For Karli's 50th birthday this year, she decided that there was no place she would rather go than Disneyland. Planning was simple - Karli has become a seasoned veteran in terms of Disney visits - and we invited Karli's best friend John and her sister Stefanie to join us. John had never been to Disneyland, so he was eager to take advantage of our collective experience to introduce him to the park.
We had all been checking the forecasts for the weather during our upcoming visit, but it was only when I took a look at CNN the day before we left that I discovered that California was currently in the midst of the most serious storm that it had experienced for quite a long time. Record-breaking rains closed airports and caused flooding and mudslides, there had been four fatalities, and a state of emergency had been declared in Los Angeles and seven of the surrounded counties. Even more ominously, Disneyland had experienced closures due to the emergency. Obviously not an ideal time for travel, but it was too late to cancel, so we decided to carry on and hope for the best.
Surprisingly, we experienced no delays as a result of the chaotic weather conditions. Our flight left on time and landed without any problems, our Uber seamlessly delivered us to our Disney-adjacent hotel, and Disneyland was scheduled to be open over the course of our three-day passes (although rain was on the forecast for the first day and part of the second day).
Fortunately, Karli had the foresight to purchase rain ponchos for the group just in case, which turned out to be the ideal garment for the weather.
As forecast, rain was definitely the theme for our first day at the park - not quite torrential, but certainly a steady solid downpour.
The result? Limited attendance at the park, and far shorter lines than the norm.
We all got a bit wet - even the best rain gear will only keep you so dry over the course of a full day - and we obviously couldn't go on any outdoor rides, but we were generally comfortable, and the lack of crowds allowed us to visit favourite rides like Smuggler's Run and Indian Jones multiple times.
It was one of those rare occasions when clouds actually had a silver lining.
- Sid
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