60th Anniversary 24 Hour Kick-off Celebration TR UPDATED 6/2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Ok, before we get started, let me just tell you that I was NOT at DLR for the whole 24 hours! I was thinking I might be able to make it maybe 15 hours, but I knew I wouldn't make it the entire 24 for sure.
I still haven't finished my WDW TR from almost 2 years ago, but I figured there would be more interest in hearing about the kick-off celebration, so here I am.
Originally, I hadn't planned on attending, but about a month or so ago, my best friend from high school told me she was going to be in town and asked if I wanted to go to the 24 hour event. I told her I wasn't sure, but if I could make sure the kids could be picked up from school, then I would be in.
Fast forward to a week ago. I texted my friend to see if she was still planning on going because I had the day all clear. She said she was game except there was a new wrinkle to her plans. Her son was flying out of town that day with some friends, and she had offered to take them to LAX. She wouldn't be able to get to DLR until after 2pm. At that point I had already decided I was going, so I told her I would be there in the morning and would wait until she got there. I asked her to keep me posted because if it didn't look like she would make it, I'd probably just go home in the afternoon.
Thursday evening, May 21, I was hearing that people were already starting to line up for the celebration even though you weren't supposed to line up until 11pm. I had been seeing all the blog posts, articles, etc., about the procedures for the day. Parking lots weren't going to open until the middle of the night. The main parking structure would start opening at 10pm. The Toy Story lot, where I was planning on parking, would open at 5am. They were going to allow people onto Main Street at 4am, and at 6am the celebration would begin.
On Friday morning, I took the kids to school in the morning, and then got ready for my day. I planned to bring a backpack to hold my wallet, a few snacks, and a small bottle of water. I knew I'd want to buy some souvenirs, so I could throw them into the backpack. I had some breakfast and waited a little bit because morning rush hour would still be in full force that early in the morning. I watched the morning news to check for updates on park capacity. Every news program was covering the celebration. Main Street looked busy but still manageable at 8am.
Finally, it was time to hit the road! I stopped to fill up the gas tank (almost $4 a gallon!), and hit the road at 9am. Traffic was surprisingly not too bad...until the news reported a truck had jack-knifed on the freeway going the opposite direction. It wouldn't be so bad if the people going in my direction weren't all slowing down to rubber-neck!!! Lol!
I made it to Anaheim at 9:35am and got off the freeway. Katella Blvd. wasn't busy...until I got near the intersection with Harbor Blvd. There weren't any signs indicating where to park or go or anything. I was surprised by that. There are lighted signs on Katella that usually flash instructions, but today they were only showing instructions for Convention Center parking. No help for me! Thank goodness I knew the area!
I was stopped about 10 cars back in the left turn lane to turn onto Harbor Blvd. and then left again into the Toy Story parking lot. Long story short, it took me half an hour to wait through several light changes and then inch along until I could turn into the parking lot. It took almost another half hour to pay and inch along in the parking lot until I could park. If you've ever parked at Disney, you know it's pretty quick and easy. Every car moves along and turns into each spot, like a production line. For some reason, this morning no one ahead of me wanted to follow the program! People were turning to park before reaching the next available spot. Others would inch along wondering if they should take the next spot or keep going toward the CM who kept yelling out to them to please proceed to where he was! Oh my goodness, it was infuriating! Lol! Anyhow, I finally parked in the Donald section.
This was only my second time parking here, but it's my new favorite parking lot. Even though it's a flat lot that's not covered, it's an easy lot to park in. I followed the crowd walking to the bus stop. At this lot, they use regular buses (like the kneeling buses at WDW) since you have to drive through regular city streets to get to DLR. The lines weren't terribly long, and the buses were pulling through back to back.
Finally, around 10:30, I was walking to bag check at the Esplanade. Hooray! People all around were in a great mood. I saw Mickey and Minnie headgear all over. The bag check lines weren't bad. I went to the ones on the furthest left, closest to the DCA side. Those lines were the shortest, yet few people were going in that direction, lol!
I got through bag check quickly, and then got in line to enter Disneyland! It took maybe 15 minutes to get into Disneyland because I have this great knack for picking the shortest but slowest moving line! I could hear the Disneyland Band playing on the other side of the entrance gates. I couldn't wait to get in!
Before I forget, I took some pictures with my phone and other pictures on my camera. I'll try to post the few phone pics I have now, and after I have a chance to upload the camera pics, I'll add them later. (Famous last words....)
Once I got through, I enjoyed the band for a little bit and got a picture of the celebration decorations. It was so exciting to be there!
You can see on the Main Street Station clock that it was now about 10:45am. I actually had been slightly worried that the park would close before I got there, but it was just fine. The lines to get in weren't terribly long...maybe about 20-30 deep, so just like an average weekend day.
Next up...going under the railroad tunnel and entering Main Street!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Last edited by Dlandmom2; 05-27-2015 at 12:17 AM..
Reason: Fix typos
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Great start! You're right, I'm fascinated to hear all about this. I've seen various posts on Facebook from people who were there and it looked nuts, but from your report so far, it doesn't look as bad as the other reports I've seen. It'll be interesting to see if that changes when you get inside the park.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Great start! You're right, I'm fascinated to hear all about this. I've seen various posts on Facebook from people who were there and it looked nuts, but from your report so far, it doesn't look as bad as the other reports I've seen. It'll be interesting to see if that changes when you get inside the park.
Foreshadowing, Cheryl, foreshadowing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy L
Great start! Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks! I'll try to finish up the rest of the story sooner rather than later!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
Happy to be reading about this. Sounds good so far!
It was fun, but very tiring!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Glad you're doing a report, Jeanne, and glad to hear from you again! I would love to do a 24 hour event one day! And I think doing it at DL would be even more special!
Glad you're doing a report, Jeanne, and glad to hear from you again! I would love to do a 24 hour event one day! And I think doing it at DL would be even more special!
Hi, Colleen! Yeah, it's just been beyond hectic for me this past year. This was my first attempt at a 24 hour event. I don't think I'll ever make it 24 hours, but it sure was fun to be a part of this while I was there!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
I just took a look at the pictures I posted yesterday...no one's wearing mouse ears! Hmm, maybe all the ears I noticed were after I got inside the park. So, on to the inside of the park!
So, this is where the crowds were! I decided I'd better make a quick restroom stop just in case the lines would be bad later. There's a small restroom if you enter to the right, near the old bank building. Guess what...there was a line for the restroom! Thankfully, it was only about 10 long, so I got through there quickly.
I walked into Town Square, and it was so festive! On the train station patio, there were film crews all over (pictures from my camera later). There was blue and silver bunting all over. I saw Daisy Duck in the distance with a long line to meet her. I walked around to the City Hall side. I was thinking I would do a little shopping at the Emporium to start off the day, in case the shopping crowds got bad later. I started to walk toward the Emporium entrance and saw a long line stretching back toward the flag area. I followed the line back to where it began and saw that people were waiting to buy popcorn! I'm not joking when I tell you there had to be more than 50 people in line! I heard some people behind me asking the people in line what they were waiting for. Apparently there's a special Cinderella's coach popcorn bucket they all wanted. Oh boy, I guess this was the first indication there would be lines for everything all day!
At this point, I turned back to walk up Main Street and to get a glimpse of the castle today. This is what I saw!
I had no desire to fight my way through that, so I decided I would shop first for sure!
I made my way to the Emporium and while it was crowded, it wasn't bad. Again, it seemed like a typical weekend day at the park. I looked at the 60th Anniversary items and saw several shirt designs, lots of glasses and mugs, jackets, ears, etc. I knew it would all be there for the rest of the year, so I wasn't too worried about buying everything today. Still, I wanted something to remember today, so I found a cute shirt that had all the major DLR rides/attractions listed along with their opening dates. I'll take a picture later and post it. I also found an ear hat that I got for Evan because he does like to wear his ears!
After that, I walked through the shops and exited at the Carnation Cafe. I decided I would get a FastPass for the Haunted Mansion so I could get a good look at the Hatbox Ghost. The kids and I had already seen it once a few weeks ago when it first appeared, but I had been so anxious to take pictures of it that I really didn't even pay attention to the actual effect!
It was extremely crowded, but still walkable. Surprisingly, the walkway outside Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones wasn't that crowded like it usually is. When I got to Pirates, the line was crazy. It snaked back and forth several times outside the ride entrance.
As I approached the HM FastPass area, I passed another popcorn cart with a long line. I don't know if they were also trying to get a Cinderella's carriage bucket or something else, but I just couldn't believe there were so many people waiting in line!
It was about 11:30am now, and my FP return time was for 12:25pm. That wasn't bad at all! I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for the next hour, but I saw that there was a relatively short line at Harbour Galley, just opposite HM. I'd say there were about 20 people in line. On a normal day, that would've been long, but compared to all the lines I was seeing elsewhere, it seemed short. I wasn't really hungry yet, but again I decided I'd better eat now in case the lines were out of control later! I got into line, and a really nice lady got into line right behind me. We chatted the entire time we were in line. She is a regular visitor from Las Vegas and was in town for the weekend with one of her daughters. We both had the same mission of getting something to eat while the line was relatively short! Little did we know that once again I would find the slowest moving line! There was only one line that was servicing two windows. Thank goodness I had someone to kill the time with because it took about an hour to make it to the window!
Finally, I made it to the line and ordered a Lobster Roll sandwich with a large orange Fanta. It was way more food and drink than I needed, but....as is the theme of my day...I figured I'd eat and drink all I can so I wouldn't have to wait in another food line later!
I found an open spot at a planter next to Harbour Galley. I had been wanting to try the Lobster Roll for a long time, and it did not disappoint. While I was waiting in line, a guest walked by and said the lobster roll was worth the wait! He wasn't wrong! I ate every bite of food on my plate and drank every drop of soda. I stuffed myself silly so that I wouldn't have to worry about food again for a long time! Lol!
By now it was well into my FP time, so I got on the ride. It was about a 5 minute wait in the FP line. The ride was great, as always. This time I did enjoy the Hatbox Ghost, but I have to say that the time it takes to see the effect is a little too long because if you're not passing by at just the right time, you could actually miss the effect! I hope Disney fixes that! Still, it's great to see this "historical" effect back in the HM!
Next: Waiting for my friend to arrive
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Last edited by Dlandmom2; 06-01-2015 at 01:02 AM..
Reason: Typo
Well, with the exception of the picture you posted looking towards the castle, the crowds still look Ok, although crazy about those lines for popcorn!
Main Street was definitely packed. Other areas were also really busy, but at least I could move around better than I could on Main Street!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Did you ever spot one of these coveted carriage popcorn buckets?
I love the lobster roll at WDW, so if yours was as good, I know it was delish!
I thought I had kept up on everything involving the celebration, but I had missed the announcement about the Cinderella bucket. Here's a link to the Disney Blog post about it:
The lobster roll was very good! The bread was nice and soft. There were several large chunks of lobster and some smaller bits of either shrimp or langostino. Glad I tried it! Where do you get it at WDW?
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Glad you're posting a report of this historic event at DLR! Crazy having the start of the 60th Anniversary celebrations at the same time as the 24-hour event, making it all extra, extra crowded! you're doing really well getting around, though! Smart not trying to make it down Main Street. That is one crowd I would NOT like to tackle on a scooter! So funny having to eat when you weren't hungry in case the lines were longer later, but I'm glad it was at least yummy food. I guess by the time you had waited in the "short" line for over an hour you'd worked up a bit of an appetite. When I saw the reports that morning about all the people waiting to get in at 6am I was afraid you wouldn't even get a parking spot, so the fact that you're in the park is really great!
I thought I had kept up on everything involving the celebration, but I had missed the announcement about the Cinderella bucket. Here's a link to the Disney Blog post about it:
The lobster roll was very good! The bread was nice and soft. There were several large chunks of lobster and some smaller bits of either shrimp or langostino. Glad I tried it! Where do you get it at WDW?
You can get them at Columbia Harbor House and Tomorrowland Terrace. I've had them at both, and didn't think the one at Tomorrowland was as good - not as many big chunks of lobster.
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You're right, I'm fascinated to hear all about this. I've seen various posts on Facebook from people who were there and it looked nuts, but from your report so far, it doesn't look as bad as the other reports I've seen. It'll be interesting to see if that changes when you get inside the park.
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