03-10-2024, 10:02 PM
We planned to start day 2 in the California experience but the way the hoppers worked, we couldn’t enter until 11, so it was back to Galaxy’s edge. Resistance was down but a worker tipped us off that it would be up again. Soon so we hung out in a line that was not an ‘official’ line for well over a half hour until it opened. We got in and it crashed again, just before we boarded the transport. Again we were given lightning passes.
We went to the Matterhorn but the line was over na hour so we did autopia out of nostalgia. Tara used to love that ride and despite driving down (Stacy & I flew) we still went for it. Stacy let me drive which she seldom does irl because it’s too much of an adrenaline rush she says. Dland needs to electrify those cars.
We did a Small World and were annoyed that Japan was so poorly represented, while wonderland had a larger section. The movies are integrated more now with Mushu as the Chinese dragon, Ariel has an under the sea section, and there’s Woody & Jesse doing cowpoke crap, plus more, but only a few figures for Japan. Doesn’t Tokyo have a dland? WTH?!
When Resistance came back online, we went back and were team orange again so we got the exact same ride, but it was still amazing because we had more time to see the details. It really is the best ride experience ever - the highlight of the trip.
Rey came by and I was tempted to get a selfie but didn’t. She chatted up this cute kid in a Mandalorian costume and it was super sweet.
Tara bought me a 40th anniversary of Empire fannypack for a birthday present. I was debating over a Black Spire shot glass but the jedi mind trick blurred my memory because it was really a Batuu glass, or a lightsaber carrying case but I have so many cases or a lightsaber water bottle because I need a new one but it looked hard to clean. The fannypack is by Herschel and it’s Endor camo with a random gold & red embroidery which will work for festivals so I’ll actually use it.
After that it was over to Ca. We checked out the Avengers campus, which was cool, but the lines were long so we did the Grizzly River run. My left shoe got soaked and never dried all day. It was step squish step squish. It was fun tho.
We ate at San Fransokyo where Tara & Bri got some nice soba and I got a shrimp sandwich. We returned later for Ghirardelli’s sundaes for everyone but lactose intolerant me.
We went back to the avengers campus for the web ride, which was also fun. There’s a motion detector that senses your arm movements so you can shoot webs and spider bots. Stacy got the high score, followed closely by Bri, who is a major Spidey fan and treated herself to a Spidey cap with the vintage logo. Tara got an Avengers Campus workout shirt. We stayed for the shows - Spidey which was a lot of wire stunts and a surprising bound from building to building, the Dora Milaje led by a women who had decent spear technique, the Black Widow & Black Panther defending the avengers jet which was a well choreographed long live fight, and the Doctor Strange show which was a cheesey magic show but the actor knew it and worked the crowd well - quite funny.
There were lots of chance to take pics with marvel characters but after going to so many comic cons, that held no appeal. Seen fan costumes that were on par or even better.
Tara & Bri had dinner at Pyms where the meals were distorted in size. Tara had the pasta with a huge impossible meatball the size of a tennis ball and a tiny fork. Being a good sport, she managed and kept the fork as a souvenir (I kept the coasters from the Star Wars cantina).
We did some shopping but didn’t buy anything more. There’s this new genre - Disney Eats - which glorifies greasy food. Pizza Mickey ears (no one wore those) churro ears (did see some of those worn) shirts of melted cheese with pepperoni in the shape of Mickey ears (saw some of those work too, all on obese peeps). It was kinda disgusting. Saw one tiny section packed with Wish merch. Since that flopped, no one was buying any and there was so much merch. The worst thing were these bubble wands that flooded the area with tiny bubbles, which was cute at first but after 3 or 4 minutes were annoying af. Every parent who bought one for their kid was soon filled with regret and there were many tears when they got taken away from obnoxious kid wielders.
Lastly we stood in line for days for the Cars ride. I’m not sure why. Seemed like the thing to do but it nearly broke us. When we finally got in our car, the ride stopped for several minutes because some toddler wanted off and it was a big scene of kid tears and parents at the end of their ropes. But it’s still a fun ride.
We left early, exhausted. I watched the fireworks from the window of our hotel then promptly crashed.
Stacy said she was done with dland. She can’t see ever going back. While we had a lot of fun, it was such a draining experience, draining money and energy. I’d love to go back but I don’t know why I would. I can’t imagine another D00M dland trip and I don’t work for a corporation that might end up there somehow.
Going there with Tara once more was an absolute delight. Having her school me on lightsabers (there were a few character lightsabers that I didn’t know from the video game and Clone Wars) gave me a weird sense of pride.
There were still some moments of Disney magic. And Rise of the Resistance was awesome.
We went to the Matterhorn but the line was over na hour so we did autopia out of nostalgia. Tara used to love that ride and despite driving down (Stacy & I flew) we still went for it. Stacy let me drive which she seldom does irl because it’s too much of an adrenaline rush she says. Dland needs to electrify those cars.
We did a Small World and were annoyed that Japan was so poorly represented, while wonderland had a larger section. The movies are integrated more now with Mushu as the Chinese dragon, Ariel has an under the sea section, and there’s Woody & Jesse doing cowpoke crap, plus more, but only a few figures for Japan. Doesn’t Tokyo have a dland? WTH?!
When Resistance came back online, we went back and were team orange again so we got the exact same ride, but it was still amazing because we had more time to see the details. It really is the best ride experience ever - the highlight of the trip.
Rey came by and I was tempted to get a selfie but didn’t. She chatted up this cute kid in a Mandalorian costume and it was super sweet.
Tara bought me a 40th anniversary of Empire fannypack for a birthday present. I was debating over a Black Spire shot glass but the jedi mind trick blurred my memory because it was really a Batuu glass, or a lightsaber carrying case but I have so many cases or a lightsaber water bottle because I need a new one but it looked hard to clean. The fannypack is by Herschel and it’s Endor camo with a random gold & red embroidery which will work for festivals so I’ll actually use it.
After that it was over to Ca. We checked out the Avengers campus, which was cool, but the lines were long so we did the Grizzly River run. My left shoe got soaked and never dried all day. It was step squish step squish. It was fun tho.
We ate at San Fransokyo where Tara & Bri got some nice soba and I got a shrimp sandwich. We returned later for Ghirardelli’s sundaes for everyone but lactose intolerant me.
We went back to the avengers campus for the web ride, which was also fun. There’s a motion detector that senses your arm movements so you can shoot webs and spider bots. Stacy got the high score, followed closely by Bri, who is a major Spidey fan and treated herself to a Spidey cap with the vintage logo. Tara got an Avengers Campus workout shirt. We stayed for the shows - Spidey which was a lot of wire stunts and a surprising bound from building to building, the Dora Milaje led by a women who had decent spear technique, the Black Widow & Black Panther defending the avengers jet which was a well choreographed long live fight, and the Doctor Strange show which was a cheesey magic show but the actor knew it and worked the crowd well - quite funny.
There were lots of chance to take pics with marvel characters but after going to so many comic cons, that held no appeal. Seen fan costumes that were on par or even better.
Tara & Bri had dinner at Pyms where the meals were distorted in size. Tara had the pasta with a huge impossible meatball the size of a tennis ball and a tiny fork. Being a good sport, she managed and kept the fork as a souvenir (I kept the coasters from the Star Wars cantina).
We did some shopping but didn’t buy anything more. There’s this new genre - Disney Eats - which glorifies greasy food. Pizza Mickey ears (no one wore those) churro ears (did see some of those worn) shirts of melted cheese with pepperoni in the shape of Mickey ears (saw some of those work too, all on obese peeps). It was kinda disgusting. Saw one tiny section packed with Wish merch. Since that flopped, no one was buying any and there was so much merch. The worst thing were these bubble wands that flooded the area with tiny bubbles, which was cute at first but after 3 or 4 minutes were annoying af. Every parent who bought one for their kid was soon filled with regret and there were many tears when they got taken away from obnoxious kid wielders.
Lastly we stood in line for days for the Cars ride. I’m not sure why. Seemed like the thing to do but it nearly broke us. When we finally got in our car, the ride stopped for several minutes because some toddler wanted off and it was a big scene of kid tears and parents at the end of their ropes. But it’s still a fun ride.
We left early, exhausted. I watched the fireworks from the window of our hotel then promptly crashed.
Stacy said she was done with dland. She can’t see ever going back. While we had a lot of fun, it was such a draining experience, draining money and energy. I’d love to go back but I don’t know why I would. I can’t imagine another D00M dland trip and I don’t work for a corporation that might end up there somehow.
Going there with Tara once more was an absolute delight. Having her school me on lightsabers (there were a few character lightsabers that I didn’t know from the video game and Clone Wars) gave me a weird sense of pride.
There were still some moments of Disney magic. And Rise of the Resistance was awesome.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse