The third week of February schools in Sunnyvale have what they call "Ski Week". In the past, Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays were observed during
this week and many families would take the entire week off to go skiing. The school district decided they might as well give the entire week off rather than constantly deal with the numerous absences of so many of its
students. Since this particular break is somewhat unique to northern California, we decided it might be a good time to visit Disneyland. Besides, we don't know how many more vacations we'll be able to take when the
boys will still want to go with us. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring Jordyn along as CPP doesn't take Washington's Birthday off.
February 18, 2020
We timed our visit so we could stop off at the hotel to park the car and then proceed to Disneyland in time for early admission at 7:00am called Extra
Magic Hour. Everything was going according to plan until we got just outside the main entrance where we had to stop for security. The lines for security were enormous and took 45 minutes before we could queue up to
enter the park. Now, instead of using our Magic Hour passes, we decided to simply get in the normal lines for regular admittance at 8:00am. By 8:01am we were through the turnstyles and Dad immediately used his Disneyland
app to see if he could get us in the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance. As luck would have it he got in, but it was Boarding Group 131 - a backup group. This meant our group wouldn't be called until all the
other groups before us boarded. We spoke to some Disneyland Cast Members about the likelihood of our getting onto the ride. They said the day before they were able to accommodate all 180 groups, so there was a good
chance we would get on provided there weren't any break downs. We kept an eye on the ride using the app and watched as one group after another was called to board. Finally, just before 6:00pm we were notified our
Boarding Group was next. We raced through the entrance and proceeded down into the catacombs of the hidden Resistance base when, all of a sudden, the line came to a complete stop. Then, a Cast Member got on the loud
speaker and announced the ride had broken down and there was no information on how long it would take before it would be up and running again. We considered getting out of line and taking in more rides in other areas
of the park, but Tyler said, "No, we're waiting". So, for the next hour and a half we sat on the ground and played on our phones. Finally, thunderous applause and a chorus of hoo-rays came from the front of the line
and the next thing we knew we were standing up and moving toward the front. Good thing we didn't leave because we were only two turns away from the front of the line. It was worth the wait because it was the grandest
most immersive ride we've ever been on. We highly recommend it!
Security.
Feel the Force.
First Order Stormtrooper.
Resistance X-Wing Fighter.
Droids.
TIE Echelon.
Engine off.
Engine on.
A-Wing Interceptor.
In the virtual queue at 8:00am. On the ride nearly 12 hours later.
Stormtroopers in the hangar.
Inside a First Order ship.
February 19, 2020
It was decided to use our Magic Morning pass on this day so we could gain early access to California Adventure. This was a good call because we were able
to ride the 4 most popular rides (Toy Story, Guardians of the Galaxy, Incredicoaster, and Radiator Springs Racers) in the first hour before general admission. The rest of the day was gravy so we took in whatever else
the park had to offer without having to stand in long lines.
Radiator Springs.
Avengers.
Dad in front of Captain America's shield.
Mater.
Animation Academy
Deb's Donald.
Ran's Donald.
Magic Mirror Realm
Dad.
Magic Mirror Realm.
Dad is Marlin?
A few hours after lunch we decided to head back over to Disneyland to see if we could get on a few rides over there. We were lucky and got on Space Mountain,
Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Autopia.
Main entrance.
On Main Street.
February 20, 2020
Despite having used our Magic Morning access the day before, we tried using it again. For whatever reason it worked, so we were able to gain early entry
to Disneyland where we got on a few rides before everybody else. More importantly, it allowed us to be in the park before 8:00am when the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance would open.
Security before 7:00am.
Inside the Millennium Falcon.
Kylo Ren.
Red Astromech Droid.
An R2 unit getting an oil bath.
R2-D2.
Land Speeder.
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.
Another A-Wing photo.
In the virtual queue at 8:00am. Called to board at 4:50pm.
Astromech deployed.
Extracting Access Codes.
Transmitting coordinates.
Completing pre-flight checks.
Success!
Deb's entry pass.
Ran's entry pass.
If this is a hidden base, why have a Resistance symbol at the entrance?
BB-8, BB-8, BB-8!!!
Holographic Rey.
Poe Dameron's X-Wing.
I-TS Shuttle.
That's a lot of Stormtroopers.
R5 Droid in a transport.
First Order TIE Fighter.
Stormtroopers outside the holding cells.
Our R5 droid.
Probe droid.
AT-AT's!
These things are enormous!
This is just to give you an idea how big these things really are.
