** to keep this from being a REALLY long post ...
i have divided it up into 4 parts - see links at bottom **
when we first booked our california trip
to coincide with stacey's conference
we had NO idea the REAL fun that would be happening while we were there
about a month before we left
disney announced their plans for a monstrous summer kick off
3 parks
including disneyland and california adventure
open for 24 hours STRAIGHT!
at first, i wasn't sure what to think.
from what we had read,
the last time disney had done a 24 hour extravaganza for leap day
things were crazy -
lines for everything were unbelievably long
and it was impossible to even move in the park.
of course ...
the friday that the monstrous summer kick off was planned for
was one of our only full non-conference days
so i was a bit nervous about how crazy it would be
BUT ...
we talked about it
we read some trip reports from leap day
and decided it was actually a really rare opportunity
and loving disney like we do -
we would probably love it
we didn't have kids with us
so if we didn't get on any rides it wasn't a big deal
we could stretch ourselves on little sleep
and
it was more about the experience than anything else
we saw some people starting to line up at 10 the night before
but we didn't care so much about the bragging rights
of being first in the park
so ...
we figured out our own game plan
i got there a little after 6 and that worked perfectly
there were no lines -
i basically walked right in
stacey was a little slower to hop out of bed than i was
but i was there to represent so we won't hold it against him.
my first stop was the emporium
there was limited edition merchandise being sold for the day
and with only 1500 items being distributed to all 3 parks
i didn't know how long they would last.
we knew we wanted the mike sunglasses
and in the end ... we decided it was now or never ... and got the sully hat as well
at this point the park wasn't very busy
i have divided it up into 4 parts - see links at bottom **
when we first booked our california trip
to coincide with stacey's conference
we had NO idea the REAL fun that would be happening while we were there
about a month before we left
disney announced their plans for a monstrous summer kick off
3 parks
including disneyland and california adventure
open for 24 hours STRAIGHT!
at first, i wasn't sure what to think.
from what we had read,
the last time disney had done a 24 hour extravaganza for leap day
things were crazy -
lines for everything were unbelievably long
and it was impossible to even move in the park.
of course ...
the friday that the monstrous summer kick off was planned for
was one of our only full non-conference days
so i was a bit nervous about how crazy it would be
BUT ...
we talked about it
we read some trip reports from leap day
and decided it was actually a really rare opportunity
and loving disney like we do -
we would probably love it
we didn't have kids with us
so if we didn't get on any rides it wasn't a big deal
we could stretch ourselves on little sleep
and
it was more about the experience than anything else
we saw some people starting to line up at 10 the night before
but we didn't care so much about the bragging rights
of being first in the park
so ...
we figured out our own game plan
i got there a little after 6 and that worked perfectly
there were no lines -
i basically walked right in
stacey was a little slower to hop out of bed than i was
but i was there to represent so we won't hold it against him.
my first stop was the emporium
there was limited edition merchandise being sold for the day
and with only 1500 items being distributed to all 3 parks
i didn't know how long they would last.
and in the end ... we decided it was now or never ... and got the sully hat as well
at this point the park wasn't very busy
i spent a good hour walking around and checking things out
including all of the limited edition treats
YUM!
just as i was about to have a cupcake for breakfast
stacey met up with me
and we decided to try a different sweet treat
and to enjoy our first coffee of the day
have i mentioned how much i LOVE having a cup
with 2 of my favorite things printed on it?!
the day was starting out beautiful
it wasn't busy
it was another great morning to walk around
and take in all of the little details that disney had put into this 24 hour extravaganza
we were afraid that the parks would hit capacity later in the afternoon
and that we would be 'stuck' in one park.
we knew california adventure was hosting a grad nite
and that a few areas would be blocked off later in the day -
SO ...
we wanted disneyland to be where we got 'stuck' for the evening
and opted to spend our morning and early afternoon
before the rush
in california adventure
at each of the parks
there was a sign with clocks
to help mark the passing of the 24 hours.
our first stop
marked 4 hours in
the parks were still pretty slow
starbucks was probably the longest line in the park
