We made a long-scheduled one day vacation trip to Disneyland and California Adventure on Sunday. We hadn’t been there in months, and though we had gone to Cancún in March, I felt we were overdue for a family getaway.
Unlike our past visits, when we arrived near noon, this time we arrived before 10 AM. This earlier arrival allowed us to grab FastPasses to Radiator Springs Racers, a ride that is always much in demand, usually has no FastPasses left by noon, and has standby wait times of up to two hours. Our Radiator Springs Racers FastPass was for 6:55 PM to 7:55 PM in the evening, comfortably after our 4:30 PM dinner reservation at the Carthay Circle Restaurant — another first, because we are usually able only to get lunch reservations. The dinner menu is different.
Our arrival also preceded our 11:30 AM lunch reservation at Cafe Orleans. So, reservations for two very good (if expensive) meals.
So, after picking up our Radiator Springs Racers FastPasses, we hung at in the Art of Animation location in CA Adventure before heading out to Disneyland, where we picked up 12:30 PM FastPasses for the newly renovated Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster — a move that J found not at all to his liking, given his long dislike of roller coasters. But W and I wanted to see what was new, and I also wanted to keep getting J more comfortable with roller coasters.
We rode the Haunted Mansion and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before having lunch. I had just a bowl of gumbo and a salad, trying to save myself for dinner
The track at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is pretty much the same, but some mine effects have been added to the tunnel sections — like dynamite fuses and explosions.. Since we had FastPasses, I didn’t linger enough to see if there were changes to the queue, but overall, everything seemed new-looking. Or maybe it was just the nice weather and the fact that we hadn’t ridden in quite a while.
We got front-car seats, so the ride wasn’t too fast for J, and afterward, he insisted on telling me that he “didn’t hate it” this time. So that’s good.
J challenged W that he hadn’t ever ridden Splash Mountain or Space Mountain, but I backed up W and told J that he had indeed ridden those. W and I agreed to try riding Splash Mountain via the single rider line, but when we got there, the ride was closed. Lots of rides were closed throughout both parks, including Indiana Jones for a while, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Nemo Submarines for the day. (Submarines were closed for long-term refurbishment.)
Eventually, we gave up on Splash Mountain and caught the Mickey and the Magic Map musical show, which we enjoyed the last time we saw it.
A highlight of the day came when we went to Innoventions and got to meet Captain America. Hsuan kept going on about how the actor they chose had exactly the same chin as Chris Evans (the actor in the movie). I think it’s hard to say, because it’s really the costume that makes the character.
After Captain America, we rode Buzz Lightyear, got Star Tours FastPasses (starting at 7:25 PM), and then headed over to CA Adventure for our 4:30 PM dinner reservation at Carthay Circle. We had their signature fried biscuits, and Hsuan and I had the spicy duck wings. The duck wings were really tender and tasty, but in retrospect, the spiciness dominated over the fact that they were duck wings rather than chicken wings.
For dinner, W had the (12 oz?) Angus New York steak, and he pretty much ate it all. Growing boy, he is. Hsuan had the salmon, and J had the kids’ pasta. I had a grilled quail, and for my wine, I chose the Lasseter family rosé. It was a very good combination. For dessert, W had a cheesecake, while I had a “vintage coffee” (Bailey’s Irish Cream, Tuaca, and hot coffee, served with a cinnamon stick in a brandy snifter).
After dinner, we headed to Cars Land and rode Luigi’s Flying Tires.
We then went to Radiator Springs Racers to do our FastPass ride. The line moved very quickly, especially since, for some reason, they didn’t have the standby line running until well after we entered. Perhaps the ride was shut down while we were having dinner or riding the tires and the reopened shortly before we arrived.
We won our race.
We were heading out of Cars Land to return to Disneyland in order to ride Star Tours on our FastPass before returning home. However, on the way out, the boys decided they wanted a snack from the Cozy Cone Motel.
While there, I noticed that it was almost sunset, so I hung out on the main street. Sunset in Cars Land recreates the scene from Cars in which Lightning McQueen shows Sally a nighttime Radiator Springs with the new street and the neon signs all lit up. At sunset in Cars Land, the speakers start playing Sh-Boom (“Life could be a dream”), and the neon lights gradually start lighting up from one end of the street to the other. It’s a magical experience that evokes not just the movie but also the nostalgia for the Route 66 glory days that the movie celebrates.
I always enjoy catching the transition. I was lucky enough to catch it on video, though it’s not my best videography.
Afterward, we returned to Disneyland to ride Star Tours — Hoth, followed by Naboo — and then we went home.
A most welcome day off and visit to Disneyland/CA Adventure...