Ok, so I'm a practically a year behind on this thing. But considering the circumstances, I'd say I forgive myself. It is not ideal, but I am going to push forward since my love for my photos and memories knows no bounds. And also I can't remember anything about my life unless I take a picture and then write about it.
On New Year's Eve 2020 Christy and I decided to book us some flights to Long Beach for a girl's trip to Disneyland. It felt impulsive and crazy at the time, but holy cow. I am so glad we did it. We also went back and forth on whether we should book the Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour that takes you into his apartment. I can't believe we even for one second didn't just decide to go, because it was amazing and who knows if we will ever get the chance again.
So we flew in on Friday night on February 7th. By the time we got to our hotel and got checked in, it was about 9:30 PM. We were so tired, but we decided to rally, take an Uber to the park and go and enjoy it for a few hours. It was definitely one of my favorite visits to the park of all time. It was such a thrill to get there as everyone was basically leaving. The fireworks had just ended and we were walking upstream. First on the agenda was some food so we sat and had something to eat at Jolly Holiday and ate with a view of the castle. We were both so giddy to be there we could barely contain ourselves. After dinner we got some pics in front of the castle and then we headed to Fantasyland. We rode Alice, Dumbo, Mr. Toad, and Peter Pan in record time. In fact, we literally walked right onto Dumbo we didn't even wait one second. It was quite a novelty and we were giggling the whole time. That was all we could fit in before the park was closed, but of course we went right into the shops and touched basically everything. We also bought ourselves matching stripped shirts, and mine is still one of my faves.
When we finally got out of the stores, we realized the park was basically empty, and it was likely because it was 1AM. So duh, we had to take pictures to commemorate the emptiness. I had decided not to take my good camera and I wish I had. I had not anticipated this scenario, but we still got the pictures and photos so the moment was captured. We even ran into one of my acquaintances so she was nice enough to take some pictures of us as well. It was kind of magic. I love love love being at parts of the parks without anyone else, and empty Main Street was a thrill. We decided to walk home and we were pretty tired. We went to bed around 3 AM
Saturday was such a lovely day. We had breakfast included in our room at the Hilton and their breakfast is amazing. We walked to the park and we went to California Adventure. We were there during the Chinese New Year stuff and it made me quite sad to not have Vivi there to celebrate with me, but it was still fun. We tried to find Mickey in his New Year outfit, but he was not there and the line to see any character was so so long. We rode the Zephyr ride, and then just sat in the sun and waited for the Lunar New Year show. We were hot in that sun and it was amazing! The New Year show was delightful and so so beautiful. I will for sure make and effort to see it again if we ever get to go again during New Year. After that we made wishes for 2020, we rode Little Mermaid and then we waited in line to get Chinese calligraphy. I wanted Vivi's name in Chinese for her. We had been a bit lazy at DCA because we had upcoming reservations at Blue Bayou and I was always worried about having enough time to get to our reservations.
We made our way over to Disneyland and stopped to have our photos taken of course. I was so excited to eat lunch at Blue Bayou. It was a Disney bucket list item for sure. We got an amazing table right on the water and when they brought us this amazing bread, I realized I was super hungry. I ordered a salmon that was a special for the day, and it was insanely good. I can still taste it now. Lunch there was for sure a splurge, but worth it. After our meal we popped into this shop in New Orleans square and each managed to purchase these Mickey jean jackets we had our eyes on. I was NOT going to buy one, but it was super cute on, so I went for it. We then rode Winnie the Pooh and then walked over to the castle. We were kind of wandering aimlessly and it was great. When we got to the castle we got ready to take some pictures and this cute girl and her mom offered to take our pictures. We started talking to them and realized that they were friends with Christy's sister in law. It was so crazy and fun. One of my favorite things about Disneyland is how you just meet people and become friendly with them. It is totally Christy and I's thing.
The ride times were pretty long that day, so we really just kind of hung out. We had a fast pass for Matterhorn and we rode that. I was obsessed with this sweatshirt that I had seen the day before. I wanted it and couldn't find it in my size. So we walked to Downtown Disney to look for it. One lesson I learned from this adventure, is that you shouldn't spend your Disney time hunting down stuff. You'll find it eventually...which I did my next trip. But with Christy, and no kids we were definitely shopping a lot of the time. It was fun though.
We had some fast passes over at DCA so we headed over there. We saw Mickey. We rode Soarin, Radiator Springs, and Luigi's Tires. We had a fast pass for Toy Story, but unfortunately it was down so we didn't get to ride it. We walked over to Pixar Pier anyway because I wanted a cookie by Incredicoaster. That ride was also down so the area was pretty dead. We sat down on the steps while I ate my cookie and we watched World Of Color from behind. I had planned on getting a salad for dinner, but all of the restaurants had closed. It was lame, I don't remember now what we ate, or if we just went home and went to bed. One last memory: When we were in line for Luigi's Tires we had a good laugh about how we want to tell people when their ears are on backwards, but turns out...mine were and Christy had not noticed. We were admittedly pretty tired at this point so it credibly likely that it was less funny then it really was.
Sunday was the big day of the tour and it was supposed to be rainy and cold. I was optimistic, but when we woke up...it was rainy and cold. We had yet another lovely breakfast and then we bundled up like crazy and headed to the park. We had to be there at a certain time to check in. We checked in and then just hung out in the front of Main Street. We did see Cruella Deville and we got some fun pictures with her. We also decided to embrace the rain and just take pictures and enjoy the day for what it was. We sat down and people watched for a long time, and it was really enjoyable. Watching everyone try to keep themselves and their little ones dry from the rain was kind of comical...not sure if that makes me mean. But holy cow I was glad I did not have my kids. Vivi would have wined the entire time. The wet and cold really was something you had to push out of your mind.
When we started to tour, our guide thanked us for being there in the rain, to which I replied..."Isn't this tour non refundable?" The main drawback was that we didn't all have headsets like they usually do. And so sometimes it was hard to hear our guide. He did a good job though. I learned a lot. I loved it. I was really trying hard to pay attention and be present in the moment. I was a tad hard because well...it was wet and cold. But honestly, I wasn't as cold as I thought I was going to be. You walk around the whole park and the guide points out how different life experiences in Walt's life came alive in his theme park. We rode the train for a bit, made our way to all the lands...I kept thinking that it was totally worth the cost and we hadn't even gotten to the grand finale yet.
I asked a lot of questions, and I am sure there were a few people that found me annoying, but I DIDN'T CARE! I know, shocking. But seriously, this was a chance to have so many questions answered and I took it, especially when we had bathroom breaks. We had a chance to go and see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Which is something I don't think even Christy has done before. It was awesome to enjoy it for the first time on the tour so we could really appreciate the history of the experience. After Mr. Lincoln we ran into Cinderella and the Prince, which was way fun because you never get to see the princes. Yes, we are children.
Ok, so it was the big moment. Finally after about two hours of walking around and learning. It had been great so far, but this was the real reason for the tour. The tour ends with taking you up to Walt Disney's private apartment. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I knew that I was not allowed to take any video and we are only allowed one photo opportunity. So I had to hunker down and use my brain to try to remember every single detail that I could. We walked to the backstage area and went up some industrial type steps and then got to walk into the apartment. I was immediately overwhelmed with all the feelings and I was surprised how much I wanted to cry. The energy in there was crazy. It felt a bit haunted in a good way. My eyes and brain were on high alert to try and memorize everything I could and at the same time we had cast members telling us all of these great stories. It was small, smaller than I expected. I liked the bathroom and the little kitchen nook (more just like a counter) the best. There used to be a fireman pole that would take you down to the park, but I guess one day a guest climbed up the pole while Walt was there so he closed it off. Walt never really planned for that to be an apartment, but it just became that way as he would spend the nights there while the park was being built. One of my favorite stories was that on opening day the Mouseketeers were in there waving out of the window and one of the girl Mouseketeers realized Walt was standing behind her and he was crying. She didn't understand why he was crying on such a happy day, but as she got older she realized why he was so emotional and happy. I adored every moment in there and I wish I could just sit and be there for hours. Seriously. I did not expect to feel the way I felt in that room. It was so magical and so special and I can't believe Christy and I ever questioned if the tour was going to be worth it.
Lunch was included in the tour. We picked our meal before hand and it was ready for us after we enjoyed the apartment. Because it was raining we were eating in a small room that is used only on rainy tour days so that was kind of fun too...to be able to see another spot in the park that is normally closed off. It was hard to enjoy eating honestly because I was still so overwhelmed with how amazing our day had been. They really go above and beyond to make you feel special and make the event over the top neat.
Our tour had this kid who was not properly dressed for the rain and he was wearing all black and he looked miserable and dark and mysterious. Christy had a quote about him that killed me: "It's just one of those things, either he's gonna die or we are all going to die." I don't know, but that just made me laugh so so hard.
After lunch we got some pictures in front of the firehouse, because we had just been INSIDE. You can't tell in the pictures how crazy hard it was still raining, but it was. We then made our way over to the castle and took some of my favorite pictures of all time. One of the perks of the tour is that you get to sneak on a ride and that ride is usually Alice, but it gets shut down in the rain so we got a fast pass to use on any ride we wanted. We picked Peter Pan. It was crazy to be at the park in the rain. So many rides are closed. We kind of did a little Walt homage, we rode Small World, which is the last ride Walt ever dedicated. While in line we saw Nick Lachey with his family. I was SO annoyed that I didn't snap a picture and sell it to the tabloids. I seriously could have because I had the perfect angle, but he looked so happy with his family I just wanted to leave him alone. Then as we were walking off of the ride we were kind of looking for him by trying to spot the Disney employees that walk with famous people and we saw Busy Phillips who was legit having a diva meltdown. We tried to get photos of her, but her crew was covering her pretty good. We went and rode Space Mountain and then we rode Pirates and I definitely saw the ride in a whole new light after our tour. I appreciated it way more, and I wished I was riding the original ride. Walt never got to see the completed ride. We then had some hot beignets and Christy spilled her coke on me, but I was so wet, it really didn't register. After that we made our way to DCA and we stopped to get a photo with Goofy on our way out. Christy had ordered a illustration for Cali and I wanted my Mexican salad so that is why we popped over there. Christy got some Ghiradelli and I got my salad to go and eat at the hotel.
We called it a night much earlier than we could have, but we were so so so tired and pretty cold and wet and it just felt like time to go. We got back to our room and relived our day and I ate my dinner. We had an insanely early flight in the morning so we got to bed pretty early.
The security lines were insane at the airport. Seriously, usually there is no one there. I had to butt in line to even make my flight. It was crazy close, but we made it home. This trip was one for the books. It really was so fun to go with just Christy and just do our own thing and wander around and laugh and eat and shop. The tour was a memory I will cherish forever and I hope to one day take Stella on it since she was very jealous. I hope they do it again, I hope we can do to Disneyland again. I hope so many things.
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