Disneyland Trip Reports
Topic: Birthday Day By Myself

#	Author	Message
1	kmsandrbs Sun 11/8/2009 7:22a	I have a wonderful wife and four great kids. But this year, my birthday fell mid-week. Kids had school, and someone needed to be home to get them. Since we recently bought APs, and have gone a few times already, I decided, for once, to go on my own. I had a great day! I arrived about an hour after park opening. Went to the City Hall and received my birthday button and my merchandise card. I next went to the Main Street Station and spoke with the conductor about riding in the Lilly Belle. He put my name on the board (which turned out to be a good thing) and told me to come back around 4:30 – 5 PM. Road the Omnibus up main street (haven’t done that in a long time), then headed off to Space Mountain. I got a fast pass (only one I got for the day, as there were hardly any lines), but the wait was only 10 min, so went for a quick ride (in reality, there was no line … it just seemed like it took 10 minutes to walk through the queue :-) ). Next was a battle with Zurg on Buzz. I decided to get a FP for thunder next, but had about 15 minutes before I could, so I did the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-through and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. When I arrived at Big Thunder, the FP system was closed, but no line, so I rode in the last car (the last is almost always better than the front!). I was going to catch Laughing Stock at the Golden Horseshoe, but it was awhile until the next show. I checked at the Mark Twain about riding with the Captain, but they already had a crew. Since I didn’t get on that boat, I went for Pirates instead. Was serenaded throughout by the family behind me lustily singing along at every opportunity. Headed back to go to the show, but saw that the Mark Twain was just unloading, so I thought I would check about riding up top again. The CM I had spoken to the last time happened to be on the dock … and happened to be Captaining this run and had no crew, so up I went! Had a fun conversation, a great view, and a nifty experience. Nice pictures of me steering the boat, too. When that was done, there wasn’t another showing of the Laughing Stock for awhile, so I headed to Indiana Jones. I used the single rider entrance, even thought the line was not that long. I did get to skip a chunk of it. I also asked the CM at the front of the movie-section of the queue about the Eeyore parking lot sign. I had never been able to see it despite knowing about it in all of the times I had been on the ride before. Now I know why. Even having it pointed out, all I could see was some color variation. Made me feel a little better about missing it all of the times before. I also rode in the elevators for the first time. It reminded me again of how Disney does little things like theming the inside of an elevator that most guests will never see. How easy would it have been for them to just leave a standard elevator, but, instead, they adjusted it, just slightly, so you still feel like you are in the environment. Took the fire engine back up Main Street, and headed across the plaza to DCA. I was planning to take advantage of all of the single rider lines they have, but the lines were all so short, it was unnecessary. Rode Soarin’ (no line), Grizzly River Run (no line, got soaked), Screamin’ (no line). Then I went to Toy Story Midway Mania. There was a line there (it said about 15 minutes) and I asked about single rider. No go, so I waited. Took about 20 minutes. Went to the Tortilla Factory and received my nice birthday snack (wish they had a small salsa bar outside, though :-) ).Then I swung through the Blue Cellar show to see the future plans for DCA. Then back to Disneyland! No vehicles at the entrance end of Main Street, so I walked up. I headed straight to the Golden Horseshoe and got me a bowl o’ chili-cheese fries and sat down to watch the show. It was a nice melodrama :-) . When it was over, it was time to head back to Main Street Station. The horse-drawn carriage was about to leave the Hub, so I rode that down the road, being pulled by Reggie. It was about 4:15 at this point, so, since they said to come back 4:30 – 5, I did a stroll through the Gallery. When I came out, it was 4:26. I looked up at the train station and saw the train with the Lilly Belle pulling away. Not a big deal, I thought, it just meant I had some more time to look around. So I spent about 10 more minutes looking at the 50 magical years display. I went back up to the station and spoke with the conductor. He kind of had that “uh oh” look when I said I had come in the morning and they had put my name on the board. He asked if I was Robert, and indicated they had hoped that I was part of the party that was on the train that was currently circling Disneyland. They always have to have a conductor or guest relations CM ride with folks in the Lilly Belle (I found out later), so I assume that they had only planned to have one accompanied ride around the park. But they said that they would see what they could do. So I hung around. It was then that I noticed that they track the trains on the map-like board in the station (corner near the left line), so you can always see where they are at. When the train made it back to the station, the CM who was riding in the car came and got me. There were apparently two other people who wanted to ride, and the conductor indicated it was up to me. I had no problem (it’s a big parlour car, it can handle more than one person :-) ). I’m actually surprised that they allow it to be limited to one group when there is more than one group interested in going. I guess that keeps the mystique of it being a “private car.” We had a great trip around the park, and learned about the history of the trains and the Lilly Belle. While a nice looking car, I was actually surprised it did not have more in the way of decoration. I was also surprised that all of the accoutrements were glued down :-) . After my ride, I took a brisk walk back up Main Street (just before the parade) and headed to use my Space Mountain FP. The line still wasn’t too long (15 – 20 mins) but it was nice to be able to bypass. Rode in the last seat. Headed back to Buzz where doubled my score from the morning, becoming a Space Ranger (and we didn’t even have any ride stoppages, so this was really good for me). Made my wish at the Snow White Wishing Well. Swung up to the Matterhorn for my last ride of the evening. Then a leisurely walk through the shops back down Main Street. I looked to do something in the Penny Arcade, but the only game I was interested inn took a dime and I had no dimes. I also looked for something sweet to munch on, but nothing really caught my eye (and I knew I had cake waiting at home!). So off to the tram and off to home! It was different being in the Parks all by myself. Nice to be able to go wherever I wanted, whenever, not have to worry about a stroller or bathroom breaks or ride heights. But I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. It is more fun, generally, for me to have the shared experience. Had some great CMs throughout the day. Kevin on the Omnibus, Brenda on the Mark Twain, Steve on the Fire Engine, Marla (and Reggie) on the Horse drawn carriage) and Darrell on the Lilly Belle. Was wished Happy Birthday about every 10 minutes, by CMs and other guests alike. Got a picture at every ride (except the fire engine … I forgot for that one, and never was in a good spot to get another one later). Can’t wait to go back again soon!
2	amazedncal2 Sun 11/8/2009 8:01a	Wow, kmsandrbs I don't mean to be cliche but you really did have a magical day :) Your posting of all the details is really appreciated and made me feel like I was there experiencing the magic. Thank you for sharing your day with us and Happy Birthday!!!
3	WDWdreamin Sun 11/8/2009 9:19a	I totally agree. Your day just sounds so perfect. I undersatand what you mean about solo trips being good but preferring to go with others. Well, I'm possibly going Thursday, so I'll take myt tips from you. Happy belated birthday!
4	Mary Poppins Mon 11/9/2009 7:31p	I'm impressed by your solo venture. What a great experience of Disneyland!
5	disneylandfan8 Thu 11/12/2009 3:55p	Thank you so much for this wonderful trip report. SOMEDAY, I would like to visit the park(s) by myself. I'm sure it will be very different that my usual trips.
6	TXDISNEYNERD Fri 11/13/2009 1:35p	Wow, that sounds like a wonderful birthday. Thanks for sharing it with us.
7	kmsandrbs Sat 11/14/2009 9:10a	I do think I may go back a couple of times in the next year with a specific plan. For example, I've considered going and spending a day trying to maximize my score on BLAB. I know I'd end the day with a bad case of trigger finger, but I just think that would be kinda fun :-)
8	WestWind Sat 11/14/2009 9:40a	Thanks for the trip report kmsandrbs. I could imagine myself walking in your footsteps around the parks. I've never done a solo visit and have a hard time imagining what the emotions would be like. Maybe one day I will try a solo trip.
9	Moedad Wed 11/18/2009 11:04a	Good for you, kmsandrbs! Shared experiences are better as long as everybody is having a good time, but solo trips are great too, as long as you have the right attitude, which you did! Great report!

All times are Pacific Time (US)

Note: Information on the discussion boards is sometimes based on rumors or incorrect information and should not be assumed true. Messages do not necessarily reflect the opinion of LaughingPlace.com or its editors.

< Previous Topic

Next Topic >

You must be a registered user to post messages.
Click here to register.
After registration you will automatically be brought back to this topic

Theme Park DVDs at
The LaughingPlace Store
The LaughingPlace Store carries theme park DVDs from Jeff Lange and many others featuring the best of Walt Disney World and Disneyland past and present.

What's on
The Latest
Video: World of Color paper animation
THR: Chris Evans Offered Role of Captain America
Catch Special Primetime Handy Manny Episode on Disney Channel 3/20
The Worlds of Fairies and Humans Converge for the First Time in an All-New Magical Adventure
Radio Disney and Nintendo Team Up to Offer Oceans of Fun at Georgia Aquarium
Disneyland Resort Expansion Continues with New Parking Lot Opening
EW: Captain America Possible Starring Roles
Mediaweek: Flash Forward Return to ABC Respectable
Fess Parker who played Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone on TV, dies at 85
StarWars: Star Wars Weekends 2010 guest list

Click here for The Latest