I had the Ford Flex throughout the deluge last week, and here's the reason. We had house-guests who flew from Portland to escape the rain and snow. D'oh! The plan was set in concrete with fly-or-die plane tickets so we were going to Disneyland come heck or high water. The good news is the Flex proved the perfect 6-passenger vehicle, once again, and even better, the Happiest Place on Earth proved to be the Emptiest (and Soggiest) Place on Earth.
Okay, here's the actual shot of six aboard the Flex, but after the storm had passed. Of course, those smiling faces were caused by the incredible amount of leg room, shoulder room, luggage space, and 5 sunroofs the Flex affords and have nothing to do with Southern California sunshine. The girls were too busy eating goldfish and pretzels to comment.
Ironically, the guy in the green shirt, Mark, is the go-to guy for anything related to microcars for the entire North-West region of the U.S. and he's hosted all the Great Pacific Northwest Microcar shows since 2004. Here's a link to the Vintage Microcar Club, and here's a link to an article on his Subaru 360 complete with flames. Needless to say, he was utterly disoriented by the scale of the 2009 Ford Flex. "I bet I could haul my Messerschmitt back here," he said, and I bet he could.
Here are a few shots from Disneyland. It was so empty we literally walked up to rides and sat down without a wait. In fact, we just stayed in our seats and rode again a couple times because there was no line of people waiting to take our seats. That (almost) never happens.
"It's not that bad, just a little drizzle..."
"Hey, it's starting to clear..."
"Quick, get inside Mini's house..."
...and finally, the rain relented. Does anybody else think a shot of a snow-capped Matterhorn at sunset with a silhouetted palm tree is three kinds of awesome at the same time?
Of course, we stayed until the girls had come down from their first-ever cotton-candy sugar highs which happened to coincide with the park closing (early) at 8:00 pm.
I hope you enjoyed the photos.
Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton @ 45,534 miles
carguy622 says:
09:25 AM, 01/28/10
While I can be a crabby cynic, there is just something about Disney that I love unmitigatedly.
hybris says:
09:48 AM, 01/28/10
This gives me a idea for ad tag line.
You find the happiest people in a Ford.
I know Honda used it first but its been 40+ years and they may not have copyrights over the line anymore.
throwback says:
10:06 AM, 01/28/10
How much where those Disney ponchos? I was in Disney World a few years back and bought the most expensive sweat shirt in history due to a cold snap in Fl.
lmbvette says:
10:26 AM, 01/28/10
...and here I thought this was going to be another caption contest.......
carguy622 says:
11:41 AM, 01/28/10
@throwback: A few years ago my then girlfriend ignored my advice and wore new sneakers for our trip to Disney World. Of course, they hurt her feet. So she had to buy the world's most expensive pair of Keds with an embroidered Mickey on the heel.
cwalton1 says:
01:33 PM, 01/28/10
One happily dry woman in the above photos reports the Disney ponchos cost "$6.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids -- and worth every penny!"
Chris
firstwagon says:
03:12 PM, 01/28/10
We're planning on flying to the US next November to take the kids to DisneyLand. I'm hoping for sun and no crowds.... am I just dreaming?
golfgti4789 says:
05:55 PM, 01/28/10
I work at disneyland, there $5.95 for both kids and adults :)
stovt001 says:
10:16 PM, 01/28/10
Firstwagon,
I'm a former Disneyland CM (cast member, aka employee). Early November is the best time to go, in my opinion. Halloween crowds are gone, Christmas stuff is up, but the Holiday crowds don't get really heavy until mid-November. The weather tends to be pretty nice that time of year too - comfortably warm and sunny.
A tip: Disneyland's main attendance problem now is overcrowding due to an explosion of Annual Pass holders. Since APs are barely more than a single day ticket and can be paid for with monthly payments, economic conditions led many locals to buy an AP and have that be their entertainment budget for the year. Given the large local market, APs now number close to 1 million. To get the lowest crowds, go on Disneyland's website and find the days most AP levels are blocked out. The AP crowds are so crazy that sometimes Holidays and Saturdays are less crowded than weekdays due to AP blockouts.
Send me a message if you want any more tips.