My trip started on Friday the 13th, and my day at Disneyland actually worked out okay. As it was Friday the 13th, Disneyland was hosting a special Villains event, with special dance parties and other stuff (I think; other than the dance parties, I didn't really understand what was exclusive to that night). And Disneyland would be open until 1 AM. I figured it would be busy, but didn't think it would be too bad, as the offerings seemed rather anemic, and horror stories from One More Disney Day should scare off many people who might go to such things.
And even though I got a bit of a late start that morning, arriving at the park around 11 AM, the crowds weren't too bad. Haunted Mansion Holiday had the longest line I'd ever seen for that attraction, spilling out of the overflow line assembled around the New Orleans Square fountain. But I wasn't surprised, as it was the first day of operations in Holiday mode, and between that and the Villains thing, I expected a bit of a wait for it. I got some Pumpkin Squash Fritters from the gumbo place to enjoy in line (very tasty-better than the Mickey beignets, with a much shorter line!), and was in my doom buggy in about 45 minutes. The main changes are two-fold: the ceiling of the portrait gallery now features a digital projection, in which a stained-glass window is shattered by an animated Jack, and the hall of portraits now features Zero flying through the various scenes. I cautiously approve of both additions. The ceiling projection works well, and I liked that the Ghost Host can be seen hanging behind Jack, and as you leave. The Zero effect I'm less sure about, because having him flying around makes it harder to pretend that they are really oil paintings, though the Holiday painting versions are so obviously digital screens it's hard to get too worked up about this. And it's a cute gag that's fun to watch while waiting in line, though it does seem to slow down traffic at times. I'm not always thrilled with attractions relying on digital effects too heavily, at the expense of actual props and crafted artwork, but ultimately, I just care that it works, whatever the medium. And I think both additions work well. I'm also excited by the advent calendar gingerbread house, and am eager to see what's behind those doors. Though it does just occur to me, this could alter my plan to not renew my annual pass for a few months, as it expires in early December, and I would be disappointed to miss seeing a few open advent doors in person (I don't think the chance to see the doors all open could prod me to visit between Christmas and New Year's).
But beyond the crowd at Haunted Mansion Holiday, it wasn't that bad during the early afternoon. DCA, in particular, was quite nice. California Screamin' was a walk-on, Toy Story Mania was about a 20 minute wait, and the single-rider line for Radiator Spring Racers was quite reasonable. I even got to ride Luigi's Flying Tires with minimum fuss. The short lines led me to make a snap decision to cross another ride off my list. I'd never been on the Silly Symphony Swings. I don't like heights, and while I do enjoy spinning, those type of rides always creeped me out. But I have overcome other fears of late, and rides I was once too scared to ride, California Screamin' most notably, are now favorites. So I took my seat on a swing, surrounded by small children with nary a care in the world, while I looked rather nervous. The ride rose and began to spin, and I began to feel silly I had avoided the ride for so long. And it continued to spin, and gain speed, and I began to think that I had made a horrible mistake. What I liked least about the ride was, as I reached top speed, my feet turned to point out from the center of the ride, and my back turned toward the ride, and toward the ground. That felt very unsettling, and kept me from possibly enjoying the ride. Instead, I just tried to remain as still as possible, lest I inadvertently cause my swing to twirl violently out of control, which for some reason I figure is a very real possibility, though I realize it probably can't actually happen. Eventually the ride came to an end, and I disembarked, grateful to have that nightmare behind me early on in my vacation. And right afterwards, I came upon the Ellis Island Boys, just beginning their set, which was a nice way to sooth my nerves.
DCA remained relatively calm for some time, and I rode several rides before taking my seat for Aladdin. Always enjoyable, I had a particularly good Genie, and even the Aladdin actor was better than normal. Several iconic jokes had been updated, mostly to good effect, and even the obligatory Miley Cyrus twerking joke worked well. The carpet effect has been working again for a few months, which really helps me enjoy the show (it's not that crucial to the show, really, but knowing it's supposed to be there, it's hard not to focus on the absence). I haven't been seeing the show as regularly as I used to, but I think I'll make more of a point of seeing it in the future.
When I got out of Aladdin, I quickly realized the situation had changed. DCA was now quite crowded, and it was difficult to move around. I left for Disneyland, as I had planned, and was relieved that the line to get into Disneyland wasn't bad. But Disneyland, which throughout the day was busier than DCA, was now thoroughly packed, and the set-up for a Villains dance party in Town Square wasn't helping the traffic flow. I went to Frontierland, to the pin shop, and could barely move inside it. I decided to save my pin shopping for Sunday (when I would learn all the pins I was looking for were sold out). I went to the Tiki Room, for tradition's sake, and then decided maybe my time would be best served by hitting the road for points North.
Just getting out of the park was unpleasant. Crowds were gathered for a parade, and the dance party set-up was making things worse, and crowd control people weren't very helpful. I really think they just need to stop doing things on Main St., period, until they improve the traffic flow entering and leaving the park. No parades, and certainly no dance parties. Build an alternate exit, a path behind the shops on Main St., extend the monorail to the Toy Story parking lot, or put in a monorail stop in DCA so you can exit from that side. I don't really care what they do, but right now the crowd issues on Main Street creates a sour note as guests' final experience, and this problem needs to be addressed somehow.
But I did manage to find my way out of the park, and while I did see lines to get in, it wasn't until I got back to the Toy Story parking lot and saw the line for the shuttle that I realized what kind of a night it would be for Disneyland. The shuttle line, just like the Haunted Mansion Holiday line, had burst forth from its queue, and was spilling out into the parking lot proper. The traffic directors had to make a break in the line so I could drive out. As I left Anaheim, I saw the freeway offramps backed up for a good distance, and this was a bit before 6 PM. So when I heard the reports of gridlock and huge crowds, I wasn't surprised. I was very glad I got out when I did.
Heading North to Oxnard, I decided to take the scenic route, with a stop on the way in Santa Monica. A reasonably pleasant drive brought me to the Santa Monica Pier. Not having a lot of time, I was just there for about an hour, riding the roller coaster and ferris wheel, and having a quick dinner. When I bought my ride ticket, the box office told me that there are no single riders on the ferris wheel, so I would have to ride with a group. I said that was fine. But when I got to the front of the line, I was just told, no single riders, period. I told them what the ticket booth said, and they let me on with another group, but seemed very put out about it. But the ride was fun, nice views, and they let you ride for a good long time. The roller coaster was fun, very tame but with very brief portions that suddenly accelerate at a terrifying rate. I was glad I stopped by, I'd been wanting to go here for awhile, but I don't know that I'm in a huge hurry to go back.
From Santa Monica, I took old Highway 1 up to Oxnard. It was a nice drive, though in darkness I couldn't fully appreciate the views. I would like to do the drive again in daylight sometime. But there were a few nice neon signs for consolation. Got to Oxnard around 10:30, checked in to my room at the Hampton Inn Channel Islands, which I fully recommend, had a few complimentary cups of decaf and enjoyed the view of the harbor from my balcony, read a bit, and went to bed, ready to check out the Channel Islands the next day.
I think I'll leave it here for now, I'll write about the Channel Islands and Disneyland redux soon.
