{"id":4012,"date":"2023-04-17T11:25:42","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T15:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/?p=4012"},"modified":"2023-04-17T23:55:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T03:55:11","slug":"spring-vacation-2023-day-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/?p=4012","title":{"rendered":"Spring Vacation 2023 &#8211; Day 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"><strong>DISNEY<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">I went to bed at about 2:00am after my unsuccessful bid to reschedule our flight(s) home.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Sunday was now going to be all day at Disney and then straight to the airport for our 12:50am flight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">We were up at 6:00 and showered and packed up our stuff.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We left at 7:00 and drove to Anaheim where we met up with Kevin.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We got through security and made it to the park entrance at about 7:45 and they were already letting people in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Disneyland!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I have been to the Magic Kingdom and other parks in Florida several times over the years, but I had never been to Disneyland (or California Adventure) until today.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I was looking forward to seeing the \u201coriginal\u201d and comparing and contrasting it with Walt Disney World (which will be a separate blog post).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I was not disappointed.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>The entire operation runs like clockwork, of course.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>But what is most striking is that Disneyland is in the middle of a city, but you have no idea that that\u2019s where you are once you are in the park.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>If you\u2019re really paying attention in certain areas you might catch a glimpse of a taller building outside the park.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I heard a siren once, but only because I was near the edge of the park. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Here\u2019s a list of the rides we were able to experience (in order):<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">The wait for this was only 15 minutes!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Millennium Falcon Smuggler\u2019s Run<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">The wait for this was also only 15 minutes.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Probably because we were there so early.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Thunder Mountain<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">There was no wait to speak of.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Pirates of the Caribbean<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">About a 15 minute wait.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Haunted Mansion<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">15 minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Splash Mountain (we thought it had been closed (or \u201ccancelled\u201d) and were pleasantly surprised to find it open!)<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">There was practically no line for this, and the one that was there moved quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Disneyland Express (train)<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">TRAIN!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">It\u2019s A Small World<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">The original, and one of my favorites.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Once inside, it seems basically the same as the Florida version.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>But the outside is incredible!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">A Disneyland original.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We went on it just because of that.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>It doesn\u2019t exist anywhere else.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Lunch on Main Street, U.S.A.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Monorail<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">`Monorail!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>The original, but a shadow of its cousin(s) in Florida<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Monsters, Inc.<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">The wait for this was 45 minutes, and they seemed to be having trouble as the line moved very slowly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Guardians of the Galaxy<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">We waited an hour for this one.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>It was in the former Tower of Terror, which I did not realize until we were about to board the carriage.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I had previously avoided that \u201cride\u201d, but my body handled it much better than I expected it would.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Not sure I\u2019ll ever do it again, though.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Soarin\u2019<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">40 minute wait for Amanda and me while Kevin nursed a sore knee.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Cars Land<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">We just walked around Cars Land but I honestly could have spent most of a day there just sitting on a bench and taking it all in. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">Pixar Pier<\/span>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s2\">This was the end of our day and we were tired.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I would very much like to return and explore this area of the park more thoroughly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">We said our goodbyes to Kevin at about 8:30 and made our way to the car and drove to the hour or so to the rental car return at LAX (airport).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We boarded the bus provided by the rental car agency and were on our way to the airport.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We got close, and then just basically sat there for about an hour giving encouragement to our beleaguered driver who was clawing and earning every inch she could as traffic came to a standstill about a mile from the drop off loop.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Drivers in L.A., by and large, seemingly 1) are all beginner drivers, 2) have no idea where they are or where they are going, 3) have little to no respect for other drivers.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>The result is frequent gridlock.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>As soon as the driver got to the first terminal where she could safely and responsibly open the doors we all got off.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Amanda and I still had plenty of time but did not want to chance it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We walked all the way to our terminal; this after having walked 11 miles already at the theme parks.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We checked in, made it to our gate with plenty of time to spare and waited for our flight.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>We boarded and took off without incident and arrived at JFK earlier than scheduled.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>As I write this we are sitting in JFK waiting for our flight which we have been informed has been delayed by about an hour.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>With any luck we will be home in Potsdam by 6:00pm or so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">We are exhausted.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>I think I said it before: Vacations are great!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>But traveling sucks.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Our \u201cvacation\u201d was shrunk from what was supposed to be 5 full days to only 3 due to weather and the fallout from our flight being cancelled.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Yay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Oh, and did I mention that when we get home we\u2019ll have no hot water?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>The boiler died on Thursday while we were on our way to L.A. and apparently nobody stocks parts anymore and so we are at the mercy of Cornerstone Services, who services the boiler we rent from Liberty Utilities.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>If we are lucky, the part will arrive tomorrow (Tuesday). Who knows when it will be installed! This will likely be fodder for a separate rant\/blog post.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>But right now I\u2019m just too damn tired. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DISNEY! I went to bed at about 2:00am after my unsuccessful bid to reschedule our flight(s) home.&nbsp; Sunday was now going to be all day at Disney and then straight to the airport for our 12:50am flight. We were up at 6:00 and showered and packed up our stuff.&nbsp; We left at 7:00 and drove [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4012"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4015,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012\/revisions\/4015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}