Escape from Disneyland

Every year around this time, Kathy and I sit down and decide whether or not we're going to renew our annual passes to Disneyland. The debate usually centers on whether we feel that we're going to get our money's worth out of the $758 we'll be spending on the two passes. Every year, we've come to the same conclusion that it is worth it to us to renew.

Our passes expired last week and we had not yet received our new passes in the mail. We had talked about going to Disneyland Saturday night but obviously couldn't if we didn't have our admission media yet. Good fortune was on our side and they arrived Saturday afternoon, in time for us to head for Anaheim.

Since adding our dog, Musubi, to the family two years ago, we've found it tough to head down to Disneyland for a casual dinner like we used to do for our weekly date nights in years past. Even though we knew she'd be OK for the evening, we were still conscience of the need to get home sooner than later. So after a nice dinner at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port and exploring the park after dark for a few hours, we made the decision to head for home before the mass of people waiting for the fireworks left after the show.

But that was easier said than done. We were at the back of the park near it's a small world and we needed to get to the exit at Main Street. We had just missed a train that departed from Mickey's Toontown Station, which would have been an enjoyable way to make it to the front of the park. Instead, we decided to hoof it down the parade route.

Though the fireworks still were not for another 45 minutes or so, Disneyland's crowd control already began restricting movement through much of the park. The entry through Fantasyland via Sleeping Beauty Castle had been roped off for at least an hour already. Just as we got to the Matterhorn, a brigade of cast members wielding flashlights charged towards us telling us that we'd have to go around the mountain to exit the area.

I don't usually disobey Disneyland cast members but after exclaiming, "You've got to be kidding," I got past them and tried to hurry Kathy through the area. But as soon as I realized the route was being roped off, I sheepishly went the way I was instructed to go. We missed getting through the pass by about 5 seconds and it cost us 5 minutes of fighting crowds to get to where we wanted to go.

We still had to circumnavigate the hoards of people that were queuing in the Hub and all down Main Street. People would suddenly stop on walkways in front of us, deciding that they were going to watch the fireworks from that exact location. Eventually, we made it to Main Street proper and continued walking down the block, having to duck under a rope that had been set up near Carnation Cafe to restrict foot traffic in the area.

I almost cried when we finally reached Town Square and found a bit of breathing room. DCA was closing and a bunch of people were headed towards Disneyland to get in to see the fireworks. We were lucky to catch a tram and get back to our car before the exodus of fireworks-watching guests could engulf us.

Disneyland after dark is an incredibly magical place. The transformation into this nighttime haven is beautiful. The twinkling of lights, the way structures are lit and the miles of colorful neon give Disneyland a true aura each evening.

But this beauty and magic are hard to enjoy when the entire westside of the park is closed down so that Fantasmic may be performed on the Rivers of America. The beauty and magic are hard to enjoy when Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown are closed down to launch fireworks. And the beauty and magic are hard to enjoy when being herded like cattle through roped off paths.

Luckily for us, we have already renewed our passes for 2006. If we had experienced a night like Saturday before our passes had expired, this evening's events may well have factored into our annual debate about whether we wanted to pony up the funds in order to play "Escape from Disneyland."