Somehow we ended up in Disneyland on a day when it was totally packed. From speaking with others, the park itself actually stopped selling tickets and closed its doors to new admissions around 11:30am. It sure was a good thing we got there early.
We went into Disneyland around 9:30am. People were already lining up on Main Street. I thought maybe there’s some special parade? But then it was really early for such an event. Then I saw camera crews all over. Apparently, they were filming the Christmas Disneyland Special that will air on Christmas Day. It was hard walking around people who basically took up all the curb space waiting to get themselves filmed for the special. We were sorta wondering around deciding if we want to stay and watch, or go ride some rides. We decided to head over to California Adventure.
Usually, California Adventure is relatively empty, but not that day. We headed over to the Hollywood Tower of Terror. The line was longer than usual, but it was still only about 15 minutes. Rode the ride, and as we were looking at the pictures taken of us on the ride, Disney Cast Members were handing out passes and saying congratulations. So what exactly did I get, and why were they congratulating me? I took a closer look, and they were Dream FASTPASSES! It allows the bearer FASTPASS entry to all the FASTPASS attractions anytime during the day, without having to get a seperate FASTPASS and waiting for the return time! Talk about luck! We had to be at the right attraction at the right time. And we got it on a day where it really came in handy!
It also turns out that that day was the first day they had all their Christmas decorations up. They had a big Christmas tree on Main Street, lots of bows and candy canes all around the park, and they changed quite a bit on certain rides, such as the Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World. This was actually the first time we’ve seen the park decorated in such a way.
In the afternoon, they had their usual parade. But on that day, Ryan Seacrest was there hosting the special. The parade started, but then it stopped. Then they went backwards! Apparently they wanted to get a few takes. I doubt I got on camera, as I wasn’t in prime postition, but I’ll definitely check out the special on Christmas Day!
At night, we went to our favorite ride, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Actually, I don’t know if it’s our favorite, but it’s one we enjoy riding a lot. It’s definitely because of the interactive nature of the ride, shooting targets with the blaster guns. And then we get to email a picture of us and our scores to ourselves or anyone with an email address.
After we got off the ride, we heard some music playing near the castle. We decided to walk over and see who’s playing. It was Daniel Powter. singing some Disney special song. It was also for the Christmas Special, which meant he had to sing it a few times. When he was about done, he sang the one song he’s most famous for, Bad Day.
They also changed the fireworks to a holiday theme. It was somewhat similar to their previous Believe fireworks show, and honestly, I liked that one better than the current one. It was nice nonetheless. At the end of the fireworks, they had specially placed snow blowers shooting out snow. It wasn’t real snow of course. It was bath foam I think. I sure didn’t get any on myself. Anyway, it sure was a fun day, as is usually the case whenever we visit Disneyland. Maybe I need to make one more trip before the end of the year!