Back to Disneyland. There's always something new!

 

My children left us as empty nesters in August.  Besides the usual feelings and adjustments that this life event causes, it left us certainly with a new approach to travel, as it now was going to be hard to negotiate having all three "children" available at the same time.  Well, the ubiquitous family trip to Disneyland was going to happen, so we made it happen when my "students" were off for the week of Thanksgiving.  This was the first time in many years that we were coming during the "Christmas Season," (which in Disneyland begins around Veterans Day) and to boot the weekend before Thanksgiving, which we knew would be busy.  By now, we are seasoned Disneylanders, but every time you go there is something new to report so here goes:

VIRUTAL QUEUE:

We have been coming to Disneyland for years and years and never had to make use of the virtual queue until we came for a single day in September earlier this year.  Virtual queue is usually employed when a ride is brand new and thereby extremely popular.  The day we went in September virtual queue was in place for Haunted Mansion Holiday, as they seemed to be doing some construction and expanding the queue area.  As Tiana's Bayou Adventure made its grand opening just one week before we left on November 22nd, a virtual queue was also in effect for this new and very popular ride.

So this is how it works. At seven am you can join one virtual queue only for a park in which you have a reservation for that day.  So if the park is employing two virtual queues, you need to choose.  If your reservation that day has you starting in a park where there is NO virtual queue, in this case DCA, you cannot join the virtual queue until NOON, and then you still need to choose.  You cannot join the virtual queue for the other ride with a virtual queue until you have redeemed your first virtual queue pass, and there is no guarantee that space in the virtual queue will remain.  Once you join you are given a boarding group number which later will be announced on your phone through the Disneyland app, but is does go in order so it is pretty easy to make plans around your boarding group number.

The first day we got immediately in the VQ for Tiana's Bayou Adventure at 7am on the dot.  It took a long time for them actually start calling the boarding groups but once they did, we seemed to be in group 84 or so.  Then when we went to redeem at about 11am or so, the ride broke down and we were given a Lightning Lane pass to return.....when the ride was open.  Well, we rode this finally after dinner, like 6pm.  We immediately tried to get into the VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday, which gave us a number like 198 and reported there were no guarantees we would be called but we did get called anyway.

The second day we started in DCA so at NOON we were able to request Haunted Mansion Holiday (our choice, not so enthused about getting as wet as we did the day before on Tiana's.)  I don't think we rode until after dinner again, and by the time we got on, there were no spots left in the VQ for Tiana's.

Here we are, NOT standing in line
at Tiana's Bayou Adventure

There are a few good things about the virtual queue: 1)  You can spend your time walking about the park and experiencing other attractions instead of standing in line.  Disney likes that while you are not standing in line, you can spend your money in other parts of the park. 2)  Virtual queue is open to everyone with a park reservation without an additional upcharge.  This pretty much guarantees that with a little advanced planning on the part of the average Disney patron, the new fun ride is not just for those who have money to burn on the lightning lane add on.

The only disadvantage is that you have to be on it--even down to just knowing a VQ is in place.  I found out less than a week before we left about the VQ on Tiana's.  I saw people turned away from both VQ rides, as the VQ makes it so there is NO standby line. Period.

We found out that the VQ for Haunted Mansion Holiday ended the day after we left and returned to being a ride covered by Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

TIANA'S BAYOU ADVENTURE:

So here's the moment you've been waiting for.  The beloved Splash Mountain was taken out of commission at Disneyland on May 31, 2023 to make way for the overlay of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which as aforementioned opened November 15th, 2024, which runs the same track with a different story and theme.

The reason for the change was, as is common for many changes in Disney rides (i.e Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean---you can see my comments on those changes here and here), is in keeping with Disney's attempt to be more progressive and inclusive.  Anyway, Splash Mountain did not offend me, it was all animals so I don't know how that was non-inclusive, and the story of Tiana's Bayou Adventure just confused me, especially like why the drop particularly was part of the story...

Well, I only got to ride it once, so it may need to grow on me to be fair.  One thing is for dang sure, we all got way more wet than we ever got on Splash Mountain.

We were already wet,
and we got wetter!!

FIREWORKS:

So super cool that I hate to even give away this secret.  Now you can watch an equally impressive fireworks show nightly from Galaxy's Edge, called Fire of the Rising Moons.  Apparently, this started in April, but somehow we missed it in September when we went. Anyway, you are actually watching the same fireworks show that is going on on Main Street, but your show is set to the iconic music of John Williams and the pyrotechnics are exploding behind the Millenium Falcon and the mountain peaks of  the Black Spire Outpost.  While thousands are crammed onto Main Street watching the same ol' Christmas show we have been watching forever, you are in Galaxy's Edge with plenty of room to spare, in Star Wars heaven.  And to boot, you walked up at 9:28pm and claimed your spot for the 13 minute show beginning in 2 minutes.  

This show was so beautiful I almost cried, no kidding.  The second night we were in exactly the same spot, ready to watch again.

ALL TECH.  

So here's something else.  The only person who survives a day in the Disney Parks is the person who has a firm handle on the use of the Disneyland App.  

The Disneyland App is your connection to your whole day.  It has your tickets and your dining reservations.  It has wait times and operational status of all the rides in both parks.  It's your method of mobile ordering at park eateries and snack carts.  As I mentioned, it is how you get your spot in the virtual queues and how you are notified it is time to ride.  The app is also how you purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass (if you didn't already add this on) once you are ready and then is how you reserve your lightning lane times.  

I don't need to spell it out for you.  Managing Disneyland without the app is nearly impossible.  It saves time and disappointment.  Do not approach Disneyland without a good knowledge of how to use it unless you want to spend your day doing two things you already are doing plenty of-WAITING and WALKING.

And you better have your battery pack with you, because if your phone runs out of charge, that is the end of your lifeline.

SO EXPENSIVE:

Do I even need to bring this up?  Disneyland just gets more and more expensive.  All the add-ons to an already very expensive ticket are just going through the roof--but everyone knows the advantage to having them so they buy them anyway.

Better enjoy, cuz it's gonna cost you!!

The basic one park per day ticket is $165 per day if you go for two days.  Add the park hopper feature (which allows you to go between parks and is nearly essential because there is not enough to do in DCA for a whole day) and that is 85$ more--now, if my math is right we are up to $415 for two days.  The Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which we bought both days, was 36$ on Saturday and 39$ on Sunday.  I remember when Genie Plus (as it used to be called) was 20$ and I thought THAT was ridiculous.  Any chance you want to add on single ride lightning lane passes for the rides NOT covered by the Multi Pass so you don't have to get there at rope drop or wait over any hour?  Well, that too is gonna cost you--22$ per person to ride Cars and 27$ to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure or Rise of the Resistance. Note that these do fluctuate somewhat depending on the day but you get the picture.  These used to be 15$.  Gotta draw the line somewhere--we don't buy any of these.  But you see, now your ticket is basically about 235$ give or take each day, and you have not bought anything to eat yet.... Blue Bayou cost the five of us nearly $500..no joke.

RIDES BREAKING:

With the increased technical nature of the rides at Disneyland comes the greatly increased frequency of

rides breaking down.  Rides being "temporarily closed" has become such a common thing that it becomes part of your daily planning-in other words, unless you want to waste a lot of walking you might want to check that that ride you are headed to across the park is even open.  Most of the newer rides are down at some time during the day, and many of the older ones too.  Cars in DCA and Rise of the Resistance are almost NEVER operational at rope drop, leaving the stampede to regroup and form an alternate plan.  

We have kind of a family joke now at how many rides we have either been stuck on for some length of time or actually evacuated from, giving us a new perspective of these rides, as the music stops and the lights go on.  We've been stuck on Indiana Jones, Cars, Space Mountain (that was cool), and actually removed from Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.  This weekend, the new addition to the list was Mr Toad's Wild Ride, on which we barely got through the first bend before all the black lit characters became lifeless paintings as we sat trapped in our buggies.

This weekend we saw the brand new Tiana's Bayou Adventure being evacuated....twice.

Anyway, I think this weekend just about every Lightning Lane ride was down for some portion of the day.  When several rides are down, other standby lines get longer.  Once in DCA, so many rides were broken we were at a point we were just like, "what CAN we ride??"

Well, I have taken quite the opportunity to gripe about what gets under my skin at Disneyland...

Is the still the most magical place on earth...well, yes, it is!  I'll likely be there next year with another report!

Merry Christmas from Disneyland Resort

What I Did for the Rest of the Summer 2024, All Close to Home!

So this year was strange. We usually travel right in the middle of the summer, late July and early August, but things worked out differently for us this year, and we wound up leaving for our lengthy "summer" adventure at the end of May and returned on June 15th, before summer was officially declared.  So on returning, I looked out over a long three months lending themselves to a lot of long days of boredom without any plans.  Well, I was determined to ensure that this was not going to happen.  I wasn't wasting the long daylight hours and the beautiful California weather, so I got busy determining what we were going to do, and DO we DID.

This is how we filled the remainder of our summer days and avoided the doldrums. None of it was very far from home, and most of it was not very expensive...

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS GAMES (5):

The San Francisco Giants play at Oracle Park in (where else) San Francisco, which, as the crow flies is one hour from our home.  There is no parking onsite so you have to make use of the Parkwhiz app, with which you can usually get a parking space for about $32 within a half mile of the stadium.  Getting to the stadium on a week night can really stink, often taking 90 minutes (and then remember you have to walk to the stadium). Because of traffic we missed first pitch twice on a week night, on which games begin at 6:45pm.  Traffic on a weekend day game, we went one Sunday and one Saturday during the summer, is virtually non-existent, BUT, the giveaways happen on the weekends, and one hour before the game those giveaways are gone, and some of them are pretty cool.  On the 2014 World Series team reunion day we got there TWO hours in advance and the line to get in was already a quarter mile long, if not more, filled with people waiting for the giveaway shirt. Once you are in, you cannot leave, so for those 21 and over, a detour to 58 Social, the restaurant connected to the ballpark, is in order.  The beer selection is there is good and I thought cheaper than in the ballpark.

Now you might say this is a pretty big splurge, cuz Giants tickets are expensive, right?  Well there is definitely truth to this statement.  THREE of the nights we went we went Monday thru Wednesday.  I bought tickets through SeatGeek sometimes as close as the day before.  This year we were converted to the peace and quiet of the Club Level, where I was able to find M-W tickets for as little as 40$.  The weekend games I did purchase in advance--both were in the View Box (NOT View Reserved as this is just too nose bleed for me) and both were closer to 65/70$.  Both were sell outs.  Both were giveaway days.  Food and drinks are expensive.  They are now serving Pliny the Elder in the Club Level....for 25$.  I couldn't pass it up, not even once.

One advantage. if you can call it that, to going to Oracle Park is that it's cold there, for summer anyway, at least at night, so if it's 90 in San Jose by the end of the game, you will be looking at a chilly 60-65 degree temperature.  This does not apply however to day games in the top deck, when even at 65, you better be in your shorts and tank top with sunscreen well applied.

Incidentally, prior to the summer, we went to two games, one on a Wednesday on the Club level and one on a Sunday in the View Box--making our grand total of games for the season seven.

These were our days out at Oracle Park this season:

Wednesday, June 26th vs Chicago Cubs
Tuesday, July 9th vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Saturday, August 10th vs  Detroit Tigers   2014 World Series Team Reunion and                            Shirt Giveaway
Monday August 19th vs. Chicago White Sox
Sunday, September 1st vs Miami Marlins  Buster Hugs Funko Pop Giveaway
and
Monday, April 22 vs New York Mets

Sunday, May 19th vs Colorado Rockies

Weeknight game from the Club Level

Buster Hugs Funko Pop Giveaway

A beautiful summer evening!

SAN JOSE GIANTS GAMES: (6)

The San Jose Giants are the low Single A affiliate for the San Francisco Giants.  Many of the players we have seen here have gone on to play in the Major Leagues.  If the players are of this caliber, they do not last long at this level, so it is rare that they will complete a season.  There are always new guys coming and going. Anyway, the SJ Giants play at Excite Ballpark very near downtown San Jose, which is about a 15 minute drive from our house.  They are always running a special on tickets-buy one, get one, buy two, get two, etc., and every Thursday free tickets are available at "participating Rotten Robbie gas stations."

Except maybe on the 4th of July, the place never sells out, not even on opening day (we were there and we froze), so I never get tickets more than a day in advance.  Parking is plentiful, costs about $15, and is conveniently located right across the street from the ballpark.  The San Jose Giants are convenient and relatively inexpensive.  Beer is still $13, but if the Beer Batter strikes out (and this can happen 2-4 times in a game...or not at all), draft beer is 50% off for 15 minutes, even the good stuff-but I must confess with much disappointment that the beer batter was pretty unproductive this year.  

The stadium seats about 4200, so you are really close to the action, so even a trip to the bathroom or to the beer stand will not cause you to miss more than a few batters.

The food at Turkeys Mikes BBQ is not cheap, so we eat there on special occasions, and on those days, it's worth it.  Ribs, chicken, pulled pork, tri tip, hot links....sigh.  Also don't miss the churros, which are the best on the planet.

No jacket required at Excite Ballpark

Excite ballpark is HOT.  Everyone sits on the shade of the first base line.  It's just unbearable otherwise.  You can't even put your butt on the bleachers.  One night this year it was 100 at game time.  My first time ever wearing a dress to a baseball game....

Another cool thing about the SJ Giants is that occasionally an actual San Francisco Giants player will come down and do a rehab start here--mostly pitchers.  We saw Sean Hjelle this year and Sergio Romo in the past.  They pitch like one inning and then depart the game.

We're not THAT vested in what is going on with this team, meaning, we don't follow them particularly.  The baseball is not top notch by any means.  Apparently, they are not that bad though, as they have been to the playoffs for the last few years (and were promptly eliminated).  A few years ago we attended the game in which they captured the California Cactus League Championship.  That was pretty cool.

Once again, in addition to the six games during the summer, we went on Memorial Day (the day before we left on vacation) and on Opening Day.

So these were our days at Excite Ballpark watching the San Jose Giants

Tuesday June 25th vs. Fresno Grizzlies

Thursday June 27th vs. Fresno Grizzlies Rotten Robbie Night

Tuesday. July 2nd vs. Stockton Ports

Thursday, July 25th vs. Modesto Nuts   Rotten Robbie Night

Tuesday, Aug 13th vs. Stockton Ports

Thursday, Aug 29th vs Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Rotten Robbie Night

and

Tuesday, April 5 vs. Fresno Grizzlies OPENING DAY

Monday, May 27th vs Fresno Grizzlies  GIGANTE BOBBLEHEAD GIVEAWAY

Sitting in our favorite seats!

I said this a lot this season

OUTDOOR CONCERTS: (4)

There is little that is more sublime than listening to great music outdoors on a summer night.  There are many free opportunities, as many municipalities have their own versions of "Music in the Park," weekly or occasionally, whatever that music or wherever that park may be. 

Paid concerts these days are expensive, often ranging into the multi and I do mean multi hundred dollar range.  This pretty much reserves the nose bleeds for yours truly, and I'm pretty firm about not paying for a show I need to watch on a JumboTron.

Well, I paid for four live concerts over the summer. Three were at Mountain Winery in Saratoga and one was at Frost Amphitheatre on the Stanford Campus.

I found out about the Music of John Williams concert as I was perusing San Francisco Symphony's "Film with Live Orchestra" series.  We had been looking for a concert featuring the music of John Williams for years.  It was a not to be missed opportunity and I got the whole family on board and purchased tickets right away.

We had never been to Frost Amphitheatre despite the fact that I was born and raised in the Palo Alto area and my husband got his Master's degree at Stanford! What a beautiful venue!  There is a large seated area with a lawn area behind, with a capacity of 8000. Parking is easy peasy and just a short walk from the venue.  Tonight was a sold out show!  Our tickets, which I believe all told were about 99$ apiece were in the front row of the back section, so there was no one immediately in front of us, and when you are listening to music, you don't really need to be up close.

We were all in music heaven.  The music of John Williams has filled our home since the children were babies.  All his compositions are revered and respected, his musical genius appreciated.  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Olympic Fanfare, ET, Star Wars and Superman--all included.  Seriously amazing. On such a beautiful night in such a beautiful place. 

A sellout crowd on the lawn at Frost Amphitheater

Front row seats-a least of the lawn section

The remaining three concerts were at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, about a 20 to 25 minute drive from our house.  Leaving the venue following the concert can be congested so it is wise to allow extra time to get home.  Mountain Winery is a winery just like any other.  As I do understand it, it was the former site of the Paul Masson Winery (remember Orson Welles in the 80's-"we will sell no wine, before its time").  Anyway, Mountain Winery is better known as a concert venue, particularly for its yearly summer concert series, which runs from May through October, in its beautiful outdoor amphitheater. Parking is on site for 20$ if you are a carpool, more if not.  Concessions on site.

Now you are not going to see Adele, Taylor Swift, Elton John, or any other major headliner at Mountain Winery.  Mountain Winery attracts both musical and comedy acts which have a smaller, and dare I say it, older following, such as UB40, Rick Springfield and Richard Marx, Air Supply, Harry Connick Jr., Melissa Etheridge with Jewel--just to name a few.  Last year I saw Pat Benetar and her husband Neil Giraldo there.  This year Rod Stewart, One Republic, and Jerry Seinfeld came.  Anyway, stuff that is my speed.  Tickets in the front sections can range up into the 350-400$ area, but we find that the first several rows of section 4, where we sat for all three of the concerts we attended, offers a great view without breaking the bank.  I could not say exactly, but my tickets this year ranged from 90-160$ a piece.  I always get on the day the sale opens.  I have not found a lot of competition, but better to be safe than sorry.

Mountain Winery seats 2500, so the concert experience is very intimate and generally more mature.  

So these were our outdoor concert nights and who we saw...

Wednesday July 17:  A Night of Queen @ Mountain Winery

Saturday, July 20:  The Music of John Williams by San Francisco Symphony @ Frost Amphitheater

Saturday, August 3:  Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons @ Mountain Winery

Thursday, August 15:  Scott Bradlee's Post Modern Jukebox@Mountain Winery

All ready for a Night of Queen

CROW'S NEST BEACH PARTY (3):

Now this was a great family party!

The Beach Party on Crow's Next Beach ran every Thursday from May 23rd until they were prematurely shut down on the 8th of August (they were scheduled to go until August 29th).

Convenient parking is available for 10$ right in the harbor parking lot.  The party starts at 5:30pm right on the sand outside the Crow's Nest restaurant and admission is FREE. There are beverages (adult and other) available for purchase including cocktails, wine and beer.  There is a great selection of food too, including burgers, shrimp, and ribs.  All the kids that work are friendly patient and helpful.  There are a number of plastic tables and chairs set up in the the sand area, but people tend to kind of park it there for the night, so bringing your own chairs, or at least a blanket is an option.  We have been fairly lucky eating our food sitting on some pipes right at the rocky edge of the harbor.  We had excellent weather all three times we went, but I would probably say that capri jeans and a t shirt with a back up sweatshirt is a good choice as far as apparel goes.

Anyway, after eating it is time to dance!  People of all ages sing along and get down and boogie until the bands clear out at 8:30 to make way for the paid gig inside the Crow's Nest which begins at this time.  The bands are fabulous.  We all truly enjoyed ourselves each time we went.  It IS Santa Cruz, so expect a fair amount of doobage in the air.  For the most part, though, people are well behaved.  Once I went for the first time, I hoped to go every Thursday until they were done.

These were our three nights at the Crow's Nest

Thursday July 18th:  Fishhook (my favorite)

Thursday August 1st:  The Houserockers

Thursday August 8th:  The Joint Chiefs

Good friends of all ages!

Great Food!

Great music and drinks!

WINE TASTING: (4)

Well, what would a summer be without relaxing with a little wine!  Luckily we live very close to a lot of good wine, and just a quick 20 minute drive can land you at the very least at some reputable tasting rooms in both downtown Saratoga and downtown Los Gatos, and at the very best at local wineries themselves.

We are members at Savannah Chanelle Winery on Hwy 9.  We have been members of this winery since like Christmas of 2004, at which time we bought our first case of 2002 Armagh Vineyard Pinot Noir.  Our membership requires us to purchase about 12 bottles per year, but don't expect this deal because this membership is so old that now new members are required to commit to about double that amount.  In return we get free tasting at the winery (normally 25$) for ourselves and two of our guests (we heard once a month but who's counting), club discounts on any wine purchases and free admission to weekend music performances.

Anyway, we get notified about 8 times a year that our wines are ready, and of course with the winery only being 20 minutes away, we usually make a late Sunday afternoon of it, drive to the winery and enjoy the lastest tasting menu while we are there.  This summer we went twice:  Sunday July 7th and Sunday July 28th.

We also happen to be members at a lovely St Helena Winery, V. Sattui Winery.  This membership looks quite a bit different than our membership at Savannah Chanelle.  V. Sattui is a good two hours from our home in NO traffic (and there's often traffic).  In order to maintain our membership, we are required to purchase 500$ of wine in one purchase, not quite sure why they set it up that way.  They recently changed their 'requirements,' if you would like to put it that way.  Previously, you had to buy one case a year, admittedly, for us, a cheaper option, because we would buy two great bottles and then complete the case with, well, less expensive wine.  Well now, it's 500$ no matter what we buy, so if we want to just buy 5-100$ bottles, we can, but we don't.  Well, in exchange for our 1/2K, we get FREE admittance to Cellar Club tasting for up to 6 guests (a 45$ ticket per person!),  and discounts on winery parties--which are FABULOUS!

In June I took my mom, though I did most of the drinking, since we were in the neighborhood.  Our second night was at the Festa Italia party on July 26th, which we attended with our daughter.

Cara Chardonnay and delicious appetizers

Wine tasting fun at V.Sattui

Well, the summer is now over and who knows what the Fall will bring.  I have my fingers in a lot of different travel pies right now!

Follow me on Instagram.  Posts and reels come often with bits and pieces of travel insights and pictures.  You will be entertained!!