My kid, Kellen, their partner, Cameron, and me, went to Disneyland in October 2022. I posted so much from the trip (we all love Disneyland and I was very excited about the trip), that I assumed my blog readers would get bored. I began this last draft, and couldn’t bring myself to subject you to another one. So I left it in “drafts.” And now after all this time I decided to post it for whatever reason. This is what I wrote back then:
Honestly, I had way too many photos from Black Spire Outpost to force you to look at it all in one go. In case you happened to want more, here’s a second post. This one I’m theming based on ships/rides.
I cannot tell you how THRILLING it was for this mere Earth-dweller to ’round a bend, walk beneath an arch, and see this one:
This is the entrance to a ride called Smuggler’s Run, where you actually get to fly the Millennium Falcon. Our Disneyland real time ride app told us the wait would only be 25 minutes, so we got in line. After a bit of a wait, the app updated to say the wait time was now 125 minutes. We thought that seemed like a mistake, so we stayed in line. After an hour, we weren’t even close to the front, and we realized we had made the wrong choice. For some reason we got stubborn and stayed there, and waited the full 125 minutes. It was sooo long. But there was a lot to see as we waited. Disney does a good job of this in multiple places, placing things to look at while you wait. First of all, we got to stare at the marvelous ship as the line crept around it.
All of the following images are from inside the docking station as we slowly moved along the line to get on the ride. It looks for all the world like a mechanics shop.
The ride, Smuggler’s Run, was something. A group of six went on board. Two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. Each one had a specific job, they told us. “The success of your mission depends on you doing your job right. Now go!” Doors slid open to a cockpit and six seats. “Go! Go!” We scurried in and each found a place to sit while the doors closed behind us, and before we knew it, the ship was taking off and all six of us had no idea what we were doing.
A huge screen in front mimicked the front windshield to give the impression we were looking outside of our ship. It showed us the scene as we flew. It was a life-sized video game, and we each gradually realized there were lit up buttons on the walls beside us. The pilots had controls in front of them. Since we were lifting off in Black Spire Outpost, we had to get around all those danged petrified trees! One pilot controlled up and down motion, the other pilot controlled left and right, and the two strangers tried to figure out how to maneuver in tandem. The high rock spires were everywhere and our ship kept banging into them.
The voices of some kind of mission control people came over the intercom hollering at us, “Incoming! Pilots, get us out of here! Gunners, man your posts!” With each crash, our whole ship banged around and we were literally shaken in our seats. Then the First Order TIE Fighters came flying in and we could see them on the screen coming right at us! The gunners were up next, trying to figure out how to defend ourselves. As the enemy fire hit us, again our ship shook and brains rattled in our skulls while we pressed buttons like madmen. Then the ship was damaged and the engineers were banging their buttons, trying to figure out how to fix things.
It was a ridiculous disaster and we were getting bombed and running into stone columns and finally we blasted off at light speed and somehow came in for a crash landing at a rebel base. The rebels cheered us onscreen, but I don’t think any of us felt great about what had just happened. I could not believe we had waited in line two hours for that.
That experience dampened our excitement. Cameron wanted to buy a drink. So we got his drink then left the place and went to a whole different section of the park. We didn’t come back till the next day when our annoyance at the very long line followed by an unsatisfying ride, had resolved.
Every now and then, something in a theme park is that much of a bummer for me. But usually, it’s thrilling. Galaxy’s Edge was so amazing I soon forgot the bad ride experience.
Since that trip, Pedro’s kids have been to Disneyland with their mom twice. I am so jealous! But never fear, I will go back again some day.
Conscious Engagement 
Good fun except for the 2 hour shitshow 😂
Ha! It’s totally our fault. Our app told us it would be that long and we refused to leave the line. So silly.
Isn’t that the way. After a while you think should we go but then it’s we’ve been here for so long now 🙄
I could never stand those lines – or the crowds – but at least you got some good photos
Well, that’s what blog are for! ha ha! You can see what it was like through my lens, and stay home in comfort, with bathrooms and cool refreshment nearby.
Two hours to wait for a ride is very stoic. I would not do it.
“Stoic” is a kind word for what we did. I would call it stubborn and foolish. ha ha. Typically we won’t join a line if it’s more than 30 minutes (the app updates the current wait time constantly), and if it bumps up while we are standing in line, we just leave. I have no idea what prompted us to stay in this one. We suspected at first that it was a mistake, since it had bumped from 25 minutes to 2 hours in one minute. Then, after we had waited an hour, we thought we’d stay and get a return on our investment. If it had been a really cool ride, it would have erased the pain of the wait. But it was a super crappy ride, so it just made us all mad. Ha! Lessons learned I hope.
I once went to DisneyWorld (1995, I think) with my parents. Dad was ill and in a wheelchair and that got us past all the lines in a flash.
Brilliant! Thank you, Dad!
You captured some really nice photos! I haven’t been to Disneyland for years. Apparently a lot has changed. Maybe I’ll go again someday. I hear Thanksgiving Day is a good day to go with shorter lines (but then again maybe word has gotten out and everyone tries that hack, who knows).
I have heard that about Thanksgiving Day. Also, a friend of mine went during Superbowl Sunday, and he said it was practically empty! So there’s another hack. Personally, I want to try the Superbowl idea because families are always doing something together on Thanksgiving, and Disneyland sounds like the perfect thing. For me, I find that the first two hours of the day are really nice, because most people get a later start. And after dark when the little kiddies and their parents have left the park, it also calms down and gets less crowded.
I have not been to Disneyland since the early 80’s after making 7 trips with different visitors. Things have certainly changed and it all looks very interesting. I remember you mentioning that trip but this is so much more informative. I’m glad you took it out of drafts.
Thanks! I’m glad I took it out of drafts, too. Having a pending post feels like a “to do” list, and I want to rid myself of those. 🙂 The Star Wars section is all brand new and an expansion to the original footprint of the park. The park is changing and a bit too rapidly for me. My first trip there was in 2014 I think. Since then, the underwater Submarine Voyage is now themed after Finding Nemo, the California Screamin’ rollercoaster became The Incredibles, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror became Guardians of the Galaxy, and A Bug’s Land became Spider-man and the Avengers campus. I’m happy that the unfortunately racist story at Splash Mountain of Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit in Song of the South is now Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based on the new Princess and the Frog movie.
One step BACK in time, though: the giant treehouse that used to be Swiss Family Robinson and had been updated to Tarzan, is now Swiss Family Robinson again.
That’s a lot of very expensive changes to the park. No wonder they are charging huge fees to get in. I haven’t been in over 25 years.