[Question] What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

[Barbaraann]

For the most part my Disneyland vacations are postively wonderful experiences. However, even Disneyland is not perfect. Or perhaps I should rephrase that and say sometimes we make absolutely positively bad decisions when we are there. If we had it to do over again, we would do it totally different.

Here is mine.

My friend Jennifer and I were at Disneyland for it's 50th Anniversary. We were there for the actual 50th Birthday celebration Day of July 17, 2005. Jennifer has three children and her son David is an avid pin collector. David wanted to get the pin that said, "I was there July 17, 2005". Jennifer wanted some of the other special merchandise items. I wasn't a collector, but I figured what could it hurt? We would enter the park, and we would get in the merchandise line.

We arrived at the park at 5:30 a.m., were ushered into DCA to wait, at about 6 a.m., and actually walked into Disneyland at about 8 a.m. The morning was magical up to that point, and I wouldn't change that part of my day. However, after walking down Main Street with our Golden Ears, and getting greeted by Cast Members, we followed the signs that headed us to the "Pin Line". I call it that now, because as I look back, I can't fathom why I waited from about 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in that ridiculous line.

I guess once you commit to something, you just don't want to give up.

However, I wonder about all the other marvelous things that I missed. I know that I missed going to my first MiceChat Meet. I missed the special ceremony in front of the castle. I missed all the other things I could have been doing, like riding rides, taking pictures. We did eat cupcakes in the line, and talked to a lot of great people, but If I had it to do over again.......

I wouldn't. No Way! It was my biggest mistake ever at Disneyland.

What's Yours?

---------- Post added 09-07-2012 at 11:16 AM ----------

[Meville]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Waiting in line for goofy's sky school for 1 1/2 hours when it re-opened. It was at that moment that I understood the importance of fastpasses.

[Stormy]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Well, I didn't make the mistake IN Disneyland, exactly. Many moons ago (when I was a local in my early 20s) I accepted a date with a guy that I didn't really care much for simply because he asked me to go to Disneyland with him. I thought, Hey, free trip to Disneyland, why not? I quickly learned why not. It became the un-happiest place on Earth because I was with a guy whose ego was the size of the Matterhorn, whose behavior to CMs & others in the Park equalled Donald Duck's on a bad day, and who couldn't keep his Goofy-sized 'paws' to himself:verymad:. A truly miserable time.

Luckily, that's the ONLY bad time I have ever had at the Park.

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Going to DCA when Carsland opened......went to the Matterhorn first....came back the line to get into DCA was at the lego store

[D3COY]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Biggest mistake, or really worst experience I had at Disneyland was very recently in fact. I wanted to go to Disneyland for my birthday so I went on the 20th with some friends because thats when my pass opened back up. That day I woke up at 6 because I wanted to get in the park right when it opened and my friends said they would get up as well. I kept calling them but they didnt wake up until about 7:30 so i had to wait for them. When they finally came to pick me it was well after 8. We went on our way to Disneyland and everything seemed normal for a while. Soon after being in the parks for a while, I discovered my friends had no interest in doing what I wanted to do. After all I had invited them to go there for my birthday. All day it was all about them. When I said hey lets go do something, they said no lets do this instead. And when they wanted to do something that I did not want to do, we did it anyways just because it was all about them. Possibly the worst part was that we didn't watch WOC (which happens to be one of my favorite shows) because one of my friends had to go home early!!! At that point I was about to lose it, but I kept my cool. I just said fine lets go and so we left. When I got home I was pretty mad so I decided upon a solution. The very next day I woke up early went to Disneyland did what I wanted to do. It was the first day I had ever spent in the parks alone. IT WAS AWESOME!! One of my friends found out I had went and asked me why I didnt invite. I straight up told him...because I finally had the chance to do what I wanted to do!

Would I go back and change it? Heck yeah! It sucked lol

[Barbaraann]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Since I go alone so much, my biggest fear is being with a group of other people and not having a good time. I guess a solo trip is kind of a selfish thing. I wouldn't want to resent other people who somehow made my Disneyland Day less than I wanted it to be.

I guess we all must learn how to play well with others, but let's face it not everyone is compatible, even at Disneyland.

[ShelbyH]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

One More Disney Day--I originally intended to go in the afternoon but then thought "meh, I'll head over around 9:00pm." By the time I parked and got through security, the gates were closed and stayed closed. I didn't get into the park until 12:45am. I had a GREAT experience and was glad I went (trip report here), but I seriously wish I'd gone in earlier in the day when it wasn't so packed.

[D3COY]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Going alone isnt selfish. It gives you the chance to see what you would like to see and do what you want to do. Thats the main reason I did it. There was no compromise with the group I went with. It was either do it their way or no way at all. And I have never had that problem with anybody else before.

[ShelbyH]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

I agree, going alone isn't selfish. What's selfish is insisting a whole group does everything you want to do with no consideration of others and things they might want to do.

[sbk1234]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

My biggest mistake was having hope that Tomorrowland 98 would be a really great refurb, as ambitious in its day as the 1967 was in its.

[Barbaraann]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Going alone isnt selfish. It gives you the chance to see what you would like to see and do what you want to do. Thats the main reason I did it. There was no compromise with the group I went with. It was either do it their way or no way at all. And I have never had that problem with anybody else before.

I am glad that you had the opportunity to go back so soon after your bad experience.

It is very true that we must know our Disneyland group. Or, in my case, I always have a frank conversation with the people that I visit with. I guess because my time there is so precious to me. I travel a long way to get there, and I get to spend only so few days when I do come. No trip is ever long enough for me.

[Dillamond]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Bar none, the biggest mistake I ever made at Disneyland was eating six Dole Whips in one day. One. Day. :bang:

[Michael808702]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

One more Disney Day lol big mistake ended up at the hotel around 9:00-11:00 tried to get in went back to the hotel from 12:00-3:00 tried again and finally got in but left at 4:00 because it was to crowd, at the time we were staying at the Disneyland Hotel so walking wasn't to bad.

[D3COY]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

LOL I ate 7 churros one time. Although I think 4 Dole Whips is harder to handle hahaha

[Swellpixiegirl]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

First trip, first day, got to the park at opening, hopped on the train and went straight to Toon Town as instructed by a very reputable travel guide, to find out that Toon Town opens an hour later than the rest of the park! :shy: So we went on it's a small world instead.

Second trip, first day, second ride we went on was Splash Mountain with our 5 and 9 yr olds, and almost ruined the entire trip for the little one! She was so scared that for every ride we went on for the rest of the trip, she asked if it dropped, and refused to ride if there was a drop...except Pirates, that was the one exception.

[bbrooke]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Mine was waiting in line for Ghost Galaxy, it shut down and my boyfriend - which was his first time riding it wanted to wait - couldn't say no, we ended up waiting about an hour and 30, for us to end up going home...

Another was One More Disney Day, we ended up going around 8pm, stuck in traffic till 1015pm, and ended up walking around, didn't really ride anything, we just got burgers and lived in the moment. We left at 2ish am, and slept the whole day...

[mratigan]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

not going to one more disney day

[webg33k]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

My biggest Disney mistake was going with my wife (my fiance at the time) with a friend and her Mother and letting her dictate the schedule. It was our friend's birthday, and she thought that we should stay with her and do what she wanted to do at all times. The problem is that she wanted to do things like wait 2 hours on TSI to get Jack Sparrow's autograph, and got headaches and wanted to sleep in the hotel until 1pm. If I had it to do over again, I would have insisted on having more time apart so that she could have done what she wanted, and my fiance and I could have done what we wanted, and then met up for parts of the day.

In fact, that's exactly what we did when my Wife and I went for our honeymoon. We were in DLR for 12 days, and our friend and her Mother showed up for 5 of those days. Of course, we were on our honeymoon and wanted "privacy", so we only met up a few times for meals or a ride of this or that attraction. Much, much better way to do it.

[Barbaraann]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Hopefully we learn from the mistakes that we make. The same is true for Disneyland moments that go wrong.

[RSZero1]

Re: What was your Biggest Mistake Ever at Disneyland?

Ours was just recently - Me, my wife, our daughter and her best friend went to the park on a blackout weekend (we have deluxe passes) and had planned to buy her friend 1 park per day pass, and just upgrade our passes to premier and not have to deal with block out days.

SIDENOTE: last summer I had been laid off, so we were able to maximize our deluxe passes midweeks, with our daughter being on summer vacation, me not working and my wife having a day off in the middle of the week. Since I'm working again, we really only have weekends we can go.

Anywho - we thought they would just add the increased charge to our monthly payment - turns out NOPE, if you do that upgrade, you have to do it at renewal if you want the monthly option. If you try to do it at the window, you have to pay the full difference right there and then.

Suffice to say, we bought the blockout tix for the 3 of us for the two days.