Oogie Boogie 2021

 One day, as I sat visiting with some of the family, I made a comment that went something like this: "Would it be crazy to get tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash, drive down just for that, then drive back?".

Everyone in the room was in. We called Kaylee. She was in! We called Braden, and I honestly expected a firm NO, but he talked with Michelle, and they were in! I was so stoked! The Elquist Eleven were going to experience Disney all together!

The plan took a few iterations to firm up, but in the end, it went pretty flawlessly.

Seats in the cars was going to be an issue, but if there's one thing I love, it's Enterprise Rentals here in Spanish Fork. I rented a minivan for the weekend.  They even only charged me for two days, which was great!

Dallin and Braden went in early to work. Michelle somehow left on time, which is amazing for school employees! Kaylee and Alyssa worked from here. The only bummer was that Jason couldn't get off work until 6. We decided to leave at 4, and have him meet up with us in Primm. Braden, Michelle, Mason and Parker were in one vehicle, while the rest of us were in the van.

The ride down was EPIC! We had put together a playlist on Spotify, and it was fun to hear people's selections. There was a LOT of LOUD singing! We had dinner at the Wendy's in Beaver, and rolled into Primm around 10 pm. We stayed at the Primm Valley Resort and Casino. I probably wouldn't stay there again. It smelled, and felt dirty and old. The room next to us had TWO yapping dogs with them. I decided to call the front desk, just to discover the phone didn't work. I gave up, and I think we pretty much slept through our inconsiderate neighbors. I saw them in the morning, and they were exactly what I pictured. Pure trash. The man in a dirty wife beater tank top, with a cigarette behind his ear. The woman, well, I'd have to borrow a phrase from my Dad. It originally referred to a horse that was ridden, and then not brushed down after. She looked like she had been rode hard and put away wet. And she had a nasty laugh. I realized it wouldn't have done me any good to try to talk with them. Anyway, they weren't raining on our parade!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jRYsKNwgbJQyorjvNHFFr?si=a2da3c2f7bb54fed

My timeline said we should be on the rode by 8 am. Well, I tell you what, we were ahead of schedule! We were parking by 12 pm in the Mickey and Friends parking structure. So dang cool! It had been two years since I had made it here. TWO YEARS. I was so excited that I forgot I had prepaid for parking. DOH! That's $25 I won't be seeing again!

Two quick complaints. Disney is still not running the trams, so the walk from parking to the actual parks is LONG. Combine that with the heat pushing into the high 90s, and we were a sweaty mess. I had forgotten a hat, so my first purchase was one of those!

Our first order of business was lunch. Downtown Disney was very busy, but we only waited about 30 minutes to get a table for 11 at Tortilla Joes. Man, I love that place. The service was great, the food incredible. When it was time to go, Parker started loading up his backpack with his leftovers! Too funny.

We did a little shopping, but around 2 the line started forming to get in for Oogie Boogie. We jumped in, and actually had our wrist bands and were in California Adventure by 2:40 pm. We gained 20 minutes of park time!

We headed to Soarin'. Mason is well over 40 inches, and Parker just made the cut. One of my favorite things was seeing the parks through their eyes. They simply loved Soarin'. I was not aware that ride had some jump scares, but the hawk got Parker and the plan did it for Mason!

I hadn't been on Grizzly River for years. It was always too cold, or we just didn't want to get wet. Mason had watched some YouTube videos of it, and he was pumped! Parker's a bit short for that one, but Braden, Jason, Alyssa, Dallin, Traven and I all went with Mason. He giggled and smiled the entire time. After the last big drop, he said, "I could go for some more speed!". We were soaked, but what a memory we now have! And, I had brought my slides just in case, so I had changed into them so I wouldn't have wet feet all day long. And don't worry, the others didn't suffer. They hit up Little Mermaid while we were busy.

 

We did Pixar Pal Around, always a hit with the youngers ones. I used the time to mobile order drinks and pretzels, and I was soon enjoying a jalapeño cheese pretzel in all its warm, smooth deliciousness.

Next, it was time for the Incredicoaster, which some did twice. That line was moving quickly. I don't understand why it is not more popular. It is one of Traven's favorites. 

Fun story about Jason. You see that picture up above? Well, Jason had a bad cough. Not covid, not a cold, but probably his annual bout with bronchitis. We didn't want to panic people in the park, and cough medicine and cough drops weren't cutting it. We called Grandma Sally, and she suggested a Phenergan, plus a Tylenol with codeine. Jason already had already taken some cold pills, plus something for motion sickness. In the end, he had no cough, but he was a bit, well, stoned. In that pic, he appears to have discovered that he has hands......

Braden and his family rode Jesse's Critter Carousel while we did Incredicoaster, then we all went on Toy Story Mania. I didn't set any score records, but I did help Mason figure out what to do!

We were a bit rushed at this point. My one regret is that, in my excitement, I kept leaving others behind. Sorry Braden and Michelle. I did always realize I had lost you and made sure we caught back up!

Radiator Springs Racers was next. I think it was a bit noisy for Mason, but he and Parker still loved it I think.

Another favorite moment was Traven overcoming his fears and going on Guardians. It's now his favorite ride! It's just hard to beat MONSTERS AFTER DARK!

We rode Maters at some point. It's all a blur. Parker fell asleep, so Braden and his crew branched off.  The rest of us ate at Pym's Test Kitchen. We then had an hour left. Jason and I went to Web Slingers, while the rest went to Soarin' and then shopping.

Pym's had a great panini. When I got it, it seemed smaller than I expected, but it was SO YUMMY! I was exhausted and totally forgot about mobile ordering at this point. Oops. That was a bit of time wasted.

Web Slingers was fun, but I don't see how it maintains its popularity. The technology is cool. You shoot webs by moving your arms. But it is low motion, and really just rotates between 4 different scenes. I'm still glad we did it, though.

Oogie Boogie merchandise was non existent. That was a bummer. 

Braden drove through the night and was home early Sunday. I don't think I could do that, but I have to admit, I was pretty jealous that he was home and we were just starting! We took our time. Slept in a bit, breakfast at Dennys, lunch at Raising Canes. Oh, and we had to pick up Jason's car which we had left in Primm. We arrived home Sunday around 10 pm, exhausted, but having created some great memories. It was Dallin's first time doing Disney with the Elquists. I hope he enjoyed it!

Would I do it again? Yes, but with a few changes. It felt so wrong to not go into Disneyland. And it felt weird to not experience any of the Oogie Boogie Bash. I think two days is the minimum for this type of adventure. And I'd want to break up the drive back. Somehow I'd want to get two days in the parks. I am also starting to feel a bit old at times. Physically of course. I'd probably want some more rest time budgeted in. It was a LOT for one weekend!