I'm Doing A Solo Trip to Disney World ... Updated 8/11

[DeterminedOne]

Thanks for nothing American Airlines!

Although I had zero desire to ever go to Disneyland, we were celebrating my niece's 18th and high school graduation.
She spent her 16th at Disneyland and wanted to go again. I decided to tag along this time. It was a short, three night trip for me while the rest of the fam ventured through LA for the remainder of the week.

The idea came about at Thanksgiving while my sister and niece were visiting from San Antonio. We planned to make the trip in June, but come February my sister casually mentioned they had changed the trip to March.

30 days to plan a Disney trip. Say whaaaaat???

To complicate matters, I didn't know ANYTHING about Disneyland ...
Although they had traveled there before, they aren't the "planning" type, and just winged everything. (Thus the last minute decision to change the trip to March ...)

The panic set in! I didn't know if I could get the time off from work. A last minute flight to California was going to be out of sight. (And it was. $420 smack-a-roos.) Where would we stay? How would we get to where we would be staying? Does Disneyland have Magical Express? What about ADR's? So many questions ...

I hung up the phone and jumped on the DIS Disneyland forum. It wasn't nearly as useful as regular Dis ...
But ...

The Unofficial Guide to the rescue!!

 

[DeterminedOne]

The Unofficial Guide is great! I appreciate the way it breaks things down in an easy to understand format. We decided to stay at Disney's Paradise Pier, and man was it expensive!
All the resorts on Disneyland property are expensive, though. $300+ dollars a night. We flew into LAX, which I learned later wasn't necessarily the best option. But I booked the flight before I bought the Unofficial Guide, so ...

I opted to get their max pass / photo pass option for $15 a day. Max pass is basically Disneyland's Fastpass system. It worked fine. Photo Pass, though. That was a joke! I saw two Photo Pass photographers the whole time I was there, and didn't get a single PP pic. I purchased a three day ticket with a park hopper, as I wasn't sure what to expect on how long we would be in the parks. You see, my niece brought two friends, and I didn't know what it would be like hanging around three teenage girls all day. They didn't buy park hoppers, so I did. You know, in case I needed to get away from them.

Because I was only going to be there a few days, I made one ADR. Their ADR system is the same, and everything can be booked through the app. Thanks to American Airlines, I missed that reservation. In fact, I missed the entire first day of the trip!!


I was flying in from Indiana, while my sister and the girls were coming from Texas, as I mentioned. We had it lined up so our flights landed within 15 minutes of one another. We were flying out Sunday morning, March 10th, set to arrive at LAX around 9:45AM California time. Between the three hour time difference, and Saturday night being the start of daylight savings time - we had a good chuckle thinking how confused we were going to be trying to figure out what time it was. All day Saturday I was super busy- having waited until the last minute to get my nails and all of the other girly stuff done.

By the time I got all the running around done it was 7PM. I hadn't even started packing. It was not a good day to spring the clocks forward and lose an hour, but I was headed to Disneyland and surprisingly quite excited. It was around midnight when I realized I was so far behind schedule that it would be best to just stay up all night. I had to leave for the airport at 4:30, so I pulled an all nighter.

I made it to the airport, got checked in, and everything was on schedule. I had a connecting flight into Chicago with just a 30 minute window between flights. (I was worried about that when I booked it.) I loathe connecting flights - having had more than one bad experience. However, there are no direct flights to California where I live. My options were - fly from the city where I live, or drive two hours south and fly from Indianapolis. I didn't want to do that though because I hate driving on the highway at night, and my return flight to Indiana would have been 9PM. Plus, I had to work the next day.
AND ... the last time we stayed in Indy (December) we returned from our trip to discover my husband's pickup had been stolen from the hotel parking lot.

Yeeaaaahhhh! We did one of those park and fly deals where you leave your vehicle at the hotel while you're on vacation. The hotel didn't even know our vehicle was gone. It was a horrible experience dealing with them, and trying to figure out how we were going to get back home.

But I digress ...

Everything was going fine the morning of the flight to Disneyland. We boarded the plane set for a 47 minute flight to Chicago. I put on my neck pillow and promptly fell asleep. I was awakened by the sound of the captain's voice ...
"Uh ... folks. The reason we haven't taxied away from the gate is we have a small maintenance problem. We're waiting on the mechanics to take a look at it, and will get going as soon as we can."

I looked at the clock. It was 6:45 and the flight was supposed to take off at 6:15. I slept a full thirty minutes not knowing we hadn't taken off yet.
There went my 30 minute window to make my connecting flight. Crap!
A while later we were made to exit the plane.
We were told to get in line, and they would work to get everyone on a different flight. Because I was sitting at the front of the plane, I was one of the first to exit, and therefore, one of the first in line for a new flight. Great! No problem. They will put me on another flight, and I will make it to California with just a slight delay.

Well, it didn't quite work out like that ...

They said the plane I had just disembarked was going to be up and running at 8:30. Once I made it to Chicago I would be on a flight to LAX at 11.
Not ideal, but I could live with it ...

At 7:45 I received a text message that the 8:30 flight had been pushed back to 8:45.
At 8:15 I received a text message that the 8:45 flight had been pushed back to 9:15.
All the while, I could hear them on the walkie talkie complaining about how the mechanics hadn't shown up yet ...

 

[DeterminedOne]

After a few more text messages, they admitted the plane wasn't going to be ready anytime soon. Those who were scheduled to get back on at 8:30 were instructed to get back in line for a different flight. Mind you - they weren't even half way through the original line, which meant I now had to go to the back of the line and start over again. And to add insult to injury, they made an announcement that WE needed to call their 800 number and secure our own flight.
Yes!! The exact words were "You can do exactly what we're doing up here on the phone."
The nerve!!!! And such a crappy way to handle a bad situation that was THEIR fault.

There was a newlywed couple (just married the night before) and headed to their honeymoon in Mexico. The bride looked so sad.
The young man in front of me was all of 20 years old, and he wasn't taking it well at all. Lots of F-bombs and angry calls with the folks he was supposed to be meeting up with in Florida. There were lots of meltdowns, but I tried to play it cooll. All the while I was crying inside.

My sister text to let me know they were headed to the airport. Lucky ducks had a direct flight. In the meantime, while I waited in that long A$$ line (for two hours), I decided to take their advice and call the 800 number. The rep I spoke with was beyond rude. As if he was doing me a favor by searching for options. I ended up asking for a supervisor because I just couldn't with him. The supervisor wasn't much better. Totally unsympathetic to the point she offered to just refund my $$. Oh, and because of the "basic" ticket I had purchased, putting me on another airline was not an option. Because I had a "basic" ticket ...

I considered calling the whole thing off and going back home. Better to be stranded at my local airport than to take one of their connections and risk being stranded out of town. The best they could offer for next flight was going to Charlotte, NC at 4:20PM.
It was 10:00AM, and I had been at the airport since 5:00.
My husband suggested I call it off and head home, but my sister begged me not to. It was a difficult choice because I wasn't scheduled to land at LAX until 8:30 pacific time, twelve hours from when I was supposed to be there. What the heck was I supposed to do at a rinky-dink airport for the next 6.5 hours? If it not for my sister begging me not to give in, I swear I would have thrown in the towel. I was livid inside!!

I know airline travel is unpredictable, but maintenance problems should not wreak that much havoc. They should have had another plane available! And hell, if they hadn't lied to me to begin with - that the original plane was going to take off at 8:30, I could have gotten on a totally different flight. I was one of the first passengers in line to be reworked. I should have had a pick of several different options.
Just typing this makes my blood boil!!!

So there I was. Sitting in the airport. Hungry, and trying to figure out what to do with myself. It was Sunday morning, and things were slow.

Meanwhile, my sister and gang were ready to board the "magical express" bus. Magical express in quotes because Disneyland doesn't have Magical Express. There is a third party that operates as a Magical Express type service - for $38 round trip.
I sat around the airport, played on my phone, looked out the window, and watched people. You know, all the fun stuff there is to do alone at a
dinky airport. I did, however, learn how to use Snap Chat ...

Then, my sister sent a text saying we had a problem. The "Magical Express" service stops running at 8:00.
Another punch in the gut. She had made all the arrangements for travel to/from the airport, so I had no idea who to call, or where to start.
LAX is a 45 minute drive to Anaheim/Disneyland, so a taxi was not an affordable option. I went to my phone and literally Google searched the term "How to get from LAX to Disneyland Park." You see, that 2019 Unofficial Guide I purchased - was in my checked luggage.
I know. I know .. but I didn't think I would need it until I got to the hotel.

My search term "How to get from LAX to Disneyland Park" revealed that a taxi or Uber to Anaheim would cost anywhere from $70 to $100. There was an option to take the city bus. It was only a few bucks, but transit time would be two hours. I considered it... Hell, I was already later than late. What was two more hours going to hurt? Then I thought about how unsafe it might be to travel on a city bus, luggage in tow, in a strange town - at night. After combing through options for 20 minutes, I found the number for a shuttle/ride share service. I wasn't real sure how a ride share service works, but I was up for anything at that point. For the low, low price of just $45 - I secured a ride from the airport to Disney's Paradise Pier hotel. I told them what time my flight was scheduled to arrive, but asked if I could change the appointment time if necessary. I had zero faith in American Airlines and their flight to Charlotte at that point.

 

[DeterminedOne]

After nearly losing my mind at the airport for twelve hours, at 3:50 the plane to Charlotte was ACTUALLY ready to board. And we ACTUALLY took off that time. Made it to Charlotte, no problem.

Oh, but guess what? Just when it was time to start boarding in Charlotte, got a text the flight was delayed due to mechanical problems.
Seriously???!!!!!!!

I immediately text my sister, mad as you know what. She advised me to take a deep breath - get a drink or something. LOL!
Not too long after the first text, there was an announcement we were moving to a different gate - different plane.
Great! That's what should have happened with the first flight ...

We touched down at LAX at 9:20 PM, which was 12:20 AM eastern time. I had secured a ride share, and the driver was blowing up my phone.
I explained that the plane had just landed, and I needed time to get to baggage claim. He was ok with that, and said to call when I had my bags.

As I headed to baggage claim, I couldn't help but notice how un-LAX - LAX is. I expected something grandiose - like the Atlanta airport but on steroids. It wasn't like that, at all. It is simple, and not at all grandiose. I wasn't disappointed or anything - just surprised.

The ride share driver asked me to meet him outside, upstairs, at terminal "D".
Finding terminal D was harder than I anticipated. There were throngs of people outside waiting on taxis, Ubers, etc.
I had no idea what car I was looking for, and how I was supposed to find it. I waited 20 minutes or so - and nothing. I called the driver, and he said he took another gig because I wasn't ready ... Said he would be there in 20 minutes.
Like Tom Petty said. "The waiting is the hardest part."
I had no idea who I was waiting for, and that was kind of creepy ...

 

[Corrine 1973]

Wow, not a great start to your Disneyland adventures. Hoping to go to Disneyland next March so hope things get better.

 

[DeterminedOne]

The ride share driver pulled up and there was another passenger in the vehicle. A man!!!
My immediate thought was one of fear of ending up the subject of an episode of Dateline or 48 Hours Mysteries.
But the passenger put me at ease with a story about the horrific day he had on a flight from Florida. We headed to his house first - ETA 20 minutes. I got a glimpse of the horrible LA traffic I've heard others speak of. It took 20 minutes just to exit the airport. 40 minutes later we arrived at passenger's house, and the driver let me know it would be 24 minutes to Anaheim. I spent the majority of the ride texting my sister, sharing the route he was taking. You know, in case I were to go missing.

As we neared Disney's Paradise Pier hotel, there was no "Welcome to Walt Disney World" sign. It felt as if the hotel was sitting in the middle of the city, and not encompassed in its own space - like Disney World. But I was never so happy to see a hotel in my life!
I was greeted by a pleasant young man who asked how I was doing. I told him I was better now that I was at Disneyland. He smiled big, and asked if I needed help with my bags. It was in that moment, and in that exchange - I got my first feeling of Disney magic.

My niece and friends met me in the lobby. They were sympathetic about the day I'd had, and determined to make me smile. Although I was beat tired, I wanted to hear about their day. They'd had a fabulous dinner at Downtown Disney and watched the fireworks. We discussed plans for the next day. It was EMH at California Adventure and I wanted to get there early. They weren't down for that at all. They wanted to sleep in.
I have never slept in on a Disney vacation, but that's how I roll. I didn't begrudge them for not wanting to get up early, and they didn't hold it against me for wanting to.

My sister announced that she had made a 9:45 reservation for a character breakfast in the hotel. I was ok with it, but didn't like the idea of leaving the park to go back to the hotel. That's the difference between people who plan their Disney trips, and people who don't.
Seeing as how I lost the entire first day of the trip, I really wanted to spend time with them. A character breakfast was just what we (I) needed. We turned in around 2AM pacific. I ... was ... exhausted.

 

[DeterminedOne]

I had planned to study the Unofficial Guide maps section before I went to bed. After all, I had no idea how to get to DCA. My niece and friends mentioned the monorail, and I had no idea where the monorail was. Alas, I was too tired to think before I fell asleep, and decided to wing it. My alarm was set for 5:30, and I woke up a few minutes prior.
3.5 hours of sleep, but I was full of Disney energy. I left the room at 6:45 without knowing where I was going. There were all sorts of people waiting on the elevator, so I decided to follow them. Where else could they be going that early in the morning besides one of two parks with an early opening? A short, less than five minute walk later, we made it to security. The air was chilly (48 degrees), but it was beautiful ...

I met a roadblock when it was time to be searched. Security said I couldn't take my GoPro tripod into the park. He gave me a choice to take it back to the room, or surrender it for disposal. As if I was going to choose the second option ...
Now, when I say tripod, I don't mean the traditional one you're thinking of. This tripod is approximately 10 inches long. I ran into the same problem at Animal Kingdom in 2017, but the guard let me through because I promised not to use it. I didn't have trouble at any of the other parks that year, and forgot all about it.

I exited the security line with my tail between my legs. I felt defeated. (That's the kind of stuff lack of sleep does to me.) But here's the thing. I walked back to the room, then back to the park in about 15 minutes. I quickly realized the convenience of staying on property at Disneyland. As I sauntered back through security I noticed a very tiny sign warning me that I could not take my GoPro tripod into the parks. My bad. The security guard I encountered that go around was surprised when she didn't find the forbidden item amongst my GoPro gear. I explained what happened earlier, and she explained why such items are banned. She explained how guests were using selfie-sticks and tripods to take pictures on rides. The ride would then detect such items as limbs. As a result, rides came to a stop. Makes sense. Again, my bad.

After gathering up all the stuff I take to the parks, I realized I wasn't at California Adventure at all. I was at Downtown Disney. Rookie, rookie, rookie. Should have studied the "Maps" portion of the Unofficial Guide. All was not lost. Just beyond Downtown Disney is the entrance to both Disneyland Park and California Adventure. (Therein lies the reason why I need more than one month to plan a Disney trip.)
I decided to get in line for Disneyland Park instead of California Adventure. After all - Disneyland Park ... was ... right ... >>>>>> there!!!

 

[DeterminedOne]

The entrances to Disneyland Park and California Adventure are literally a stone's throw away from one another. That's awesome!
It was nearing 8:00 and the lines were starting to form outside what I kept referring to in my head as Magic Kingdom.
Disneyland doesn't use the magic bands, so my ticket was in the app. They scan the barcode, give you a paper ticket, and take your picture. That was different ...
I was so excited to be entering the gates of the Magic Kingdom. I mean, Disneyland.

I had about an hour and a half to play before heading back to the hotel for breakfast. The urge was to ride my favorite - Splash Mountain. (I didn't get to ride Splash in 2017 because it was closed for refurbishment. I actually considered (for like two seconds) canceling the trip.)
Not a good idea to ride Splash that day, though. Too cold.
I hopped the train instead ...

The Disneyland Railroad has a section whereas in one of the tunnels there are animatronic dinosaurs. That part wasn't working that day, though. No worries. It was still a lovely ride, and I felt happy inside.
(You didn't hear this from me, but the announcement on the Disneyland Railroad says -- welcome to the Walt Disney Road Railroad at Disney's Magic Kingdom ... )

Afterwards, I walked through a few stores adjacent to the station. Picked up a Disneyland pressed penny book. My WDW pressed pennies are a "few of my favorite things."

One of the stores had a really cool Dumbo exhibition.

I fell in love with Dumbo in 2017 because of this super cool Magic Band slider.

As far as merchandise is concerned, Disney needs to do more with himt. Even with the new movie coming up, Dumbo merchandise was sparse.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Alas, it was time to exit the park and head back to Paradise Pier. We were going to meet in the lobby, but I knew those sleepyheads wouldn't be ready. Back at the room I witnessed the tornado of three teenage girls getting ready, while Mom yelled in the background how many minutes they had left. I loathe being late - especially reservations, so I offered to run along and check in. My sister decided to go with, all the while yelling at the girls the number of minutes they had left to meet us downstairs. We headed to Donald Duck's Seaside breakfast, and were were seated and had coffee before the girls showed up. Donald Duck's Seaside breakfast is a buffet featuring Donald, Daisy, Minnie and Stitch.

Funny story about my niece. When she was 16, she complained that Disneyland is for kids.
Her reaction at 18 was ... "OMG! Is that Stitch? Stiiittttccchhh!!!

The food was good, and character interaction great.

 

[DeterminedOne]

After breakfast, the girls needed to go back to the room to "finish" getting dressed. OMG! Were we ever going to get to go to the park?
I stopped and got a few pressed pennies in the lobby, and managed to impress the girls with my collection. They didn't know pressed pennies were a thing. And let me say this about my penny collection that I forgot to add earlier. I was less than prepared for this trip and didn't have a chance to wash them before I left home. Too bad because the difference between a penny that is washed and one that isn't is significant. Most of the images on my Disneyland pennies came out really bad, and you can't really tell what the image is supposed to be. There are all sorts of mixes you can use to wash them - vinegar and lemon juice, Barkeepers Friend, ketchup. Whatever concoction you prefer - I suggest you do it. Oh, and using pre-1982 pennies makes a difference as well. No silver streak down the middle of the image.

Washed verses Unwashed Penny

The girls also took time to admire the trading pins I was sporting on my book bag. (I got some really cool trading pins this time that I'm actually quite proud of.) Last time we were at WDW I got into the whole mystery trading pins thing. If you don't know what that is, it's just the way it sounds. You purchase a set of four trading pins without actually knowing what you're going to get. I was fairly disappointed with the selections I got at WDW. Not that they were horrible - the images just weren't my thing. But that's the chance you take with "mystery" pins, and I was super happy with my selection this time.

It worked out that the girls needed to go back to the room because I decided to change shoes. as I was wearing a pair of Tieks ballet flats, and they proved not to be a good park shoe. It was too cold not have on socks, and the pavement was just too hard on my feet. While my Skechers tennies didn't quite match the outfit - comfort is king.
By the time we made it through security and started heading to California Adventure, it was well after 12. This was where I learned something about teenage girls. Walk a few steps, stop and take a selfie. Walk a few steps, stop and take a group pic. Walk a few steps, stop and take a selfie. And so on, and so forth. It took forever just to get inside the park.

Here's the problem with getting to Disneyland parks late. You can't make Fastpass (MaxPass) reservations until you're actually in the park. And their Fastpasses are not abundant. As the day goes on, they stop giving out FP altoghter. While folks might think Disneyland is so small you don't have to do much planning, it doesn't mean you don't need a plan ...

The first FP we could get was for Goofy's Flight School more than an hour later, so we did standby for Soarin'. Beautiful ride queue for this ride, by the way. None of them had been on this ride before and didn't know what to expect. I did my best to explain, but it's one of those you just have to ride to really understand. As we proceeded to get buckled into our seats, I played a joke and told them to hold on tight because our seats were going to tip forward. They panicked, but were relieved when I told them I was just kidding. The thing I absolutely love about this ride is how the very last scene takes you to the park and Tinkerbell flies across the screen. The girls were really impressed with this ride, and literally clapped when it ended. I'm a bit of a sap, and that got me teary eyed.


It was super crowded, so lots of bottle necks. Perhaps it wasn't crowded at all, but seemed that way because of the layout. It's a beautiful park, though. Very much a seaside carnival type feel. There were several live bands throughout, which added something special to the ambiance. It reminded me of back in the day - early 2000's when Downtown Disney at WDW had lots of live bands and street performers. We didn't know what to expect with the Goofy's Flight School ride. My sister thought it looked rather childish, as in geared toward kids. It probably is, but it was super fun. To the point I had tears of laughter streaming down my face. Lots of twists and sharp turns that go right to the edge of the track. My sister and I were in the same car, and I screamed so much she asked if I was ok. Right when I got ready to answer the question, the ride made a sharp downward dive and we both let out a loud scream. It was hilarious! Interestingly enough, the five of us were laughing hysterically as we exited, and so was the dad and daughter duo behind us. Needless to say, Goofy's Flight School is a very fun ride.

The girls wanted to stop and get churros, so more waiting around doing nothing at Disneyland. Not my Disney style at all, but I went with the flow. The ride for the Ferris wheel was fairly short, so we got in line for it. That Ferris wheel is badass in the sense you get to choose a rocking or non-rocking pod. We decided to go with the one that rocks. Well, I suppose I was the one who decided that. Three of the five of us (not me) were terrified. My sister kept her eyes closed the whole time, and one of my niece's friends actually cried. It was a hoot! The view of the park from up there is beautiful, and I was fine with the ride until the rocking started. I closed my eyes a few times.

The girls wanted to break free of the adults for a little bit, so my sister and I decided to get turkey legs. I wasn't super hungry, having eaten at Donald Duck's a few hours earlier.
But Disney turkey legs are my favorite snack in the whole wide world!!
We sat around eating turkey legs and watching people. We watched a guy eat his turkey leg all the way to the bone with practically no meat left. It was masterful!
We were having trouble getting FastPasses, so my sister reluctantly agreed to stand in line for Toy Story Mania. I assured her it was worth the wait. The only good thing about not having a FP is the opportunity to see the details in the line queue. I advised her to pay attention to the signs in the queue, as they would give her tips for scoring big in the game. The wait was rather long, around 40-45 minutes, and I'm not used to waiting in long lines at Disney. We typically visit in the off season when lines are short, and of course FastPasses. Waiting is a waste of time, and that is why you can't get to the park at noon. And that is why you need a plan.
That's what I was thinking in my head ... I didn't burden my sister with that information because at the end of the day, it wouldn't matter. They just aren't the type of people to make plans.

When we first got in line, a cast member asked my sister to hold a lanyard with a red card on it and said to give it to the CM before she got on the ride. This is how they calculate the wait times for the rides. I had never seen that at WDW. Is that the way they do it there also?

We had a great time on Toy Story Mania! She liked it a lot, and got a fairly decent score for a first timer. I was able to get a FastPass for the Incredi-Coaster, but my sister couldn't get one for the same time. This is where I figured out that it worked in my favor having gone to to DLP earlier that morning. As I said, their system will not allow you to make FP reservations until you actually enter the parks. Since I entered the park earlier in the day, that is what my FP selections were based on, and why I got an earlier time than she could get. The same thing happened with the Goofy Flight School ride. I had an earlier FP time, and my FP time was about up just as theirs was about to begin. So anyway - learned something there.
So, the Incredi-Coaster is a fast moving roller coaster themed after the Incredibles movie. And the ride, in a word is INCREDIBLE. Lightning fast, upside down loops, super fun. From the time I jumped in line for my FP, rode the ride and got off the ride was a total of nine minutes. Incredible! I told my sister that she absolutely had to make FP for her and the girls because they would love it. So we met back up with them, and one of the three were absolutely refused to ride because it goes upside down. The other one really wanted to, but was terrified and had to be coaxed into it. I tried to explain how the ride moves too fast to actually be scary, but she wasn't hearing it. I started easing them closer to the line as their FP time was about to begin. We literally had to beg her. One of the CM's heard the exchange and said if she got on the ride, he would give her a FP for Toy Story Mania. I explained how that was an Incredible deal because there was no way they were going to get a FP for Toy Story Mania at that point ...

 

[DeterminedOne]

After they got off of the Incredi-Coaster, they couldn't stop talking about how Incredible it was. I tried to tell them ...
Alas, the CM who promised my niece a FP was nowhere in site, and no one had bothered to get his name. But Disney CM's can be wonderful, and a lovely young man told us to follow him. He lead us down to Toy Story Mania and gave the ok for all five of us to get in the FP line. Pixie dust! The three girls got in one car. It looked uncomfortable, but none of my business. One of the girls scored over 100k points. It was her first time on the ride, and she was smashed in like a sardine. It was pretty impressive.

The girls really wanted to ride the Cars ride. It was starting to rain and getting dark. I was disappointed about not being able to get more FP and my sister said she was tired of standing in lines. Which was ridiculous because as far as a day at a Disney park goes, we hadn't accomplished much. We decided to find a spot where I could get a Coke, then we decided to stop at one of the restaurants and have a glass of wine. The first place we went was booked, but had a window where we could grab a glass to go. It was raining steadily, so we got the wine and took cover in front of the building where there was an overhang. That proved boring, and I was ready to get back to the room. My sister didn't want to leave the girls at the park alone, but I was not about to wait around for them. I convinced her it was ok to leave 18 year olds alone at an amusement park.

We made our way toward the exit, stopping at a few shops along the way. My sister wanted to get the ride pic from the coaster, so we stopped in the camera store that houses them. This is where Disneyland needs to go to the MagicBand system. Because she didn't know the number on the picture, they asked what time she was on the ride and literally searched every photo taken during that timeframe until they found hers. Seems like a waste of time, but who am I. Photographer Mickey was doing greets in the other room, and she asked if I wanted to wait for him. The line was really short, but I said no, and told her it was because that wasn't the real Mickey. She didn't know what I meant by that, and I had to explain how I prefer pics with Mickey when he's in certain clothes.

We sloshed back through the hotel and decided to have a drink in the bar. I ordered two glasses of wine, having been disappointed with the sample sized ones at the park. I took a glass back to the room where we watched the fire/fireworks show from the window. It was beautiful! I didn't take pictures of that, or hardly anything that day. I was tired, and very much out of my element walking around the park with absolutely no plan to speak of. We really wasted a lot of time, and what could have been a very productive day at the park. California Adventure is pretty awesome, and I wish I would have had more time to explore.

When the girls made it back to the room we discussed plans for the next day. Once again, their plan was to sleep in. It was EMH at Disneyland Park, and there was no way I was going to enter the park late again. Actually ... I was relieved they didn't want to get up early because it meant I was going to get to do Disneyland Park MY way. The right way to Disney.
They didn't care at all that I was going to go alone, and everyone lived happily ever after.

 

[DeterminedOne]

So I woke up right on time and was in line just before 7. I didn't actually know what rides were open for EMH, so just followed the masses. I made a FP for Splash Mountain, but it was for 10:00 AM. I decided to see how many rides I could get done during EMH and go from there. First I got in line for the Matterhorn because the posted wait was 10 minutes. Seemed odd because the line was really long. After standing there for five minutes while the line hadn't moved at all, the wait time changed to 40 minutes. I wasn't happy about it, but thought it important to ride DLP's flagship coaster. Needless to say, the Matterhorn pretty much ate up my EMH time. And I didn't care for the ride at all. The premise of the Matterhorn is that you're on a a bobsled. If that's what it feels like to bobsled, count me out. It moves fast, so that was thrilling. But it was soooooooo jerky. No thanks!

Next, I made my way to It's a Small World. I was actually looking for Mr. Toad's Wild ride, but I am directionally challenged and couldn't find it. I'm sure I could have if I would have just taken a moment to calm down. But after all the time we wasted the previous day, I wasn't in the mood for walking around aimlessly. IASW was basically a walk on, so it gave me time to get a better look at the map. DLP is set up much like Magic Kingdom, but more condensed. It had me somewhat confused. After IASW, I attempted to find Mr. Toad one more time, but no luck. I ventured over toward Frontierland and happened upon the beautiful section of New Orlean's square. I attempted to get an ADR at one of the restaurants, but no luck. They couldn't even take walk-ins.

I decided to get one of those beignets I hear everyone talk about. Not my first choice, but it was the only food item on the menu at the walk up restaurant. Oh, and their beignets come in batches of three or six. Sigh!! I'm not a pastry/doughnut person. I was craving real, stick to your gut food. But there wasn't anything around without high tailing it to a different side of the park. The beignet was pretty good. Fluff and hot. However, it would have been better with a slice of ham, or some eggs or something.

Somewhere in there I was able to make an additional FP selection. I never quite figured it out for sure, but I think it allowed an additional FP after an hour had passed. I got one for Big Thunder, then I did standby for Haunted Mansion. The line wasn't very long, maybe 20 minutes. It was kind of cool having a doombuggy all to myself. Soon it was time for a Zippity Doo Dah ride on my favorite- Splash Mountain.
I was surprised at the difference in this one verses the one at Magic Kingdom. One person per seat instead of two.

The weather was shaping up to perfection. The sky was beautifully blue. I got SOAKED on Splash. It was awesome! Next, I headed over to Big Thunder. I love that ride also. It's so smooth. The Matterhorn should take note!
I decided to jump in the standby line for Pirates. It was 30 minutes. I made a FP for Jungle Cruise while I waited. Oh my gosh, friends! Pirates of the Caribbean at DLP is ahhhhhmazing. It's way more Hollywood than the one at WDW. Don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with POTC at WDW. It's just that the one at DLP is super impressive, in my opinion.

After that, my stomach was like girl, you need to eat something with some substance. I opened the app to look for QS restaurants near Jungle Cruise. I decided on a place called Bengal Barbecue that sells meat skewers. Yes! I was tired of churros, turkey legs, beignets and the likes. I wanted real food. And what excited me the most about Bengal BBQ was I could get a rice!! Substance. I was so hungry! The whole idea of not being able to find a place to sit down and eat was new to me. I always make ADR's before I head to Disney World, as every trip I
have made except for one included a dining plan. We eat really well at WDW, so DLP was obviously a whole new ballgame. The food was super good, and hit the spot.

As I was finishing up lunch, my sister text to see what I was doing. They were going to get lunch then head to the park. It was 12:30!! I'm so glad I decided to ditch them that day. LOL! There I was, getting ready to ride my 7th ride, and they weren't even at the park yet. Foolish mortals! I had a good time on Jungle Cruise. It's much the same as at WDW. The only drawback of FP for this ride is you miss the queue, which is super.

I was able to make a FP for Indiana Jones, and I knew it would likely be my last ride of the trip. My three nephews were flying in that evening, and we were going to meet up at Splitsville for bowling and dinner. I wanted to rest up before heading there, as I was running on empty. I milled around for a bit, and took in the sights. The girls finally made it into the park, and the teens wanted to split off on their own. I met my sister on Main Street. She didn't want to ride anything because she didn't feel like waiting in any lines.
What better to do than shopping on Main Street, which we did for about an hour. Soon it was time for her to leave and pick up the boys at the airport, so I was on my own again. She apologized for leaving me alone that day.
She obviously didn't know how happy I was to be by myself, and how being alone was an indicator that I would be totally comfortable doing a solo trip.

 

[missangelalexis]

What an airport nightmare! I would have been livid but it sounds like you took it better than I would have!

It's tough traveling with people who don't know how to plan their Disney days. Nice that you got some alone time to ride things!

 

[DeterminedOne]

I went back to the room after many magical hours at DP all by myself. Later that evening we met
up at Splitsville for bowling. It was grossly expensive, $37 per person, but a great way to spend time together.
We stayed up way too late, and I had to jump on the "Magical Express" at 8:30. Everyone was still sleeping, of course.
The shuttle driver was more like a tour guide. Lots of fun stories and miscellaneous facts.
He even pointed out this hidden Mickey on a street sign.

Good thing I was at the airport plenty early. It took well over 45 minutes to check in. I didn't have a
seat assignment, and my ticket was flagged. I thought - oh, boy. Here we go again with this American Airlines BS.
The rep had to make several phone calls, and was being tight lipped about what he was doing.
I never did figure out what the problem was, but eventually made it to the gate. My flights to Chicago and
back to Indiana were uneventful. Thank goodness for that!

Here's what I picked up when my sister and I went shopping on Main Street.

Reusable bags

.

Anytime I can find a Disney top with a V neck I scoop it up. This design is beautiful. Love the purple!

These sweatshirts were very popular. Saw lots of folks wearing them in the park. The design I saw most
was the D on the front and Disneyland Resort on the back were done in silver glitter. So pretty!
I decided to go with this one because it has a pocket on the front.

I bought my husband a sweatshirt too, but no pic because he left it in his work truck. I was worried he
wouldn't like it because it has the outline of the castle, but he loved it. The shops at Disneyland Park
had so many cute clothes. Something I noticed throughout both parks is the number
of men wearing Disney shirts, hats, etc. Perhaps they were locals. In any case, I thought it was super cool.

 

[DeterminedOne]

The day after I got home I wrote American Airlines a scathing but professional email about my experience.
They offered me a $100 travel voucher for my troubles. I was offended.
Not that I thought they owed me a refund, but what am I supposed to do with that? To put it in perspective,
taxes and fees on my flight to California were $75. They can keep their stupid voucher!

My phone and computer must have been spying on me because I started getting lots of ads and emails about Disneyworld.
It made me think more and more about doing a solo trip sooner rather than later. I still remember the day a solo trip first popped
into my brain. It was 2006 and my ex and I had just finished parasailing over Bay Lake. We had plans to head
to Magic Kingdom afterwards, but parasailing had made him dizzy and lightheaded. He encouraged me to go Magic Kingdom alone,
and I had a great time. I paid attention to details more because there wasn't any chatter.
It was that same day I took a liking to finding hidden Mickeys.

.

But anyway - back to 2019 and the ads and emails were working on me. I jumped on the website to price a package with
an offer they had on discounted park tickets ...

 

[DeterminedOne]

Disney's Fun and Sun Package is a decent discount on park tickets. No hopper option, but I figured I could live with that.
I've never NOT had a hopper, but things change. After spending 10 hours in DLP, I figure I can entertain myself without skipping
off to another park.You know what's interesting is I have always booked a Disney package of some sort, and never really considered
the additional cost of adding a park hopper. In fact, it didn't occur to me how expensive it is to hop until I watched DIS Unplugged
video a few weeks ago. Upwards of $60 per day. Yowza! That single day ticket sounds better already ...

I figured I would book a Value resort to save money - even though I don't care for the Value resorts. I stayed at All Star Sports ... once.
We had a great time, but the room felt chintzy. It was small, and sooooo noisy. Seeing as how Disney has upped their value resort game
since I first stayed there 20 years ago, I looked at rooms at Pop and AA. Both are super cute. But is it me, or is the price point a little high?
For just a few dollars more (I don't remember how many, but wasn't much) I could stay at a Moderate.

As it worked out, four nights at Coronado Springs, + five day ticket + Disney Dining Plan + Memory Maker +Southwest flight would cost about
the same as my short trip to Disneyland ... in a room I had to share ... without the dining plan.
It was a no brainer --->> solo trip here I come!! But first, I had to talk it over with the husband.
He knows I've wanted to do a solo trip for a long time. And without blinking an eye, he encouraged me to do it.
(He has a motorcycle trip coming up at the end of the month, so how would it look to try and talk me out of going to Disney.) –

Boom! Trip was booked just like that. Got a decent deal on a flight, and super excited to be staying at Coronado Springs.
How did I miss that place all these years? It's beautiful!

Next, it was time to decide on ADR's. Choosing my table service restaurants wouldn't be hard, but I have little
experience with quick service.

Before I get into specifics about dining, here's my tentative plan for the parks. Can you help me with my QS selections?

Arrival Day: Plane lands early. Barring any woes, I should be at CS by 10:00AM then head to Hollywood Studios.
Will definitely need food when I get there. For dinner I have 8:20 reservation at Storybook Dinner.

Day Two: EMH @ Magic Kingdom. Table service lunch at Skipper Canteen (1:00)
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (First time. So excited!!)

Day Three: EMH @ Animal Kingdom
Table service lunch @ Sanaa (1:50)

Day Four: Epcot
Table service dinner @ Garden Grill (5:35)
This is subject to change. Leaning toward Art Smith's Homecoming @ Disney Springs, but not clear if they accept DDP.

As you can see, I have QS spots to fill for lunch on day one at ()HS, dinner on day two (MK), breakfast OR dinner on day three (AK),
and breakfast or lunch on day four (Epcot)

 

[DLo]

I am going solo for the 3rd time in a little over a week. You will love it !

 

[ember1205]

I have been to DLR twice now. The first time FELT like it was a bad experience until about the third day when I realized I was actually enjoying it quite a bit. That was January of 2017. I went back in January 2018 and enjoyed it even more because I then knew the subtle differences from WDW (which was more familiar to me).

LAX to and from DLR: Use Super Shuttle. Rides are less than half of what you mentioned for a shared van that drops/picks up at multiple locations. I've used them in a bunch of cities to get between airports and hotels when I travel for work and they've always gotten me to each place in a reasonable amount of time and at the airports in plenty of time to catch my outbound flights.

The ONE thing you did wrong with your planning was to book with American. I abhor them for so many reasons because they've left me high and dry a number of times on business trips. I try to fly Delta exclusively now and have been treated very well by them (I used them exclusively a long time ago but got away from them when I changed jobs and had to re-learn the travel system and how to get their flights to be preferred).

As someone that has always been a WDW fan, has already gone once this year and has plans for Food & Wine too, I can tell you that DLR is a very enjoyable experience when you drop the pre-conceived notions of what to expect based purely on your knowledge of WDW and learn those parks directly. I can also tell you that you need 4-5 days there even though it's only two parks, they're next door to each other, and combined they don't make up the acreage of a single park in FL. They really do have a LOT crammed into that space, and it takes time to see it all. While it isn't on my list of "must go" places, I know that I'll be back there at some point in the future. I take advantage of work trips to the general area ('17 and '18 I was actually right in Anaheim, two blocks from the parks) so I only have to pay for my time in the parks.

 

[missangelalexis]

At Hollywood Studios, the area of outdoor stands on Hollywood Blvd has a lot to choose from!

At MK, I'm always a fan of Cosmic Rays. Simple food but I've never been disappointed.

Not sure what QS breakfast options there are at AK but I do like Yak&Yeti and Flame Tree BBQ for dinner options.

Epcot there's so many choices in WS! Or Sunshine Season in Future World.

 

[DeterminedOne]

At Hollywood Studios, the area of outdoor stands on Hollywood Blvd has a lot to choose from!

At MK, I'm always a fan of Cosmic Rays. Simple food but I've never been disappointed.

Not sure what QS breakfast options there are at AK but I do like Yak&Yeti and Flame Tree BBQ for dinner options.

Epcot there's so many choices in WS! Or Sunshine Season in Future World.

Thank you! I would have never considered Yak & Yeti, and see breakfast bowls on their QS menu.