Disney Magic Mornings...the one and only reason to ever get up at 5:30am on a day off

So...this summer Disneyland decided that because they just raised the premium annual pass by $150 (yes, you read that right, $150.  As in one hundred and fifty dollars.  Kill me now) they should...I dunno...do something special for all the dumbasses like me who pay through the nose for the privilege of eating overpriced ice cream cones while waiting in line under the lava like sun with snotty vomiting and screaming kids smearing boogers on your pants.  In case you don't know what this is - it's early entry into the park an hour before the park officially opens at 8am.  So people who qualify (typically those who are staying on property - what?  you thought they paid $400 a night for just Mickey shaped soaps in the shower?) are allowed to roam Main Street, Tomorrow land and Fantasyland the hour before the park opens to the rest of the barbarians.  As a perk they've never done before, they offered early entry to annual passholders this summer.  The caveat is you get to sign up for ONE early entry morning per park - and you have to register for a date where your pass isn't blocked out.  Being that we chose late July, everyone who was there with us were either premium passholders (only those so dedicated to the love of the Mouse would be willing to wake up at 5:30am on a day they don't have to go to work) and those who paid through the nose for hotel rooms.  So Johanna and I, because we lost our minds, got up at 5:30am so we could make to to the park by 6:30, which is when check ins began.  Feeling good and virtuous, we opted to walk from the Mickey and Friends parking lot instead of taking the tram.  We needed to work off all the gazillion calories we were planning to consume the rest of the day.

Now, the email Disney sent me said that I had to go and present my AP to some booth where they'll give us wristbands.  They lied - because you just had to walk up to the lines that had formed in front of the turnstiles and the CM's used their fancy iPhones to scan our passes to make sure we were registered for the "event."  I didn't get a wristband :(  I was looking forward to lording my wristband over those who didn't have one.  Yes, I'm a loser.  How did you know?

But this is what it looked like:

I got all excited and took a photo of the sign to document this momentous event.  If by momentous you mean the I-will-never-ever-get-up-at-5:30am-ever-again-on-a-day-off-even-to-see-Mickey-Mouse event.
see?

I've never seen Main Street so empty before.  It was weird.

and being the loser I am, I had to document the time

Yes, that does not say pm.  I'm usually lazing around my kitchen with coffee at 7am.  Uh, that's assuming I'm up by 7am.  Hehe.

But the beauty of it?  There were no lines.  Did you hear that?  There were no lines.  We walked onto Star Tours.  I was so moved, I may have sobbed (on the inside only).   We then hopped on Space Mountain, where there was also no line.  Have you ever seen this before?

Oh, the joy - no lines!

Then we went on the  Matterhorn which just reopened not long ago after they reconfigured the seating on the sleds.  Now, I didn't like sitting with anyone in those seats before as I don't like to be squashed, and it's just weird unless you're with a significant other.  And even that gets weird sometimes 'cause you're all squashed and it's just not comfortable.  But it was mighty comfortable by yourself!  I could stretch out my legs (but I'm short) and it was nice and roomy.  Now they look like this:

And they're uncomfortable.  There's no padding at all and the seats are angled in a way where all your weight rests on your tailbone...with no cushioning at all.  And the leg room?  Fuggedaboutit!  Keep in mind I'm very short.  And it looks like this (forgive my gross pasty legs) - this is me with my legs pulled all the way in.

I can't imagine that anyone with an inseam over that of 30 can be anywhere near comfortable in these seats.  But that's okay, I was just happy not to have waited in line. :)

I tried taking photos on the ride.  They uh, didn't turn out very well.

Well, I saw this and was happy:

It has nothing to do with anything else.  I just wanted to post that picture.

We then wandered to the hub to check out the castle (it was practically empty!  I've never gotten a photo of the castle without dozens of tourists and other barbarians photobombing me).  I was so moved!

Seriously, have you ever seen it this empty before?

And look!  All these people who are waiting to get into the park!  (they're allowed onto Main Street USA, but there are ropes keeping them from entering any other land)

Then I got distracted and followed this around with my camera

 Little duckies!  And they get to live in Disneyland!  Lucky duckies.  Hehe.  Yes, I do know I'm retarded.

After the park opened and the horde (including us) descended, we wandered around waiting for our 10:10 breakfast reservations for Steakhouse 55.  I've never been there before, but being that I'll actually be at Disneyland for breakfast and uh, I never wake up early enough to go there for breakfast, I wanted to go somewhere where there were no screaming kids trying to wipe their snot on me.  I wanted a grown up breakfast - so I went to the source of all goodness.  Yelp.  I went onto Yelp and looked for a good breakfast spot.  I've never been to Steakhouse 55.  Mostly because it's so far from the park (yes, I know it's only a 5-10 minute walk.  I'm lazy people!) and I just don't make my way to the Disneyland Hotel.  Grand Californian is about as far as I get from the parks.  But I didn't want to do a character breakfast  at Storyteller's Cafe again since the last time I went a big bear picked me up from behind and swung me around while I was just trying to eat my omelet.  I'm still grumpy about that.  My omelet got cold.  So Johanna and I went to Steakhouse 55 trying for a civilized breakfast.  But  before that, we wandered around New Orleans Square and wallowed in the lack of crowds.

And look!  More lucky duckies.

By this time, we were really hungry and we decided to make our way to the restaurant where we could eat like cows.  I mean dude, we got up at 5:30am and all we had were bananas and a granola bar!  (Wo)man cannot survive on rabbit food alone!  So off we headed to the Disneyland Hotel...

This is the menu (okay, I didn't get a good picture.  In fact, I got a terrible picture)

We were indecisive because we were hungry and wanted to eat the world, so being the bossy person I am, decided that we were going to share.  So we got the two times four with French toast and scrambled eggs as well as  Eggs Benedict.  One word?  Divine.  Yes, I realize that makes me sound like a drag queen, but I don't care.  It. was. so. good.  A week later I'm still fantasizing about it and saliva pools in my mouth whenever I look at the photos.

the coffee here is excellent.  A bold robust blend, but not too strong.  

Eggs Benedict.  Oh, how I love thee

the Eggs Benedict had friends.  It came with roasted potatoes, peppers and onions as well as a side of fruit.

the French toast was perfect.  The bread they used was this soft yet chewy delicious consistency - it wasn't soggy at all.  Soooo good.  Best French toast I've ever had.  

The restaurant is a beautiful space - it's very much like Morton's, though brighter (well, for breakfast - they turned on all the lights for breakfast).  I can see this being a romantic restaurant with great ambiance at night.

We liked this place so much we're coming back here for breakfast again in September when we do DCA's early entry.  After stuffing ourselves, we shopped around Downtown Disney (I bought myself a fedora!  I may not be cool enough for a fedora, but I don't care!  I don't know why I keep using exclamation points!  It's like an illness!) then wandered around the park.  This is what it looked like when we moseyed over again:

oh!  and I almost forgot!  We saw this guy while we were leaving the hotel and headed towards the parks.  BEST HAT EVER!

Do you see the awesomeness of the  umbrella hat?  With mouse ears sticking out?  OMG.  Best. hat. ever.

(sigh) and the horde descended.  I don't know if it was because it was a Friday, or it was just summer, but there were an overabundance of Chinese tourists there.  I know they're Chinese because I can understand what they're saying.  And also because the women are wearing little ascots and heels.  At Disneyland.  My peeps are crazy yo.  

Also, they had climbers on the Matterhorn again!

We got sick of the crowds and decided to head across the esplanade and hit up DCA.  Of all the rides we went on at Cars Land last time, the one thing we didn't do was Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.  Because it looked stupid.  But after I went online and read the reviews raving about how much fun it was, I was intent on trying it.  The line is cute!

Does this mean Mater is secretly Batman?

This little tractor "pulls" you (swings you really) and it goes from one track to another.  Really, you can't tell how much fun this ride is based on how it looks. Because it looks retarded - but it truly is a lot of fun. :)

After our strenuous tractor jamboree, we decided we were in need of nourishment.  We left the wilds of Ornament Valley - what?  You didn't know there were wilds in DCA?  Are too!

Doesn't it look like the real outdoors?  See?  there are too wilds there!  But we left the wilds of Ornament Valley and emerged at the Promised Land.  tada!

A most beauteous sight for sore eyes on a hot day.

Since we were going to have an early dinner, we opted to have two scoops instead of a sundae.  We pretended this was healthier and once again felt very righteous and health conscious.  We got butter pecan and coffee with fudge.  This ain't no Hershey's syrup yo - this is real fudge.  Man was it good.

We ended our day at the park doing the redwood challenge trail (first time ever I went in there.  It's actually a very nice space.  I can once again pretend I'm in the great outdoors) and then pigging out at our old standby - Storyteller's Cafe for their dinner buffet.  Mmmm...buffet.

All in all - a very good day.  And it was a very good day that ended at 7pm when we left the park after stuffing ourselves silly.  Note that 7 is about the usual time we get to the park.  And no, I will never again wake up at 5:30am for Disneyland...but I'm sure glad I did it once.