Neek sez: Okay, we have crappy phones with crappy coverage so we really didn’t think that we could do any of the virtual queuing that Disneyland had required to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance ride at Galaxy’s Edge.
Disneyland
Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge – Fuzzy Tauntaun, The Millenium Falcon, and building a Little Droid Friend
Neek sez:
Lex has often told me about how he went to see Star Wars as a child with his grandmother when it was first released in 1977. To a little boy, it was a transcendental experience that has endured to the present.
Disneyland has done a great job in bringing this film universe to reality. The details of the planet Batuu where Black Spire Outpost exists is quite amazing. The droids, ships, buildings are all scaled to realistic proportions and the skyline blends in well with the texture and color of the surroundings. It does seem like you are in another world.
We arrive at about 8:30 AM and decide that it’s not really that early to have a drink so we visit Oga’s Cantina for a quick one. Lex orders a Fuzzy Tautaun which is has alcohol and a special ingredient makes your tongue a little numb – this is favorite drink of the famous space smuggler, Hondo Ohnaka. Sar and I share a Hyperdrive Punch that has no alcohol but we steal sips from the Tauntaun.
I might have stolen too many sips from Lex’s Fuzzy Tauntaun
It was a strange looking bar
with strange looking creatures
DJ Rex really knew how to spin the grooves
Sar wanted to build a droid so we went to the Droid Depot where a wonderful Batuuan, Maria helped her to build a BB8 model.
Sar makes two new friends!
Next, we were off to Doc Ondar’s Den of Antiquities where strange beasts and their unfortunate heads were on display.
Sar, Lex, and I did ride Smuggler’s Run where they shared the position of being a pilot. My job was a gunner and had fun shooting lasers to defend the Millennium Falcon and our bacon. As we left the ship, we could see evidence of the Imperial Force around the area. As you can see in our video, the stormtroopers were constantly harassing visitors.
The time flew by and it was time for Lex to build a light saber. I will leave that blog post for him to write.
Oogie Boogie Bash First Fright 2019 at Disney’s California Adventure
Last year Lex, Sar and I wanted to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland but were too late to purchase the tickets as the event was sold out.
Fast forward one year later, we finally get our tickets and find that the event is not at Disneyland park but at Disney California Adventure. Imagine the disappointment we had when we found that the venue was changed. We figured that it was probably because of the opening of Galaxy’s Edge.
We dressed as tourists from Aulani
No one knew what to expect except that there would still be treat trails and the headless horseman appears at the start of the parade.
I can assure you that this event did not disappoint one bit. We had a wonderful time and saw the most beautifully creative walk through that we have ever been and an amazing water show, “Villanous”. There were character photo spots everywhere including Goofy and Donald Duck from Kingdom Hearts – they even let you hold the key while taking a photo.
We experienced childhood delights by walking the treat trails and meeting with the famous villains of Disney animation fame. Our host Oogie Boogie was especially memorable.
With our treat bags filled with candy galore and our feet about to fall off, we reluctantly headed for the exit. What a fun night and hopefully more will occur in the following years. We can honestly convey that Oogie Boogie Bash was a hit!
The following are some tips that we found helpful if you are attending this first fright event.
Beginning at 3PM, Disney California Adventure will allow guests with their Oogie Boogie Bash tickets to enter the park. Inside they will scan your ticket and distribute wristbands.
Trick or Treating
Every guest of the Party, children and adults, will be handed a trick or treat bag upon entering the park. You’re also welcome to bring your own bag, but considering the massive amount of treats given, I would at least bring an extra heavy duty canvas bag or backpack. There will be 10 treat stations (11 if you are an annual passholder) around the park with special banners marking the entrances. Each treat station has several treat carts giving you the goodies. These are on the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party map as black cauldrons.
The lines for the trick or treating are rarely long. We don’t really recommend doing the treats at the end of the night as others have encouraged because we have not seen them giving out more later. If pressed for time, try working in your candy collection when you see a short line on the way to another activity and mark it off on the map so you can visit it later.
There is no limit to the candy collection. You are allowed to visit the treat lines as often as you wish. Although we only went once to each treat line, believe us when we say that they are generous with the treats.
Halloween Parade
The parade starts in the Paradise Gardens area of the park (near Silly Symphony Swings) and makes its way past the Little Mermaid ride, the main entrance to Cars Land, through Carthay Circle, in to Hollywood Land, and ends next to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. The exact parade route is noted on the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party park map. About 10 minutes before each parade at 8pm, the Headless Horseman will ride down the parade route.
Obtain a spot for the parade at least 30 minutes ahead of time. Frightfully Fun Parade is popular and there’s only one showing per a party so you don’t want to miss it.
World of Color: Villainous runs at 9:00 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. The show lasts about 22 minutes. Good vantage points can be had anywhere along Paradise Bay in front of The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Viewing for World of Color is standing only, there’s no seating available. Be sure to arrive around 30 minutes early if you want a good spot with an unobstructed view.
What we did
Now, I will tell you how we did our visit (Keep in mind that this is just showing what we did and do not recommend it for everyone because our priorities for experiencing the bash will different from yours):
- We ate before the bash began because we knew we wouldn’t have time to see all that we wanted to see and eat also.
- First, we went inside the Stage 17 treat trail and saw Dr. Facilier
- Afterwards we proceeded to The Animation treat trail to see Oogie Boogie himself.
- Down the road we went to The Hyperion Theatre treat trail and met with a very Mad Hatter
- Next we went to Cars Land and went to the two treat trails there.
- By this time, we decided to find a spot for the Frightfully Fun Parade near The Little Mermaid ride.
- After the parade we proceeded toward Paradise Gardens Park where we encountered another treat trail and visited AP Corner for the special magnet, button, and extra treats.
- Getting back to the pier, we found that we were just in time to see Villanous
- After the spectacular water show, we walked over to Grizzly Peak to visit Villains Grove. Now, that was worth the price of the ticket!
- There was another treat trail down the road where The Evil Queen was making a potion for her poisoned apples.
- Another treat trail was near Soarin’ where Maleficent was being evil.
- Finally, the last treat trail was Buena Vista Street where we were heading out of the park.
We got out of the park at 10:30PM, beat the crowds and headed for the tram and parking garage.
Our priorities were to see the shows and hit the treat trails and Villains Grove. We didn’t do any of the photopasses or ate any of the special Halloween menu items but we did try the delicious Minnie Witch Shake and the Rest in Peace-Strami Fries before the bash got started. They were filling and kept us going all night! We really wanted to see The Descendance but just couldn’t fit it in. Maybe, next time. We had a blast and hope to do it again in the future.
Note: Photopass downloads are included for free with Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party tickets. You can start joining in the photopass 3 hours prior to the Oogie Boogie Bash when event participants are allowed into the park.
A Day at Disney California Adventure
Sometimes, you just need to let go and let the inner child out of your tired, old body. Well, that’s what we did when we visited Disney California Adventure Park!
Sar, Lex and I had a blast visiting this unique park dedicated to the wonders of the Golden State of California. In fact, it seems a bit weird to have a park about the state in which the park is located. Why not have a park about Oregon or New York or a foreign country? I’ve definitely have not lost sleep over this dilemma but I do have some ideas of why. California is a darn humongous state and it’s difficult to see all parts of it. I think the Disney people wanted to have visitors from out of the state and country to see what else there is in California besides, well, amusement parks. Even though it is going through some Stark Industries changes now, it still shows how diverse and pretty cool California can be.
The Wonderful Disney Cast Members
Vampire Mater?
It was fun riding on Radiator Springs Racers and seeing the colorful Coco show. Lex especially loved the relaxing feeling twirling through the air on Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. I think my favorite was watching Lex get wet on Grizzly River Run! We had a great day but were now excited to experience nightfall and attend the special event at Disney California Adventure.
Next Stop – Oogie Boogie Bash!
That’s From Disneyland! – Disneyland Memorabilia Pop-Up Exhibit and Auction
Neek sez:
Every summer, my Mom and Dad would take us to Disneyland. We had choices of visiting Knotts Berry Farm or Universal Studios or even Magic Mountain but Sar and I always choose Disneyland.
So much has changed at the park throughout the years and Lex, Sar and I have missed seeing some of the attractions from our childhood so when we heard that a Disneyland Memorabilia Pop-Up Exhibit was being held right nearby our home, we just had to visit.
Richard Kraft who is the collector partnered with Van Eaton Galleries to create a pop-up exhibit of his collection before it goes to auction. The exhibit will be open from August 1 to August 26, 2018 and the auction will take place on August 24 to 26. Continue reading
Celebrating the Holidays at Disneyland in Anaheim, California
Lex sez:
It has been several years since the last time we went to Disneyland, and even longer since we went during the holiday season. But I was invited by my very kind cousin to join in a birthday celebration and we were only too happy to accept! We entered the park close to noon, but we still got to enjoy so much.
The first thing you notice when you come in is all the beautiful Christmas decorations. There is a huge Christmas tree at the beginning of Main Street that looks like it’s about 50 feet high! Continue reading
Lex and Neek 