Disneyland and DCA In a Day
Page 1 of 2
With my college graduation approaching I decided to take a full day off after graduation and spend it at the Disney parks. I told myself I deserved a full day to relax before I began the search for a job in the real world. I’m not sure how the next idea came, but it seemed exciting to me. I thought it would be neat to experience every attraction at both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure all in one day. I was almost certain this had never been attempted and I became very motivated to try this. Monday March 26, 2001 would be the day. Here is the story of my experience.
The Plan
I divided the attractions from Disneyland into seven groups and Disney’s California
Adventure into four groups. Each group represented approximately all the attractions of
one land or district; depending on which park I was in. I decided that anything under the
"attraction" subtitles in the theme park guides constituted an attraction and
counted 73 attractions between both parks. However, since five would not be running that
day, only 68 could be counted.
The plan was to start at Tomorrowland and do something of a counter clockwise circle through the park. I was going to leave Toon Town until the end thinking it would be late afternoon and that many kids would have gone home by then. I would then be off to Disney’s California Adventure. I thought DCA would take a short time. After DCA, I could enjoy the parades and Downtown Disney.
What Really Happened
I’ll let you know now, I didn’t meet my goal. The plan changed from the
beginning. I was unaware that DCA was open at 8am. I thought this would be to my benefit
since I had thought the parks did not open till 9am. I took a stopwatch with me and noted
the time started each line. I wore this watch around my neck. I also had a pen and notepad
with me at all times.
I decided to take advantage of DCA’s opening and head there first. Shortly thereafter I went to Disneyland so I could keep my planned agenda. The morning was busy. I realized around 11 am that I might be pressed for time. Around that time, an announcement came from the PA: "Disneyland will extend its operating hours to 10 pm." A roar of approval was heard from the crowds. I began to feel silly wearing the stopwatch and paying such close attention to it. I decided it had to go into my pocket.
Here are some highlights of the day: The personality machine in Sorcerer’s Workshop told me that I was most like Timon. I played Miss Pacman in Starcade and found out the joystick would not go left. Suffice it to say, the game was short. I learned that I only weigh 19.2 pounds on the moon when I weighed myself at Exhibit Space. I won a snake when I swished a ball through the hoop at Shore Shot. (I got a round of applause for that one). I was able to watch most of the parades at both parks while standing in lines. Rides at Disneyland that lasted longer than others (like the Haunted Mansion) were nice because I was able to take breaks. I ran into a coach of the Denver Broncos there with his family. Only a die-hard Bronco fan would even recognize a coach. I decided not to stop and to keep focused on the plan. My wife was shocked to hear I didn’t stop to meet him.
The lines were full most of the time and this changed my plans several times. Fastpass reservations had to be honored as well. This had me running around like a pinball in a pinball machine. As the day went on I began to feel discouraged. My plan became an ever-changing strategy. I ran a lot. I literally ran all day and night. I was sweaty, felt yucky, and extremely tired.
So what went wrong? Absolutely nothing. I just had the wrong plan. I really feel I did all I could. I worked hard. I packed my lunch so that I wouldn’t have to stop to eat. I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while riding on the Mark Twain. I skipped dinner. I utilized the Fastpasses single-rider lines. The problem was the order. The secret to completing this is simple. Do the kid-like rides first. Most of those are in Fantasyland. The lines on those attractions never ceased to end. I hopped parks several times hoping to gain an edge here or there. But when the day ended, I fell short. I experienced all or parts of 59 out of 68 attractions.
After California Screamin’ I had about 25 minutes till the parks closed. I to decide between seeing Golden Dreams or do a few carnival-type rides in Paradise Pier. For the sake of increasing my numbers I could’ve done the carnival rides. However, it seemed fitting to end with Golden Dreams - especially feeling the way I was. I felt somewhat down, knowing I didn’t do all I had hoped. Watching a movie about hopes and dreams was a nice send off, not just for the day, but also for the weeks ahead when I would have to find a job. All in all I had a great time and am glad I did it.
The complete breakdown of attractions and times is on the next page.
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