Single Rider Ticket

I learned this week that being a Single Rider at Disneyland completely ROCKS!!

A couple of months ago, I sort of made a plan in my mind that when I got a full-time job, I'd celebrate by going to Disneyland before starting -- sort of a "last vacation before being tied down again" idea. Well, I got the new job, and two weeks to kill between the contract job and the new one, so I decided to make it a reality.

I invited a bunch of friends, but because the trip was so last minute, and in the middle of the week, and expensive, none of them could come. I decided to go anyway. Why not?

Turns out, Disneyland is fun even if you go alone. This is just another one of the many reasons why it is billed as the "Happiest Place on Earth."

I flew in Thursday afternoon and dropped my stuff off at my hotel room. Speaking of, my hotel room was awesome! The hotel was across the street from the park, and with my brother's employee discount I got a great room for really, really cheap. And now I want to travel more often and live in hotel rooms.

But I digress. I was at Disneyland by 4pm and was surprised and thrilled to find that Mickey was waiting right inside the gates. Mickey was pretty stoked that we were wearing matching colors (I am very impressed by those actors' abilities to mime whatever they want to say with no words or facial expressions). Hooray for Mickey!

Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up a map, but I didn't really mind wandering around the park. I started with the Disney Railroad attraction, and rode to New Orleans Square. I literally walked right onto the Haunted Mansion ride. I thought of my character in the Secret Garden and wished I could take a picture of the last ghost "Hurry back!" because that was always my joke with the director. I didn't want to be that creepy ghost! I next went on Pirates of the Caribbean before I discovered the beautiful, beautiful, perq to going to Disneyland alone:

With this ticket, I was allowed to walk up the exit, and practically walk onto the ride. It was faster than even the Fast Pass. I could make some comment about my being lumped into the same group as the handicapped riders, but I talked with some of them, and we all agreed it was good to have an excuse to go right to the front of the line! Hooray for being single at Disneyland!

They only offer this option on the Indiana Jones Adventure and Splash Mountain at Disneyland, and Soarin' Over Calfornia and California Screamin' -- the two best rides at California Adventure. Sa-weeeeeeet!

The only roller coaster I rode on was Thunder Mountain Railroad, and that was because the line was so short. I wandered around and looked at shops and rode on a couple random rides. I think It's a Small World is one of my new favorites -- I like that they added a Southwest America space! Finally my culture is represented at Disneyland! (What? I like cowboys... even if I'm not technically a cowgirl.)


Before I left on the trip, I contacted a friend of mine who lives in California, Stanley, and asked if he'd like to join me at the park or go to dinner or something. We met up at Downtown Disney (just outside the park) and ate at a really yummy cajun restaurant called the Jazz Kitchen. Stanley and I have known each other since I was about 6 and he was 4, and it was nice to catch up and talk about whatever came to mind. Turns out he, too, recently lost his job. It's kind of amazing to me how many of my friends have gone through this lately. When I expressed sympathy he said, "Why does everyone always assume it's a bad thing? I was miserable at my old job!" He's been at his new firm for a month and loves is. It made me hopeful that I'll love my new job, too!

This photo below is of a restaurant in front of my hotel. I just thought it was funny, because I"m playing Milly in 7 Brides and she's a cook...

I decided to start Friday morning doing all of the roller coasters. I was at the park by 8:30am and ran to Space Mountain, where there was practically no line! It is my FAVORITE RIDE!!! I nearly started crying when it got to the triumphal music at the end. I would have gone again right away, but was afraid I would hit long lines at the other coasters, so I grabbed a fast pass so I could walk on later in the day. I walked onto Thunder Mountain Railroad, and then made my way to Splash Mountain.

There was literally NO ONE over there! No line at all. The six or seven logs in front of mine were all empty, and I had my log all to myself. Even if I had known about the Single Rider option on that ride when I went it would not have been necessary. This was me before I went over the big waterfall:

This is me after:

Turns out, you still get wet, even if you're the only person in the log. Phooey! I was thinking I didn't especially need to go again, and then I got to the place where you debark. The line was still so meager the attendant asked if I wanted to go again. I said, "Sure!" Why not? How often do you get to go a second time without even having to get off the first time? This is what I looked like after the second time:


Of course, I had to see the Captain Eo tribute. It felt so good to see the movie again in its original 3D! I was distracted by the weird "flight simulator" stuff rocking the theatre during the big dance sequence, but it the movie was still awesome. Michael Jackson was definitely a great performer.

The second time I went on Space Mountain, I asked to sit in the front of the front car. I love it, because there is no one in front of me, and I can pretend I'm all alone flying through space. Seriously, it's the BEST RIDE EVER!

After Space Mountain, I still had about three hours before I had to grab my stuff at the hotel and catch a ride to the airport. So, I decided to make an extremely brief trip to California Adventure. I started with Soarin' Over California, then wandered over to Mike and Sully's wacky ride, where I ran into Goofy's son, Max. He got all bashful when I asked to take a photo -- it was cute! I'm always a hit with teenage boys :) Goofy himself walked away when my turn for a photo came. Humph!


I next went over to California Screamin' which is a GREAT roller coaster! I took advantage of the Single Rider ticket and went twice in a row, again not having to wait in line for more than a minute. Hooray!

I finished up on the Tower of Terror, and was waaay more surprised and entertained than I remember. I think I've only been on that one two or three times in my life. It could become a favorite, too! I'd recommend it to thrill-seeking friends! Different than your average hydraulic-elevator ride.

Anyway, about that time I'd done everything I absolutely needed to, so I wandered through the shops and bought a few things, then lunched on a $12 burger, fries, and drink. I needed to go back to the hotel, but I wanted one last churro, so I walked back over to Disneyland where I knew there was a cart right inside the entrance. It was decadent of me, but I didn't care. I only had a few minutes left of my vacation and I wanted a churro!

Then I walked back to the hotel, grabbed my bag, and waited for the shuttle that took me to the airport. Just a two-day trip. It was a good one though! I'm so glad that I went, and glad there was so much to do! I may not want to go to Disneyland alone often, but it's nice to know I'd have fun if I did!

My new job starts tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect and I am trying not to think about it, lest I incapacitate myself and keep myself awake all night with nerves. Que sera, sera, right? ("What ever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see! Que sera, sera!")