Let’s Get Ready To Gumball!
I know what you’re probably thinking…WHAT is the Micechat Gumball Rally? To put it into its simplest form, it’s a contest/scavenger hunt in which the goal is to visit as many Disneyland attractions as possible in the time allotted. It’s the MOST fun you will ever have at Disneyland, I promise you that! Upon registration, teams of anywhere from 2 to 4 run around Disneyland (Not DCA) from opening all the way to sundown, trying to cram in as many attractions as possible. The winner receives a one of a kind trophy made out of a gumball machine, where a talented artist has crafted around it to depict a famous ride from the parks. This year, the star of the show was the Materhorn, but the trophy also had the monorail and Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage! Being my first time in The Gumball Rally, I was in awe of the trophy’s beauty and wanted to win badly!
My team consisted of my bestfriend Jennifer (@Randomly_riley) as well as our friends Leah Green (@cutebowdaddyo) and her daughter Abby Shayne (@theabbyshayne). Our team name was “Livin’ La Vida Yoda” and we were all decked out with maracas (thanks Leah!) and cute “The Child” accessories from Buckledown Products (thanks Jenn!) We we’re ready to win! Due to my distance from Disneyland, I knew being local beforehand was key, because check-in for Gumball was 6:30am sharp! I would like to thank The Howard Johnson Hotel of Anaheim for hosting my stay, and allowing me to be walking distance from not only where i needed to check-in, but also the parks themselves.
My teammate Jenn and I were up at 5:15am to get ready for the Gumball Rally. After all, it might be early but i still want to look cute! Once we we’re ready to walk, we grabbed our coffees and headed out. Due to checking in at an event the evening before, all we needed to do was grab our lanyards and rule books. That was a bonus because girl, that line was no good! After hearing an overview of the rules and getting our books, it was time for everyone to make a mad dash to the park. Most of us we’re honestly heading to get that all important “Rise Of The Resistance” boarding pass, and the lines to get in were CRAZY! Somehow, we all made it into the parks by 8:04am, and snagged boarding group 130 for Rise, the highest it had ever gone. That was not a good sign, but that’s okay, Rise wasn’t listed in the rule book as an option and we had a job to do. It was time to head on some rides and visit some attractions!
The handbook that was given to us had the rides and attractions listed that we’re apart of the competition. Each ride or attraction had a point value to it, so depending on the value of the ride, that would help you determine your strategy. Most fast pass rides were only worth a point, which was a bummer to me because those are the rides I go on least due to being a mom. Once you boarding a ride or visited an attraction, you would need to answer a question on your handbook about the ride, as well as take a picture with your team and numbers and email it in to a specific email. That way, it prevents any cheating or planning ahead. Each year, the questions and rules change, allowing everyone to have an even playing field. We had NO strategy and just wanted to enjoy ourselves and the experience, as we we’re all first timers.
We started in Fantasyland and worked our way around most lands. Not all stops we’re rides, but “attractions” such as walking through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and visiting Mickey Mouse. Depending on the ride’s point worth and wait time, we decided to just have a blast and not worry about being first place. We only stopped for a few bathroom breaks and lunch, and hustled as fast as we could from ride to ride. Due to the popularity of Rise Of The Resistance , the parks we’re very crowded that day, which made it hard to accomplish all of what was to offer.
The latest you could turn in your ballots was 7pm. Our team was beyond tired by 4pm and couldn’t hang on another minute. We decided to call it, and head to Disney California Adventure for an early dinner and celebratory margarita. By the time we finished our meal, it seemed there might be a beacon of hope that we could ACTUALLY ride Rise Of The Resistance, so we decided to head back to the Howard Johnson Hotel to wait it out. The awards ceremony for the Gumball Rally was anticipated to begin around the time that our boarding passes could be called, so we made the hard decision to miss out on the ceremony. It was a long shot, but I personally have never been on the ride and don’t have the opportunity to get a boarding pass or even stay long enough to board. This was different. I had a hotel room and nothing stopping me from this epic moment.
An hour after leaving the parks, we get notified our boarding group had been called. Not only had boarding group 130 NEVER been called before, it was also the final boarding group of the night. We had 45 minutes to scan our boarding pass or it was curtains. We ran as fast as we could down Harbor Blvd. to scan our tickets to get in and we made it! Over an hour later, i left the ride a changed person. This ride is not like anything I have ever ridden and I cannot wait to go on it again and again and again! I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, I know the process of even getting a chance to ride is grueling. But I can tell you this, it’s worth the hours of waiting for your boarding group to be called and it’s certainly worth the early morning wake up call to score one!
But back to the Gumball Rally…
Like i said, I’ve never done the Gumball Rally before. This was my first experience, and I was asked to be on a team, led by our captain Jennifer. I immediately agreed when I found out the entire point was to visit as many attractions as i could! That to me just seemed like the Disney dream! As a mom of two littles, I don’t get to visit all of the attractions that the park has to offer. I actually got to ride the rides i loved, without talking my way out of it due to a long line, etc. The added element of answering a question about the attractions made it more like a scavenger hunt, which was super fun! I will never miss a Micechat Gumball Rally in the future, as this is the dream Disney day! Registration is required, so be sure to follow Micechat on Instagram as well as on their blog for updated information on the next event, as well as up to date Parks info!
I would like to thank Micechat for sponsoring our event tickets and allowing us to experience this day! I would also like to thank The Howard Johnson Hotel in Anaheim for hosting our weekend stay, and allowing my family to relax while i rode rides till I dropped.
You can follow Micechat at:
http://www.micechat.comCome relax MINUTES from the Parks by staying at the HOJO! Click the link below to book your next visit:
https://bit.ly/2UJEqRaThe theme for this year’s Gumball Rally was to save the gumball “Child” which was a Mandalorian reference of the popular baby Yoda from the show. I am happy to report that the Gumball child has been saved, but sadly we did not place in the top 75 teams overall in points. Oh well, there’s always next year. Long live Livin’ La Vida Yoda!
I absolutely LOVED my outfit for the day, because it was cute and functional. Some of the pieces I already had in my closet, and some I bought specifically for the day. I linked the pieces still available, as well as some alternatives for your purchasing needs:
Balancing Blocks 