October 20th, 2022
Early Start – Jetlag 2.0
Another morning, another Rope Drop. Assisted by Jet lag once more we were up at the same time as yesterday heading to Disneyland Resort for the rope drop. Once again, we were quite near the front of the crowds ready for the first ride of the day: Rise of the Resistance. As this is still not available on Genie+ and with its popularity nowhere near waning over time, getting to the front of the crowds for Rise of the Resistance is pretty much most people’s ‘Rope Drop Plan’. But as we already know, even the best-laid plans can sometimes go wrong…
As 8 am neared, I overheard a group of guests saying that Rise of the Resistance was closed… as I relayed to Steve what I had heard, we logically pointed out that if this was the case then surely the cast members would say something to the Hundreds of people in front of them, all queuing for the same thing right? There’s no way Disney would let their guests all walk (not run!) towards a closed ride surely!
Rope Drop arrived and we all set off walking at a quick pace (not running!), all on the same mission. Just as we went past Big Thunder Mountain and nearer to Galaxy’s Edge, a cast member was shouting that Rise of the Resistance was closed. Many guests kept walking towards the area, and others stopped, all a bit confused about the news and what to do about it.
Having had unofficial yet slightly more warning we turned hot on our heels, back in the direction we had come from the join the queue for another popular ride which was also not on the Genie+ list: Jungle Cruise. It was slightly like being a salmon, swimming upstream against all the crowds of people STILL heading to Galaxy’s Edge as they had not yet reached the cast member informing them of the bad news but we quickly reached the standby line for Jungle Cruise and our longest wait was due to the fact that the boats had not yet arrived for the day!
Attraction 1 – Jungle Cruise
Now, we LOVE the Jungle Cruise ride. Knowing it was also one of Walt’s personal favorites helps, along with the fun-filled film with The Rock released in 2021, but we just adore floating through the ‘Jungle’ cringing at the Skippers’ bad dad- jokes! Who can resist seeing the 8th wonder of the world: The Backside of Water? It’s lighthearted fun at its best, this time made even better when we realized we had the same Skipper who charted our cruise in March. Any disappointment with Rise of Resistance being closed was quickly forgotten while floating around the amazon jungle.
Attraction 2 – Indiana Jones
As we exited Jungle Cruise, Rise of Resistance was closed and Indiana Jones was showing a short wait time so we joined this queue next. We have in the past had a Genie+ for this ride and still queued over 30 minutes so we were relieved that this wait time was the 15 minutes it advertised. We enjoyed the rocky and turbulent ride working with Indy (but still as always disappointed that Indy’s voice is not Harrison Ford).
Then, with Rise of Resistance still closed, we went in search of breakfast. Unlike Disney California Adventure, all the food and drink shops along Main Street were open. When we got to Starbucks, there was of course the biggest queue so we divided to conquer: splitting up with one of us in each of the lines, ready with our orders, whoever got to a barrister first.
Steves queue won and while he waited for our drinks to be made (Pumpkins Spiced Cold Brews obviously), I ran over to the Jolly Holly Bakery for ‘Breakfast’- already said anything goes while at Disney so I ordered 2 sweet snacks to go with our Pumpkin Cold Brews. While ordering, Rise of Resistance had opened and was showing a not-too-long wait time of 30 minutes. With our food in hand, we walked/ran over to Galaxy’s Edge.
Attraction 3 – Rise Of The Resistance
When we reached the end of the queue, the wait time was now showing 40 minutes, however, armed with snacks and drinks we were not too bothered. We spent the time eating our breakfast of the Halloween Brownie and Mickey Mummy Macaron. Both were fun-looking Halloween-themed treats that contained a large amount of sugar, just what every Disney Guest needs to fuel their day!
In the end, the queue was slightly longer than the advertised time and we left the ride an hour after joining the queue, but as always, we felt the ride was worth the wait! Despite being our 2nd time on the ride, we felt that we enjoyed it just as much as previously, if not more as we knew what to expect and could enjoy the details of the ride the second time around.
Attraction 4 – Winnie The Pooh
After Rise of Resistance, we walked the short walk to Pooh’s Corner to get more Disney Themed snacks. On our way to Pooh’s Corner, we saw that there was just a 5-minute wait for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh is my ALL TIME ULTIMATE favorite Disney character since I was born so, of course, we hopped on, despite Steve being very vocal about how he finds the ride more than a little strange (see our previous review!)
Pooh Corner
After the ride, we headed over to Pooh’s Corner, getting a glimpse of Pooh himself. The wait time to meet Pooh was a little long as we had reservations for drinks at Oga’s Cantina shortly.
I consoled myself with a much anticipated Tigger Tail (I was so excited to finally get my hands on it, I started to eat it before even taking a photo LOL) The marshmallow in the tail was orange flavored to match the orange of Tiggers tail, it was so yummy, I barely let Steve have a bite! Steve chose a Reece’s Pieces Mickey Peanut Butter Crisney Snack which we saved for later.
Attraction 6 – Oga’s Cantina
The final dining reservation we had booked 60 days previously, was for drinks at Oga’s Cantina. If I belonged in Pooh’s corner then this was Steve’s place to be. Oga’s Cantina is situated in Galaxy’s Edge and despite our reservation being for 11:30 am, there was a 40-minute walk-up wait time when we arrived.
Oga’s cantina is supposed to be a recreation of the iconic Cantina visited by Luke and Ben one Tatooine when they first encounter Han and Chewie. It is a fairly faithful replica with authentic side booths and a rounded rectangle bar with all sorts of weird and wonderful vessels just like the film. But it’s missing something, maybe it’s the villainous atmosphere or just the wrong music playing (it wasn’t the Cantina Band, so was wrong!), honestly, we are not sure but it just felt a little flat all around.
The drinks were really good though. Despite the garish glowing colors and odd garnishes, they were good drinks and not quite as sugary-pre-mix as you can find at Dinsey. The food menu here is very small and we just came for a drink and to take in the setting.
It’s not everything you expect but it’s still a really fun place to sit down for a while a grab a peculiar concoction.
Attraction 7 – Droid Depot
Having previously done the Light Saber Experience, we really wanted to go to the Droid Depot and Build our own Droid. When we had visited previously, the Depot was very busy and booked out quickly but Steve had kept an eye on the bookings and there was plenty of availability on the App for both our days at Disneyland so we planned to do a walk-up after we had had our drinks at Oga’s. As predicted, when we arrived at the Droid Depot it was quiet and we easily got a walk-up booking and were building our Droid within minutes of arriving.
Despite being new to the Star Wars Galaxy, the main character I love the most in the new films is BB8- he is just so cute and in a way reminds me of WALL-E in his characteristics. Steve let me choose the BB8 droid to build as, even though there are several other choices of Droid to build, BB8 was just too cute to not take home!
With Droid building complete and BB8 safely in his box with his new owners, we headed towards the exit of the Park for some downtime before Oogie Boogie bash later on!
Of course, I could not resist going into the big gift shop on Main Street and purchased the Exclusive Bo Peep Loungefly I had seen the day before (Steve was totally OK with this as I had already promised I wasn’t going to buy ANOTHER Loungefly unless it was a Parks exclusive I couldn’t get in the U.K.) Promise Kept!
Back at the hotel we rested and shared the Mickey Crispy Snack as lunch (Thank Goodness all the Disney steps outweigh the calories consumed in the Parks!)
Then it was time to get ready for Oogie Boogie Bash! Entrance for Ticket holders was 3 pm but we had a Park Hopper anyway so aimed to get to Disney California Adventure around 2:15 to beat the party Ticket rush.
We excitedly changed into our Halloween- themed outfits for the party that I had spent months planning, including, of course, Halloween Themed Mickey Ears! I swapped out my Cozy Cone Loungefly back to my Hocus Pocus Binx Bag, with Steve carrying Cozy Cine instead (reason to be revealed later!)
Feeling adequately spooky for a Halloween Party we left our hotel room and stepped out into… the very un-fall-like heat! We slowly made our way to the Parks, wondering how Halloween could feel so hot!
Oogie Boogie Bash!
We got to the gates around 2:30 pm we walked right up and scanned our Park Hopper tickets. Once inside Disney California Adventure, we noticed a queue area set up for Oogie Boogie wristbands. We had been told that we could only get only check-in for the Party from 3 pm but there was no queue so I asked a cast member, as we were at the entrance of the Park if we could check in early. They said of course and within minutes we had our wristbands!
We had done a lot of research to get tips on how to do the Oogie Boogie bash the best way and almost all blogs we had read said we should arrive as soon as you are let in at 3 pm so you can do rides before the Bash starts officially at 6 pm.
Now, we were beginning to see why this information was not overly helpful… 3 pm is the time anyone with a Bash ticket is allowed in from, BUT non-Bash guests are not asked to leave until 6 pm when the event officially begins. As a result, wait times for rides were higher than we had seen the rest of our trip to Disney. And it was HOT! Deciding we didn’t want to queue in the heat for rides that would be shorter after 6 pm, we seated ourselves on a comfy sofa at the Sonoma Terrace and enjoyed a few beverages and a giant Prezel while the sun and the wait times went down!
Attraction 7 – Radiator Springs Treat Trail
As 6 pm approached, we could see the groups of guests leaving Disney California Adventure and more excitedly, groups of guests arriving in costumes, clearly also here for the Oogie Boogie Bash!
We took a walk around the Park, admiring the costumes other guests were wearing. A lot of guests had really gone full on for the party and some of the Halloween Disney costumes we saw were amazing! Oogie Boogie Bash is the only time an Adult Guest is allowed to dress up in the Parks in costume and as a result, we saw amazing costumes everywhere we looked! Our Halloween-themed outfits looked tame in comparison, although, my Hocus Pocus Binx Loungefly had already got quite a few comments!
We had planned our first stop for the bash to be Radiator Springs so that we would be there for the ‘switch-on’ at Sunset. It was still not quite 6 pm but as soon as the time hit, cast members opened the Radiator Spring Treat Trail and within minutes our Treat bags were already half full!
Attraction 9 – Radiator Springs Racers at night
We then patiently waited for Sunset to see one of the highlights of Disney California Adventure: Radiator Springs ‘ Switch-On’. When Sunset hits the whole of radiator Springs is lit up with Neon lights as the sun gives way to the darkness. It truly is a sight to be seen!
As it went dark we popped over to the Cozy Cone Cafe to grab one of the Spicy Mac and Cheese Cones as well as an Oogie Boogie Exclusive of Spicey Buffalo Chicken from Flo’s Cafe.
The next stop was Radiator Springs Racers in the dark! For whatever reason (probably wait times!) we have never done the ride in the dark and with smaller wait times thanks to the exclusivity of the event, we only waited for 20 minutes in the stand-by lane.
Attraction 10 – Ernesto Del A Cruz Treat Trail
After spending an hour in Radiator Springs we then hit our next Treat Trail, the popular Ernesto Del A Cruz Treat Trail. As we made our way through the dark, we were handed treats by Cast Members and caught a glimpse of the evil Ernesto himself performing on stage.
Attraction 11 – Oggie Boogie – Frightfully Fun Parade
The 7:45 Oogie Boogie Frightfully Fun Parade time was approaching at this point so we set up camp to save a spot to see the Parade. In our research, other bloggers had advised us to miss this time slot and do as many Treat Trails as possible while the Parade was on, however, we did not think our Jet Lag bodies would be up for the 10 pm Parade time so we chose this time instead.
The Headless Horseman opened the Parade accompanied by spooky, Halloween music. Next up were Mickey and Minnie, dressed in their Halloween costumes. Jack Skeleton and the rest of the characters from Nightmare Before Christmas followed. Oddly enough, the one character missing was Oogie Boogie Himself!
After The Pumpkin King, came several Disney Villians including Ursual, Hook, and the Evil Queen of Hearts, and a fantastic Haunted mansion float. It’s one of Disney’s best parades and a must-see at Oogie Boogie.
Attraction 12 – Maleficent Treat Trail – Soarin’
Once the parade was over, it was back to the Treat Trails. Our next stop was the Maleficent Treat Trail where were once again given an abundance of treats and had a spooky encounter with Maleficent herself!
Attraction 13 – Redwood Creek – Villians Grove
We then made our way to Redwood Creek which had been transformed into Villians Grove for the event. The creek was a spooky experience that immersed you into a spooky woodland with lots of special effects.
Attraction 14 – Mother Grothel Treat Trail – Grizzly Falls
After we had survived Villains Grove we headed over to Grizzly Falls for the Mother Grothel Treat Trail: a new addition to Oogie Boogie Bash for 2022. Here we got given (yep, you guessed it!) even more Candy!
Mother Grothel was also there, asking if we had seen her daughter Rapunzel (we wouldn’t have told her if we had!) In our opinion, Mother DOES NOT know best!
On our way out of the Treat Trail, we came across Bruno from Encanto. Bruno is a new addition for 2022 but you know that we don’t talk about Bruno here.
At this point, our free treat bags were very full so we decanted the candy we had been given into the Cozy Cone Loungefly Steve was carrying (all makes sense now!) TOP TIP: definitely bring another bag with you for all the treats you will get. Some People were actually carrying large shopping bags full so we feel a Loungefly backpack may still have been too small!
Attraction 15 – Agatha Treat Trail – Avengers Campus
With our treat bags empty once again and in need of refilling, set off for Avengers Campus for the Agatha Treat Trail. Evil Agatha was another new villain at Oogie Boogie this year and a must-do on the Treat Trails. After getting more candy for our now empty-looking treat bags we wandered over to one of the exclusive rides for Halloween: Guardians of the Galaxy Monsters After Dark.
Attraction 16 – Monsters After Dark
During the Halloween Season, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout gets a seasonal overlay. This is pretty clever as it is only applied after dark as the regular ride runs during the day still.
If you recall or are not aware, the story for the regular ride involves Rocket shutting down the containment systems on the Collectors …erm, collection. During the timeline of the original ride, this is fine as you and the Guardians escape off into space. However, the After Dark overlay tells the story of what happens after. With the containment systems down, the collection, which largely consists of giant alien monsters, tears the facility apart.
It really is pretty clever and the ride takes on a more sinister tone. Like the original once on the ride, the various cut screens are random and every ride is unique and different (well up to a point). We have to be honest our scenes were a little drab, and on the whole, we have had better rides during the regular overlay, but it is still a lot of fun and your cut scenes will likely be different and could be fantastic. What doesn’t change one bit is the Ride mechanics, which are frankly amazing!
This is and always be a seriously fun ride. We much prefer the tower of terror version, but the sheer intensity of the repeated drops and lanches to the top are always really thrilling.
This ride is about my limit in terms of thrill, and for parts my eyes were closed, but for the more thrills seeking amongst you, this is one of the best rides out there, as demonstrated by Steve who refused to even hold on to anything and screamed with delight with his hands in the air the whole time!
Attraction 17 – Sanderson Sisters
After surviving Monsters After Dark we decided it was getting late and we should start heading out of the park, especially before the 10 pm Parade started. As we left Avengers Campus we found the Sanderson Sisters! Another exciting new addition to the Oogie Boogie Bash in 2022 was Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Clarabel Cow all dressed up as Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson to honor the new release of Hocus Pocus 2. Unfortunately, Daisy Duck aka Sarah Sanderson was missing. A cast member said she was busy brewing potions!
I still made sure I got a picture of Loungefly Binx in front of the cauldron!
We then made our way back to the Hotel, collecting more Candy from Cast members as we exited!
Walking Total – 24,811 Steps – 12.9 Miles
While not quite as taxing as yesterday, we still clocked up another Half Marathon and this was on top of the miles from yesterday. Over 50,000 steps in two days are pretty hard o the feet. The walk back to the hotel was pretty painful. Luckily we had an easier morning to come tomorrow.
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