Saturday, October 7, 2017
Anaheim vacation day 2 of 5. Hotel gym with Patrick for the 20th annual Gay Days Anaheim. The event started yesterday. Saturday the event visits Disneyland; Sunday the event visits California Adventure. Rode UberX to Disneyland main gate dropoff. Hard to find a place to eat with little line between 8:30 and 9:00 so we walked deeper into the park. Late breakfast at Rancho del Zocalo: beef fajitas breakfast plate: eggs, beans, beef, spanish rice, two tortillas. To drink: coffee and orange juice. Explored everything nearby in Frontierland: Dia de los Muertos displays related to the forthcoming Coco film release, shops, the shooting gallery. We also listened to a lively band called Silver Dollar Six playing atop the Golden Horseshoe. Encountered Jose JC, Jesse, Gabriel, and ?. We learned that they chose to stay at Hotel Melange due to its 24-hour hot tub and pool. We rafted to Tom Sawyer Island then explored caves, a floating bridge, and a fort. Along the way we encountered Captain Jack Sparrow leading a tour group across the island. Returned to the mainland. We explored shops in New Orleans Square and chatted with a cast member about Club 33 and how the door had moved because too many people were knocking on the previous door. We stood in line at the Enchanted Tiki Room a few minutes before abandoning it. We visited Refreshment Corner (formerly Coke Corner) and then got a chocolate root beer float at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor and consumed it while seated at a table at Jolly Holiday. Explored shops on the right side of Main Street while working our way towards the entrance. Visited Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Rode the train to Tomorrowland. Bought and drank water. Walked back to the main entrance. Walked to Downtown Disney to make restaurant reservations and visit the Gay Days Info Center. Rode UberX to the DoubleTree. Nap. Snack: roasted, salted almonds. Rode UberX to Disneyland main gate. Upon entering we encountered the start of a parade: Mickey's Soundsational Parade. We were funneled along with many others through an outdoor passageway behind the Main Street shops in an area I had never seen before, and I was excited because this was a new experience for me at Disneyland. We emerged next to the First Aid station near the hub and continued watching the parade from a distance. During the parade a cast member cleared the area in which we were standing because someone had identified a large spider sitting in its web high above our heads. We enjoyed the parade, and continued watching it until it ended. Patrick says Aladdin blew him a kiss. We waited a few minutes for the crowd to leave, then wandered looking for food. We had a hard time due to being turned away or very long lines, trying at Cafe Orleans, Bengal Barbecue, Carnation Cafe. We decided to just try to eat later. Snack: we shared a fig bar we had saved from our flight. We rode the Jungle Cruise, which is a different experience at night than day. We tried again at Cafe Orleans but again were turned away. Dinner at French Market: jambalaya and potato roll for Patrick, cajun meatloaf for me, non-alcoholic mint juleps for both: $40.90. We were forced to share a table with someone because there were no other available tables. We finished eating as nearby Fantasmic! began, and since foot traffic was problematic to leave due to heavy crowds, we explored Critter Country and Hungry Bear Restaurant which had closed earlier but the dining deck was still accessible via the rear stairway. We waited in front of the Haunted Mansion for Fantasmic! crowds to clear. We walked through Adventureland then across the hub to Tomorrowland. Star Tours: Path of the Jedi was only a 12 minute wait, so we did that. I thought it was terrible, a condensed version of Star Wars cinematic history frequently out of timeline order. It was just a mishmash of franchise concepts blended together with no cohesiveness. During parts of the film when we observed someone traveling through space, they engaged blower fans above our heads to give us the sense of wind blowing in our faces. How does that make sense? Now tired, we rode the Monorail to Disneyland Hotel, riding in the last car. Rode UberX to the DoubleTree. To bed around midnight.