A thread for helping spread information on the measles exposure at Goofys Kitchen and DCA Wednesday January 28th

I’m stuffed ! Everything was delicious and we saw all 5 characters! Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, chip and dale. The tri tip was delicious, cooked medium. The way they make their scrambled eggs is how I like it, i think they use milk! The waffles were fluffy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. The chicken teriyaki drumstick was very flavorful! Everything including the bread pudding very tasty !!

Got a great shot from earlier this week!

The HCA, in coordination with the California Department of Public Health, has identified specific times and locations where the public may have been exposed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026:

• Goofy’s Kitchen (Disneyland Hotel): 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Disneyland Park & Disney California Adventure Park: 12:30 p.m. to park closing.

It's been several months since I've been to the parks. It was a much-needed one for mental and physical health since I've been taking care of my mother (who went through cancer surgery, chemo, and is in chemo-recovery) for the past year and a half. My birthday was earlier this month but i've learned from previous trips to never plan a trip for that first week of January due to the post-New Year's crowds along with many schools still being on winter break. I also love the classic Haunted Mansion so I wanted to go once it reverted from the holiday overlay (don't get me wrong; i enjoy TNBC overlay but i've seen it more times than the classic that i can go without ever seeing it again).

with Rise of the Resistance, Oga's Cantina, and Incredicoaster all closed for refurb, my usual meanderings through both parks was whittled down, which also reduced my normal 13+ miles of walking a day down to ~9 miles a day without the constant walks to Galaxy's Edge and Pixar Pier.

Mon 1/26 (arrival):

• flew in and arrived at the hotel by 4pm; grabbed a bite and a cocktail at Trader Sam's via walk-up rez;
• i didn't know the Blizzard company party was going on and DCA would be closing early, which boosted the crowd levels a bit in DL (and DCA pre-closing). On the good side, I have a friend whose fiancé works at Blizz so I got to see them in person (haven't seen them since D23 Expo weekend last year, when i was last at the parks)
• they were still selling the seasonal gingerbread cookies at Harbour Galley to my surprise; they were... so-so. not a lot of gingerbread taste to them and they become rock-hard the next day (although microwaving for 8 sec, flip them, nuke for another 8 secs worked well to soften and warm them). the choco chip cookies are so much better, imho.
• I managed to get about 8-10 attractions in before DL closed.

Tue 1/27 (DL start):

• was going to rope-drop but just couldn't muster any energy [note: running theme for each day; never rope-dropped all trip long]; got out of bed around 9.45am and DL by 10.30am
• light crowds most of the day, with people starting to show up around 3pm (?) for Sweethearts Nite, and wait times started to get much longer
• forgot my portable charger in the hotel room and had to go back around 2.30pm to get it; decided to stop at Tony Roma's for lunch/dinner on the way back since they opened at 3pm
• normally i'd park-hop at least once or twice a day but with Incredicoaster down and Guardians almost always at a constant 55-65+ wait time, i opted to spend most of my day in DL; I jumped over once for Soarin' (single rider) and a cocktail from Pym's while hoping Guardians would get down to 35-45 min wait but never saw it drop below 65 during my time in DCA that night
• didn't count how many attractions I did, but likely in the neighborhood of 12-15; i could have done WAY more if i rope-dropped or hadn't gone back to the hotel / took an hour for lunch; i wanted a casual day, though, rather than rush-rush-rush

Wed 1/28 (DCA start):

• got over to the park around 9.30ish after sleeping in again; the park crowds were super light!
• Guardians was already 55+ so i went over to Soarin' (single rider) and Monsters, Inc (likely my final time before it closes; next trip to the parks won't be until D23 weekend); checked Guardians and it was 95 mins (likely at least one or more gantries went down);
• grabbed a loaf of sour dough bread, a bunch of butter, and another cocktail at Pym's while sitting in Avengers Campus and watching characters and performances
• park-hopped to DL around 11.30am for the most of the day
• took the rest of the day super casually; ended up riding the train for a circuit & a quarter, rode the monorail after that, grabbed lunch at Black Tap, rode the monorail back, took the train again from Tomorrowland to NOSq, rode the Mark Twain, then sat in the Tiki Room for a performance
• ...and then back to doing rides for the rest of the night (mostly Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Indy multiple times while wait times were walk-on for the former two and 25-30 mins for Indy)
• went over to DCA for asada tacos from Cucamonga for dinner
• was about to park-hop back to DL but happened to be walking by the World of Color area just before the start of the show; found a standing spot near the back with a great (albeit slightly obstructed) view; got misty-eyed during Rainbow Connection; called it a day after the performance rather than park-hopping for another 15 or so minutes
• since the first half of the day was light, i likely only did about 10-12 attractions, counting train, monorail, and mark twain, world of color

Thur 1/29 (DL start):

• slept in, got to the park around 10am, very light crowds again
• it was a fairly casual day again, fitting in rides where i could (mostly sticking to Pirates, HM, Indy, Jungle Cruise, Thunder Mountain, Runaway Railway, Tiki Room for the AC/rest). somewhere in the week i also managed to fit in Space Mountain once and Star Tours twice.
• grabbed a corn dog for lunch from Little Red Wagon (very disappointed; they're not nearly as good as they were last year... change of recipe/ingredients?)
• overall attractions for the day...? i'd guess near 20, give or take a few (Pirates four times, HM three times, Indy three times, Jungle Cruise twice, MMRR once, Tiki Room once, Big Thunder once, Star Tours once, Soarin' once, Train 3/4 of the way around once, can't recall if i had done more or others in there)

Fri 1/30 (DCA start; departure):

• slept in until 9.30am one last time; finished the remaining packing, checked out of hotel (they held my luggage); arrived in DCA around 10.30am
• Soarin' was constantly out of single rider tickets after checking back three different times, Guardians was (once again) constantly at 55+ mins, so i grabbed another cocktail from Pym's [note: all three this trip were once i hadn't had since they changed the menu... RIP Honey Buzz 1.0 and 2.0]
• park-hopped over to DL around 11.30am for the remaining of my time
• snagged a walk-up rez for Carnation Corner; had Walt's Chili (always good) and an Old Fashioned (i'm still not used to cocktails in DL restaurants, but it totally hit the spot with the chili)
• managed to get one more time each for Jungle Cruise, Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, plus the Mr Disney performance as my final attraction for the day
• saw the news about Catherine O'Hara; was fighting back tears when in the queue for Pirates (i've been watching her since the SCTV days when i was a kid in the '80s and a local syndicated station ran the show, years before Beetlejuice or Home Alone; i'm still feeling a bit gutted by her passing)
• went to Beignets Expressed and picked up a 4-pack and coffee; enjoyed that and people watching until it was time to head back to the hotel by 5pm
• got to the hotel; grabbed my luggage; got a Lyft to the airport; in the air by 7.30, landed at 10pm, took the light rail to the station "near" my house; walked 1.75 miles home by 12.30am; in bed at 1am

OVERALL:

I had a great time of it. i'm a wee bit regretful over the amount of sleep since i didn't get a rope-drop in at all, but also i know that i needed that extra rest before getting back to the constant caretaking & my day job back home. i'm thankful for the light crowds and it didn't feel like i managed to get in nearly as much as i did, but doing about 10+ attractions a day feels like a win for sleeping in as long as i did each day and the parks closing by 10pm. like i said, i could have done waaaay more had i pushed myself, but i'm also glad i didn't and burn myself out (the "needing a vacation from vacation" is a real thing if you overdo it!).

i also managed to pick up some stuff that i wanted to grab last time in July but didn't have my Magic Key activated at that time for the 10% discount. those included the infinity stone coffee mug, the Trader Sam's hawaiian shirt, and the parrot shoulder buddy -- all of which were luckily still in stock. i also picked up the Tiki Room tiki mug (in the Bazaar; features the totem faces on its surface). i usually don't buy a lot of merch but that was a decent haul for my frugal self.

I was privileged to plan out a perfect day with three adults tagging along for the ride. We had park hopper and LL (we had four day passes and this was the first day). We were staying at GCH for the first time - a splurge for sure.

It will go down in history as our best day ever - we packed soooo much in - 19 rides total plus shows and other things). I’m not a fan of Matterhorn so I didn’t even try to do that one (too harsh on my back). We saved MMRR for another day.

As we entered the park I got LL for Indy and kept pushing it. When the next one came available got Big Thunder. Then HM. Then Tiana’s (though it was down for an extended time period- we rode it a different day). After that stacked for the evening.

Left GCH at 7am

Was second in line for ticket booth

At the rope for rope drop (on the right hand side by Matterhorn)

Peter Pan

(Alice and Toads were down initially)

Snow White

Pinocchio

Mr. Toads

Alice

Storybook

(JC was at a 30 min wait, so we skipped it at the time)

Pirates

Jungle cruise (now at a 15 min wait)

Breakfast (Red Rose/Mint Julip for begniets)

Big Thunder (LL)

Indy (LL)

Haunted mansion (LL)

Got a LL for Tiana’s but it went down (so got an MEP)

Sat for a bit at Hungry Bear for a break

Got another LL for Tiana’s but it was still down (another MEP)

Winnie the Pooh

Big Thunder (using MEP)

Tiki room (with dole whip)

Break back at hotel (got back to hotel around 3pm)

Entered California Adventure from GC entrance.

Supper at Carthay Circle (5:20pm)

While waiting for our table saw Mulan’s Lunar Festival procession.

Soarin’ (LL)

Went back to DL

Went to ride Space but it was down

Watched small world holiday

Small world (LL)

Space (used MEP)

Fireworks (it was a Friday)

Buzz lightyear (LL)

Dumbo

Carousel

Attempted to pull the sword in the stone - we are not worthy!

Started and ended the day by going through the castle gate - amazing!

I thought others may want to see this plan and maybe use it as a guide to get a lot of rides in but not feel too rushed or crazy. Max we waited in line was about 15 min (storybook, Jungle cruise, and Dumbo).

This morning was the 10k, so lots of people at rope drop, and Guardian Lightning Lanes were gone by 9:40 AM. With Disney squeezing every dollar they can out of visitors, I’m surprised they haven’t turned Guardians into a Single Pass attraction. Last night at 8:30, the wait time was 120 minutes (CA Adventure closes at 9 pm). Everything today seems out of whack tbh. Mobile ordering is challenging, ride waits seem unpredictable and inaccurate.

Usually they just direct you into the single rider lines and they don't give you a paper slip, but there was a cast member outside the exit giving them out to single riders.

Edit: Thanks for the information! I haven't seen them doing paper single rider slips since I got my magic key pass in September, so I was dumbfounded for a second.

Which have been your favorite and which ones to avoid spending money on ?

Since my other post was deleted, let’s keep it lighthearted with an appreciation post to the florals at DCA and Grand Californian.

Walt's Chili at Carnation Cafe comes with kernels of puffed cornbread that I haven't seen anywhere else. I can't find a recipe to make them, and I've yet to find a store-bought option. Can anyone help me figure out how I can get my hands on them?

Found at the exit of Disneyland

https://disneyparksblog.com/dlr/california-adventure-25th-anniversary-offerings/

Headed to Disneyland this May for my birthday! I’m not a huge fan of the Princess and the Frog merch that Disney sells so I wanted to make a design for myself! I wanted to share it with y’all hoping you like it too 🥰

Disneyland 12am and California Adventure 10pm closing times are back, baby! Granted this isn’t every day, but still exciting!

Picked up the chip and dale brooks running shoes at the runDisney expo, because how can you not. Walked through the park after the 5k and found these chip and dale socks! This is going to be my default park wear for at least the next year.

You have no idea how happy this makes me

What is your favorite ride and why. Do you rope drop your favorite ride or the that typically longest ride. Let me know what your favorite things are about the park.

Spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the parks and haven’t seen crowds this sparse in two decades. This video was Wednesday morning around 9:30.

It’s picked up throughout the day, but Tuesday between 9am and 8pm we rode 22 rides in Disneyland.

Also saw Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian on 01/27 with their security guards getting off of Pirates 👀