Reruns

This post, and likely all the posts that come after this one, will be reruns.

Dude, rope drop! Here's a post from almost exactly a year ago. This post was the last one I did in preparation for our trip.  It has important, and still very pertinent, info on the rope drop.

Click Here: Rope Drop!

Now check out this pic from Pirates, the first ride we like to do once we get in the park.

Pooh Bear:

The only problem with not having a disability pass is going to be Rise of the Resistance. That one doesn't have the Genie+. You have to pay extra to skip the line. I really love the ride and don't want to miss it, but I don't know if I love it 90 minutes in line. We might need to keep an eye on the wait time for this one, buy some good treats and drinks, and hunker down for a 45-60 minute wait. 

And, man, the parks wear us out.  It's a lot of walking!

The long story:

One Day Ticket

The entire family went silent. There was a pause. A long pause. Then:

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Mandy groaned, rubbing her temples.

"You only bought a one-day ticket?" Lissa repeated, eyes wide. "Steve!"

“I—I thought I bought two days!” Steve stammered, flipping through his phone frantically, pulling up confirmation emails, frantically searching for something that would make this all make sense.

“Well,” the cast member said with a sigh, “this does happen sometimes. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to help...”

“But we just heard that today’s supposed to be some kind of magical day!” Scot protested. “Free churros, celebrities! You said it yourself!”

The cast member nodded, still smiling in that strange, unflappable Disney way. “Yes, but unfortunately, without tickets, you won’t be able to enter. And, even worse, we’re not selling any more tickets for the day. You see, we’re keeping the parks intentionally under capacity to create that extra magical, empty feel.”

Steve slumped. “So... you’re telling me that not only do we not have valid tickets, but even if we wanted to buy more...”

The cast member shook her head. “We’re all sold out, I’m afraid.”

A collective groan erupted from the families. Brandon tugged at Steve’s shirt. “Dad, does that mean... no free churros?”

Steve stared at the cast member, disbelief washing over him. “We drove all the way here. We stood in line. We... and now you're telling me...?”

The cast member nodded again, still so, so cheerful. “Yes, sir. I’m very sorry. It looks like today just isn’t your magical day.”

Steve blinked, his eyes twitching as if ready to pop. He slowly turned to face his very large, very disappointed family. "So... anyone up for heading back to the hot tub?"

As the weight of what had just transpired settled in, the families stood motionless in the middle of the esplanade. The happy Disney music that had seemed so promising just moments before now felt like cruel mockery. Colorful banners waved in the breeze, cheerful music played, and the distant sound of the Disneyland train whistle echoed through the air—but for the families, all they could hear was the crushing silence of disbelief.

They didn’t speak at first. They just stared at Steve.

Steve, who had only bought one-day tickets.

Steve, who had led them here with the promise of free churros, ice cream, and FastPasses.

Steve, who, at this very moment, looked like he wanted to crawl into one of the nearby trash cans and live there forever.

“Well... this is... something,” Scot finally muttered, breaking the silence, hands on his hips.

Lissa, always quick with words, pointed a finger at Steve. “You mean to tell me... that we are done? The magical free churro day is over... because you only bought a one-day ticket?”

Steve shuffled his feet. “I... I thought I clicked the two-day option. It was a mistake. Honest.”

“A mistake?!” Mandy sputtered, throwing her arms in the air. “Steve, we drove all the way down here, again, and now we have to leave before we even got in?”

“I just don’t understand...” Zac added, looking dazed. “We didn’t even get to see the free churros.”

"I told you something felt off this morning," Julene said, shaking her head. "I just didn't know it would be this off."

The kids stood, slack-jawed, some still clutching Mickey Mouse hats and churro fantasies. Brandon sighed heavily. “So... what do we do now?”