As fate would have it, my birthday fell on the weekend that Pixar Pier finally opened. I had some Hotels.com rewards saved up, so as a birthday gift to myself I decided to go.

The night before the big day, I was ready. My alarm was set to wake me up at 6, my clothes were picked out, and my bag was packed. I fell asleep with Buzz and Woody dancing through my head.

6:00 AM: I apparently turned off my alarm when I tried to hit the snooze button.

7:00 AM: My second alarm (which was supposed to be when I was going to leave) went off and I maybe freaked out a little.

7:15 AM: It’s amazing how quick I can get ready when I think I’m going to be late for something super fun. I was able to grab some of my hotel’s continental breakfast to take in the car, so I was on my way.

7:30 AM: I was staying at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Orange County, which is just a quick trip up the 57 freeway in Placentia, so I  was getting off the freeway onto Ball by 7:30.

8:10 AM: After sitting in line to park for 40 minutes – the parking line was backed up several blocks in every direction – I finally got into the parking structure.

The line for the tram was about as long as the line for parking, so I skipped it and walked to the parks. By

8:20 AM: I got in line at the California Adventure gate – along with probably 2,000 other people.

8:25 AM: The gates opened early so that they could clear the plaza. As soon as I cleared the gate I opened the Disneyland app and got a FastPass for the Incredicoaster that started at 10:00. Score!

8:55 AM: The rope dropped and everyone ran. to the pier. By the time I got there the standby line for the Incredicoaster was all the way out to the Pixar Pier archway. I stood there for a couple minutes trying to decide if it was worth it – it wasn’t.

9:10 AM: The line for the Pixar Pal-A-Round was practically non-existent, so I put on a brave face and went in one of the swinging cars. Never, ever again. From the top we could see the line for the Incredicoaster had extended out to the Ariel ride, and then looped around to Paradise Gardens. Rumor has it the line was 3 or 4 hours long.

9:40 AM: I was still waiting for my FastPass time, so I decided to get a Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num to eat while I waited in line. Definitely worth $6, but next time I’ll make sure to split it with someone.

10:00 AM: THE INCREDICOASTER WAS AMAZING! I loved everything about the re-theming of the ride. I don’t want to give it away, but take a deep sniff at the top of the second big hill. It should remind you of Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train.

10:30 AM: The line for the Lamplight Lounge was already getting long, and that was the only other thing I had planned to do, so I sat in line.

11:00 AM: They seemed to be having some technical difficulties with their reservation system, so we all waited some more.

11:30 AM: Lamplight Lounge finally started taking names for walk-ins. Since I was by myself, I was seated within 5 minutes of getting to the front of the line. I sat at the downstairs bar, which I loved because I got to see all of the different drinks as they were being made. I ordered the Ratatouille and The Sequel and my only complaint was that there were mushrooms in the ratatouille that weren’t listed on the menu.

12:30 PM: I walked around and took a bunch of photos on Pixar Pier and in the rest of California Adventure.

1:00 PM: I decided to stand in the single rider line for the Incredicoaster, since once was not enough! The line was still pretty long, and took about 30 minutes.

1:45 PM: The Pixarmonic Orchestra was playing every hour, so I took the opportunity to watch the show. They were awesome, and they definitely made me want to buy some Tripledent Gum. Does that even exist?

2:00 PM: I was tired. So, so tired. I went to the Animation building and just sat there for a LONG while. While I was there I took the Edna and Groot drawing classes at the Animation Academy. My Edna ended up decent, but Groot didn’t turn out great.

6:00 PM: I rounded out my Pixar Pier eating adventure with an Angry Dog. The hot dog was alright, but the theming of that stand is great. I love the ketchup dispensers more than anything else.

7:00 PM: I decided to stand in the Incredicoaster standby line so I could see what it’s like lit up at night. (Also, because twice wasn’t enough.) In my opinion: So. Much. Better. I noticed details that blended in during the day, and all of the tunnels were so much more vibrant. 10/10, would recommend.

8:30 PM: I ran out of the park before the Paint the Night parade started so that I wouldn’t get trapped in a corner somewhere. Sitting in the tram and then in my car was a blessing.