Disneyland -- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Since I had last been at Disneyland, two completely new lands had been added, far beyond the normal updates and refurbishments. Galaxy's Edge would be the one that got the most hype, so I will just start there.

I admit I did not love it, but I am also not insensible to its charms.

It may help to add that a big part of my love for amusement parks is the rides, and that there are only two in Galaxy's Edge. Getting to go on those rides is also a lot of work, in terms of wait times and ground traveled. You have to walk a long way, first to get to the land, and then to get to the rides in the land, and the rides are at opposite ends.

I will say that there is a way in which that works, in that once you cross over to the Star Wars side, you are totally immersed in it.

There are other things you can do, like tracking down bounty hunter targets with the app or checking out some R2 units, but I was there to go on rides.

But walking past the Millennium Falcon and then going onto it is pretty cool.  It made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, you know.

You can sit at the chess table, though there is not time for a game.

You have to go off and attempt to make the Smuggler's Run.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was my favorite of the two rides, but I only have pictures from the lead in, because after that we were two busy.

You need six people on every ride: two pilots, two engineers, and two gunners. Because of that number, going single rider can be a great option (and Julie and I ended up on the same run anyway). The interactivity where you are trying to get your job done well in a way makes it harder to take in the details, but was also pretty thrilling.

I would go again, and I would go single rider every time, unless I happened to be there with exactly six people, I guess.

I will note that there are other ships in other locations, but even if I am not the biggest Star Wars fanatic, that movie was huge for me when it came out, and there is a thrill to seeing the Falcon there. I am not a hater, by any means.

But again, Galaxy's Edge was just a lot of effort, and I am not sure that the payoff was enough.

That is especially true for the other ride, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

The detail is amazing, and one of the things they do that aids in the immersion is that where you get on and where you get off are completely different; it's like you really have traveled somewhere.

That is probably part of why the ride is set so far off, though some of that is probably also to accommodate really long lines. It was the first Disney line I have ever been in that actually had places intended for seating, as well as fans built in.

There is a ton to look at, and it is all interesting, and there is an extent to which you know you are at Disneyland and expect the long lines.

But then starting the line has other lines.

You get on a shuttle, and then you get captured, so you line up as prisoners and get into another craft as part of your rescue, and it just keeps going!

All our new friends are there: Finn, Rey, Po. Nien Nub is there, surprisingly, and Bek, a Mon Calamari who is NOT Admiral Ackbar, but you think of him.

You even see an AT-AT, though it's kind of weird with it being on a ship instead of the kind of terrain where being able to traverse all terrain is important, but there's a lot going on, including Kylo Ren himself.

It is also a place where the cast -- as your First Order captors -- are kind of mean. One guest was told to go all the way down and stopped too early, and the officer said, meanly, "Does that look like 'all the way down'?" So not Disney! The only things to take you out of the experience were being able to take pictures of the troopers there to intimidate us, and the woman next to me who took a phone call.

They put so much work into it! But it is also work to ride it, yet I also know that for some people that work is going to be a dream come true.

I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't wait eighty minutes for it again. (I could see waits of forty minutes and under, I think.)

To clarify, my level of Star Wars fandom is that I did not realize the Mandalorian was not Boba Fett until seeing two cast members in similar armor. (But only one was carrying the Child.)

I should also add we did not get into the Cantina. That requires some advance planning. I would be willing to check out more, but it is not as essential to me as the rest of the park. If this is your love, it's there and I am happy for you.

COVID: There is a bit more inside and close proximity here than in some of the other lands, though I admit some of the inside places are better ventilated than you would expect, or they would totally have people passing out in line.

Accessibility: I don't think there is anywhere that a scooter or wheelchair could not go, but it if you are walking it is a lot of walking, and standing. Plan accordingly.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/star-wars-galaxys-edge/

Return to Disneyland

It had been a while! It has been six years since I took my mother, and I didn't get to go on many rides on that trip. The last time I had really been there for me was 2015.

Disney is celebrating 100 years (that is of Walt Disney's career, not of the resort), so there was a platinum decorating scheme, that included some spiffy new statues and updated monorail cars.

As you can imagine, a lot changes over eight years (and six years), including two completely new lands.

There will be three other posts that will focus on specific aspects, but here is an overview.

It is still just delightful. I love going on rides, so amusement parks are great for me. Even if that were not true, the design and the upkeep and the friendliness and the music could all make it a great place to hang out, though kind of expensive just for hanging out.

I went in January again, which unfortunately is no longer the off season. There may no longer be an off season.

I am sure it is still less crowded than other times, but still, there were more lines than I like. However, we never used the Lightning Lane or ordered our food in advance. Julie did download the app, and we would sometimes use it to check ride times and that could influence where we went next, but we primarily stuck with our plan of trying to avoid peak times and going left.

Is it worth reserving a place in line for a ride or pre-ordering food? It might be. I am a cranky old late adopter, so my avoiding it is not necessarily the answer. While I was in line for Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! there was a family arguing in front of me.

I realized that they had the genie, but had gotten to the regular line because it was shorter (the park had just opened), and they were not in agreement about whether that was a mistake. The regular line was shorter, but the other line would have people pulled in sooner. They did leave and go to the other line.

Your mileage may vary. I will say I am a big fan of the single rider line. It's not available everywhere, but I used it for three rides (Web-Slingers, Smugglers' Run, and the Matterhorn) and loved it. Obviously it is available more often for popular rides with a set number of seats per vehicle.

Do I still recommend January? Well, it is no longer as low occupancy, but it is still unlikely to have us wilting in the heat. 

It also used to be a time when there were more rides closed for maintenance, because it was downtime. That does not seem to be as true now, though there was a major overhaul going on in Adventure Land. The only attractions open were the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise, and the Jungle Cruise broke down while we were in line.

However. the Bengal Barbecue was open, and had added a delicious pork belly skewer, plus now you can buy pickles there. They also added some rice options, which I think is a good move, though I did not take advantage of it.

In general I thought the rebranding of Pixar Pier worked well, even if I do kind of miss A Bug's Land.

If there are things to miss, I nonetheless know that the constant tinkering and innovation keeps things interesting, and fund, and delicious!

It was good to get back.

Accessibility: They are really the best for this, with more rides that more people can go on than anywhere else I have been. There is a lot of walking, though there are also a lot of mobility aids. There are also many different kinds of food options for people with allergies. I can imagine difficulty for sensory processing issues, for all the people if for no other reason, which brings us to...

COVID: It almost looked like Los Angeles was going back to mask mandates, so I was kind of hopeful. Fortunately, there is a lot that is outside. We wore the masks on indoor rides and transportation, but also while we were going through lines. When there was a line outside that moved inside, we may not have always put it on at the optimum time, but we did not catch anything while there, so I'm counting it as a win.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/

Knott's Berry Farm Dining

When we were planning for the trip, we saw something about Knott's having a food pass that seemed like it could be a good deal. We recommend this.

Good for a meal every 90 minutes, I have to say I was also pleasantly surprised with how good the food was, and how generous the portions were. Sides can easily be an afterthought, but those fries were really well-seasoned, and very tasty herb combinations at the barbecue place.

In fact, the value question would be more a matter of whether we ate enough. Perhaps we could have eaten more often if we had made an effort. Our day at the park had two meals and two snacks, and the value seemed evident.

It might not be unreasonable for people to share meals if they have similar tastes, or perhaps alternate meals. It will be one person obtaining the food in that case, though, because you are given a wristband at your first stop.

There was one point of confusion. For a single day, you will see an All Day Dining Plan, A Souvenir Bottle or Drink Wristband, and Premium All Day Dining, which includes the drinks. With the drinks, you can get a soda fountain drink every fifteen minutes.

Premium All Day Dining is not just meals and drinks, but meals, drinks, and snacks. If you get the All Day Dining Plan, it is only good for meals, not snacks. It is still good every ninety minutes, but it is very important to be able to get in things like ice cream sandwiches and funnel cakes. Even if you don't think you will drink that much soda (or boysenberry fruit punch), get premium.

You'll be glad you did!

(For accessibility and COVID information, see last week's review of the park: https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2023/03/return-to-knotts-berry-farm.html)

https://www.knotts.com/dining/drinks-dining-deals