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Visit Date: 9/15/23
Steps: 20,596
Parks Miles: 9.43
Time in Parks: 8.5

 
Trip Log:

Arrived at the Disneyland Resort just after noon and was directed into a great spot on the Mickey level of the parking structure. Walked through the Pixar Pals garage and over the bridge to get to the Disneyland Hotel. Passed through the Fantasy Tower lobby then walked by the new Discovery Tower and then out to Downtown Disney. Spent some time roaming around Downtown Disney looking for the Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit pumpkins. Entered Disneyland and hung around Main Street USA taking in the Halloween festivities of characters, decorations and then a performance by the Dapper Dans. Strolled up Main Street USA and into Adventureland. Checked out the Treehouse status then saw the Mark Twain arriving in port and decided to go for a cruise around the Rivers of America. Once back on shore wandered through New Orleans Square and then through Critter Country to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. As I passed through Black Spire Outpost where I encountered a number of characters. Continued on taking the Big Thunder Trail to Fantasyland where I crossed paths with the Tweedles on my way to Mickey's Toontown. Took a look around at the ongoing projects then walked back through it's a small world mall and around the Matterhorn to Tomorrowland. Went for a round trip ride aboard the Monorail then continued on through Tomorrowland and crossed through the hub on my way back to the Haunted Mansion. The posted 50 min wait took about 40 to reach the stretching room. After exiting strolled through New Orleans Square, Frontierland and back to Main Street USA. Arrived in Town Square just in time for the finale of the Flag Retreat then crossed the Esplanade to Disney California Adventure. Wandered around Buena Vista Street and the performance Corridor before spending some time exploring San Fransokyo Square. Took a look around Cars Land and Avengers campus. Picked up a snack at Pym's and spent some time in Hollywood Land eating before trekking out to Paradise Gardens. Stopped to watch the Musical Celebration of Coco. Then wandered around the park for a bit before making my way to Grand Californian Hotel to see the Halloween display. Returned to Downtown Disney for the 8:00pm performance by the SCAREolers. After their set decided to call it an evening and walk back to the parking structure, found my car and headed for home. (Walking time 3:20 today)


For Comparisons to other trips or more park miles click here to visit our park Miles Section.

Note: These totals may be skewed because the pedometer is zero'd when we start and then left alone and read when we leave. So attractions, and other things may cause extra "steps" to be counted. The pedometer that we use basically measures up/down motion as a step, so if your standing in line and moving up and down it may be counting steps, etc.. so the total distances traveled and steps may be off.. so use these as rough distance comparisons between trips and they may not be accurate in terms of actual distance traveled.
Pictures & Video From this Trip:


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My Thoughts & Observations:

Hello Everyone!

Friday was a relaxing afternoon and evening at the Disneyland Resort. I spent my time enjoying the Halloween festivities and roaming the park to check out projects. The crowds were on the moderate side early and grew as the sun set as is normal this time of year. Wait times were spotty as usual so it depending on your timing/luck most of the afternoon as to your experience. The weather was on the cooler side topping out in the 70s only with patchy sunshine.

Thoughts and Observations:

  • I started my visit with some good luck. Traffic was not miserable, just normal bad. Only a couple car wait at the parking booth and then I drew a spot on the 2nd aisle right by the connection to the Pixar Pals parking structure which worked out perfect since I was going to the Disneyland Hotel to start my day.
  • The Disneyland Hotel Halloween is status quo with some Haunted Mansion graphics up in the lobby and banner out by the pool. I thought maybe there would be something new this year for Disney100 but no such luck. The Discovery Tower that houses the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel is on the home stretch with under 2 weeks until opening. This week final landscaping work was underway outside. The walls are removed and you can get a view of the area around the tower. Security and barriers still had the area mostly blocked off still though.
  • The Magic Key MagicBand+ offer concluded today. We did see a couple still available at the Disneyland Hotel Fantasia Shop. All other stores we walked through did not have any.
  • The work on the West end of Downtown Disney is moving along. The walls have shifted around since my last visit with more new pavement accessible and they are working on the adjacent old areas. This new configuration feels much more open and you no longer have to zig zag from the security by the hotel. More of the building shapes are now visible over the walls too. The Monorail has reopened since my last visit so it was great to see the new courtyard taking shape from that vantage point.
  • The 2023 edition of Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit is underway. There are 13 pumpkins hidden around Downtown Disney. Game boards are available at several locations with redemption locations near the Pin Traders and World of Disney. I thought it was interesting out of the groups I ran into while taking pictures most were adults this afternoon.
  • * Started my visit hanging out in Town Square. I was able to see several more characters in their Halloween costumes today that I missed last visit. Also enjoyed a Halloween performance by the Dapper Dans.
  • My timing in Galaxy's Edge was good today. I saw a handful of characters. I did miss Ahoska, I saw her walk back stage from a distance and did not hang around long enough for her to return. It was fun seeing Chopper out and about. Guests really seemed to enjoy interacting with the droid.
  • Construction walls have returned to Toontown. CenTOONial park was walled off. The turf around the fountain is gone and the concrete is being replaced. Will be interesting to see if the area will be pavement or if turf will return. The fountain also had most of the elements removed and it looked like some work was going on in it too.
  • The Haunted Mansion Holiday had waits around an hour most of the afternoon. Seemed every time I checked it said 50 minutes and the queue varied from no one outside the gates to filling two switchbacks in the extended queue. I wanted to see the attraction and had some time so I bit the bullet and hopped in line. The return line did not look backed up so I was hoping for a shorter wait. Turned out to be about 40 minutes. The queue moved at a more constant rate than last time I tried but still slow thanks to the returns. The attraction itself looked the same as previous years with no major changes beyond the usual gingerbread house creation. This year there is a tribute to Rolly Crump in the attic scene which was nice.
  • San Fransokyo Square has a few more details added since my last visit. There are some new banners, artwork and props now. Some of the areas seem to have a good amount of visual clutter now. I guess they are going for the over the top/crowded city look so it works but it seems like a lot now.
  • I noticed a number of tables out in in the performance corridor near the Sonoma Terrace that I do not recall seeing on previous visits. The seemed a little odd to just be out in the walkway like they were. Guests were using them all since seating space is still tight around the park. I could not tell if these were new seating or just relocated seating.
  • I placed a mobile order at Pym's Test Kitchen and had no problem securing a spot for nearly instantly. Once I clicked I was there it was a long wait for the food though. I was inside waiting along with a few other guests. It appeared there was a problem with the system and no orders were being printed out. All the cast members were standing there waiting and nothing was happening. Finally they got them to print and the orders were assembled then sat there. Seems the kiosks they use to alert you the order was ready were not working right either. I spotted my order and went and talked to a cast member to pick it up vs waiting as it had already been over 10 minutes. During this the register line flowed smoothly and had only a few guests in line.. so it would have been much faster to use that this time around.
  • I walked through Grizzly Recreation Area just after 7pm and was surprised to see several dozen guests in line for the dessert party already. The party starts seating at 8pm for the 9pm World of Color. That seems like a long wait for a premium purchase to me.
  • A Coco Confectionery display has been created in the lobby of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel for Halloween Time to celebrate Día de Muertos. I always enjoy seeing these displays and the amount of detail the team includes is great. There is also a Hidden Mickey quest with a handful hidden throughout the piece.
  • The Grand Californian Lobby was on the quiet side when we visited. The overall mood seemed more relaxed than previous visits. The piano player was performing and there were guests moving around but it just did not feel busy.
  • Closed out my evening in Downtown Disney taking in a performance by the SCAREolers. This year they are performing four sets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the season near the West end stage. This a Capella group performs a mix of Halloween related songs during their set ranging from Disney to Country to Pop music. As usual they drew a good crowd and put on an entertaining show.

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Be sure to check out the picture update that goes with this Geekspeak column, it can be found in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

Trip logs and mileage reports are in the Park Miles section.

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