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unclejimboWell, I'm feeling the pain this morning. Took my niece Kira to Disneyland, it was her first time. Pirates of the Carribean, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, you know, the usual stuff. We were taking a breather in Toon Town when I got a call from Donna. She let me know that some friends of ours, Megan and Vivi were in the Park. So Kira and I met up with them at the Haunted Mansion.
They had season passes and were hopping between the parks. I had bought Kira and I the one day, one park passes. (D'oh!) SO off we went to Guest relations to see if we could get an upgrade. (Couldn't hurt to ask, right?)
We got to Guest relations and there was this fellow and his wife complaining about how they had to wait in line and were forced to walk around the park in spite of being disabled. @.o WTF? They had a double stroller with two sleeping babies and were bitching about having to walk around a Theme Park? Gimme a break!
The lady behind the counter was very nice and calmly kept explaining that Disneyland was compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and that the FastPass system was intended that people would not have to wait in line overly long but could go and see other attractions while waiting to get on the rides. (General wait times this day were only about 20-35 minutes, BTW. Not bad by today's theme park standards. FastPass times were about 3-7 minutes in line. The longest we had to wait in a FastPass line was at the Haunted Mansion. That was probably closer to 10 minutes.)
I did say 'calmly kept saying' above because these folks were intent on getting a 'special pass' that would bypass the lines entirely. I sh*t you not. (I have heard that Disney would do such things for a 'Make-A-Wish child, but that is a special situation entirely. I don't know what was up with these folks... ~~)
In the end, he said this was the last time he would come to Disneyland ever again. Next in line was me. ^^
Me: "I'm sorry. That guy was completely out of line."
Disney Rep: "It's okay. So what can I help you with today?"
Me: "Well, I hope I'm easier. I just want to know if I can upgrade these tickets to Park Hoppers?"
I think it took about 5 minutes and the upgrade only cost an additional $26. I had looked at the park hopper, but it was $69 a piece. It turns out that living in Southern California, they could give me a discount, so it turned out I only paid $63 a piece. Not too bad. (Disney is not cheap. Still, it is a lot of fun.)
So with tickets in hand, we were off to California Adventure! We wandered the park and rode the Hollywood Tower of Terror twice (Definite E ticket ride!) and the California Sreamin', also twice. (Also an E ticket ride.)
The plan was to head home about 7-ish, but we had so much fun at California Adventure that we closed that park at 9. (We got to stay in a bit longer because we were in line to ride the Tower for the second time.) ^^ We got home somewhat after 10.
I'm sunburned and sore from all the walking. One word of advice, gentle readers. Do not climb up into Tarzan's Treehouse if you are not in shape or if you have not stretched properly. This is a SERIOUS aerobic workout for your legs and they will let you know of their displeasure if you try it. Okay, you all have been warned.
On a lighter note, the Park was in much better shape than when I took my mom there last Thanksgiving. There were people out doing on the spot polls to make sure things were all right and how it could be made better. Much improved.
They had season passes and were hopping between the parks. I had bought Kira and I the one day, one park passes. (D'oh!) SO off we went to Guest relations to see if we could get an upgrade. (Couldn't hurt to ask, right?)
We got to Guest relations and there was this fellow and his wife complaining about how they had to wait in line and were forced to walk around the park in spite of being disabled. @.o WTF? They had a double stroller with two sleeping babies and were bitching about having to walk around a Theme Park? Gimme a break!
The lady behind the counter was very nice and calmly kept explaining that Disneyland was compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and that the FastPass system was intended that people would not have to wait in line overly long but could go and see other attractions while waiting to get on the rides. (General wait times this day were only about 20-35 minutes, BTW. Not bad by today's theme park standards. FastPass times were about 3-7 minutes in line. The longest we had to wait in a FastPass line was at the Haunted Mansion. That was probably closer to 10 minutes.)
I did say 'calmly kept saying' above because these folks were intent on getting a 'special pass' that would bypass the lines entirely. I sh*t you not. (I have heard that Disney would do such things for a 'Make-A-Wish child, but that is a special situation entirely. I don't know what was up with these folks... ~~)
In the end, he said this was the last time he would come to Disneyland ever again. Next in line was me. ^^
Me: "I'm sorry. That guy was completely out of line."
Disney Rep: "It's okay. So what can I help you with today?"
Me: "Well, I hope I'm easier. I just want to know if I can upgrade these tickets to Park Hoppers?"
I think it took about 5 minutes and the upgrade only cost an additional $26. I had looked at the park hopper, but it was $69 a piece. It turns out that living in Southern California, they could give me a discount, so it turned out I only paid $63 a piece. Not too bad. (Disney is not cheap. Still, it is a lot of fun.)
So with tickets in hand, we were off to California Adventure! We wandered the park and rode the Hollywood Tower of Terror twice (Definite E ticket ride!) and the California Sreamin', also twice. (Also an E ticket ride.)
The plan was to head home about 7-ish, but we had so much fun at California Adventure that we closed that park at 9. (We got to stay in a bit longer because we were in line to ride the Tower for the second time.) ^^ We got home somewhat after 10.
I'm sunburned and sore from all the walking. One word of advice, gentle readers. Do not climb up into Tarzan's Treehouse if you are not in shape or if you have not stretched properly. This is a SERIOUS aerobic workout for your legs and they will let you know of their displeasure if you try it. Okay, you all have been warned.
On a lighter note, the Park was in much better shape than when I took my mom there last Thanksgiving. There were people out doing on the spot polls to make sure things were all right and how it could be made better. Much improved.
