Disney: Last day

It was here all too fast: our last day at Disney. We got up early to leave plenty of time to check out of the hotel, park the van in the Disney lot, and take the shuttle back over to the park in time for opening. We opted to do California Adventure first to run over to Radiator Springs Racers one more time. Yeah, that didn't happen. The line (within minutes of opening) was out the entrance for Racers and down the street in Radiator Springs. A 90 minute wait. No. We hopped in the super short line to do pictures with Lightning McQueen instead.

We wanted to do the Monsters Inc ride one more time and ended up just missing a chance for pictures with Sully. But the boys got to wave as he walked by, which Nathan seemed perfectly happy about.

We grabbed some Starbucks, did some gift shopping for our awesome babysitter who was house/dog sitting for us for the week, and then headed over to Disneyland. The boys were super excited to do pictures with the Storm Troopers, although they don't let the troopers stop, so we did a quick photo as they slow walked through Tomorrowland. The troopers were also very interested in the R2-D2 mouse ears hat that I was wearing.

After John took Nathan through Space Mountain (Aiden was still traumatized from California Screamin' and Space Mountain makes me want to hurl), we did our final rounds of character experiences by heading over to Toon Town.

We finally got Aiden over his roller coaster fear by going on the one in Toon Town. We did that one twice in a row. I think the boys had a lot of fun in that area of the park - we had some trouble pulling them away from the TNT. :-)

The castle was going through some upgrades, so we were treated to a lovely painted drop cloth over the castle. Oh well. At least they made the drop cloth pretty!

We finally got Aiden on Thunder Mountain Railroad after Nathan had gone it about five times (FYI, don't do that one three times in a row. It's one of my favorites, but ugh) and of course he loved it. We explained Aiden's fear to someone in line and the guy said, "Oh yeah, NEVER do California Screamin' first!". 

We needed to sit for a while after multiple runs on Thunder Mountain, so we popped into The Golden Horseshoe for something to snack on. We sat ourselves down in the very front a few minutes before a show started. I love their shows and this one did not disappoint.

John was pulled up on stage with two other guys to compete - blindfolded - for the love of the mayor's....um..."daughter".

Yeah, it's a dude in a dress. The boys were hysterical with laughter.

After "she" asked a couple of questions of each of them, with each answer they gave being more insulting than the last (John was the only one fed lines - that's why the tall guy in the hat continued to stand right next to him), John was finally declared to be the love of "her" life.

The boys loved every second of this.

I love this picture. It shows just how big the guy really is. I had this one printed.

John had been given instructions to run off stage once the blindfold was removed, which the boys thought was the most amusing thing they'd ever seen. This show was certainly a highlight of the entire trip. I laugh whenever I look at the pictures.

Later in the afternoon, we headed back over to Innoventions to do the Captain America meet and greet. It wasn't as fun as the Thor one, but they do take each family in one at a time instead of cramming 30 people into a room which gives Captain America time to chat and have fun with the kids. Aiden was shy, but Nathan ate the whole thing up.

I know I said Nathan was a bad driver.....but then I rode with Aiden.

Our last ride of the trip was, you guessed it, Pirates. I'm not sure how many times we did that one. I lost count after seven.

We stayed until closing again, even though we had a drive down to Carlsbad ahead of us. I was seriously sad to leave. Three days had been more than enough when the boys were 4 and 2, but I really think we all would have been happy as clams with a five day visit this time around. Absolutely just perfect ages for Disneyland. We're already looking forward to the next trip.

A few things from this visit: 

1) Disneyland has done an amazing job taking food allergies and sensitivities seriously. I had made reservations at various restaurants throughout the park ahead of time and notified them of John's gluten sensitivity. In each case, the chef came out to our table to discuss the menu with John and give him suggestions for what he could safely eat. I was seriously impressed.

2) I know it's their thing to make their guests feel welcome, but we didn't once run across a grumpy employee. Any time I had a question, even if they had a huge crowd around them, they took the time to provide an answer with a smile and, in most cases, ask how we were enjoying our stay and where we were from. We didn't feel at all rushed during character experiences like we had five years before, even with a long line behind us.

3) It is absolutely 100% worth it to get a hotel directly across from the park. Also, make the reservations five months in advance.

4) Get a Disneyland travel guide. Even if it's only to plan out where you're going to eat, it will save time and money since you can know ahead of time what they serve and how much they cost.

5) Get a locker. It's worth the $3 a day to not drag everything around the park.

Next up.....we leave Disney to head down to Legoland!

Disney: Day 2

Yep, despite not having a chance to just sit and blog for two months, I'm picking up right where I left off!

Day 2 of our Disney trip started with Magic Morning (which honestly felt super crowded for something that is supposedly limited to certain ticket holders). We only did a few rides during that hour because those were the longest lines of the entire visit, then John ran over to grab Fantasmic FastPasses before they ran out.

We kept ourselves very busy throughout the day, doing some rides over and over again. We opted to NOT do Star Tours more than once though. Since they've added in the 3D aspect to the ride, it makes us all totally nauseous. 

Call me weird, but I love the Jungle Cruise. The guides are super fun and sarcastic and they each put their own little twist on being terrible. I got called out for my Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) shirt. Over the speaker system, he said, "I'm going to assume the Atticus Finch lady is an English major". I responded, "Librarian". He countered with, "Same difference".

 We JUST missed Genie!

 Nathan is an awful driver.

Even though my family complained their faces off, we headed in to the Innoventions building to do the Thor meet and greet. They have pieces from the movies (including Loki's helmet - which is what I really wanted to see) and I had been told from friends that it was a super fun character experience. Yes, it was mainly just for me but the boys ended up thinking it was awesome. Mostly because....

Nathan was chosen by Thor to attempt to pick up the hammer!

 It was great! And then we got to have a family photo with Thor. Look for it on this year's Christmas card. Yes, I'm serious.

We had worked up quite an appetite throughout our day and had reservations at Cafe Orleans (same food, less $$$ than Blue Bayou - albeit without the awesome setting). I stuffed myself with the amazing Disneyland Monte Cristo, which I had been looking forward to for a few months. Ok, I won't lie - I'd been craving the thing ever since I'd had it in 2007.

After dinner (and yet another ride through Pirates), we found our spots for Fantasmic. Disneyland certainly knows how to do their shows. It was beautiful.

We stayed until closing again and then headed into downtown Disney for ice cream. It was another night of falling asleep before our heads hit the pillow for sure! One more day left at Disney....

Disney: Day 1

The next morning, we woke up early to head over to the Disneyland Hotel for our breakfast reservations. The boys had no idea we had reservations for a character breakfast, so you can imagine the excitement when we walk in to Goofy's Kitchen and there's Goofy.

We had never done any character dining before. I think it was super fun, and I liked that it wasn't rushed or crowded. The downside is that you really pay for that relaxed time with the characters. And Disney doesn't tell you how much it's going to be until you get there. Holy dollar signs, batman. I had some idea as to how much it would be, but oy. However, I don't regret doing it and I'm glad we were able to give the kids that experience.

 Aiden is in his "I'm too cool for smiling" phase. Nathan, however, exudes joy in every single photo. 

After breakfast, we were just in time for the gates to open at California Adventure. Getting through the gates is a slower experience than it used to be because they take your picture if you're going through for the first time of your visit. Then when they scan your ticket any time after that, your name and picture pops up on a little screen so they can make sure no one else is using your ticket. It's interesting, but does take up more time.

We were surprised to find that 30 minutes after opening, all of the Fast Passes for the new Radiator Springs Racers were totally gone. Hmm. We decided to wait on that one and hit up Bug's Land first. Nathan had been too small for a lot of rides last time we were there, so it was fun to not have to worry about that this time around. Really, the boys are the perfect ages for Disney.

After that, John wanted to check wait time for Tower of Terror. Aiden had been boasting about how he was "extreme" and would do any "extreme" ride, but as soon as he saw it, he proclaimed that he would not be riding it. But Nathan happily said he would join John, much to the surprise of all of us. I was happy to get out of going on it (I have never been on it and never want to go on it), so I sat with Aiden while John took Nathan on the ride. I was SO nervous about Nathan going on it. Once they were off, Nathan said it was "awesome" but that he would not go on it again. Apparently he had cried as they were going through the more environmental haunted/ghost stuff and that's what nixed any future trips on it for him. John said the picture that is taken during the ride was hilarious because Nathan had gone to his happy place and looked like he was sleeping peacefully as they dropped to their doom.

We did get to Radiator Springs Racers (SUPER FUN!), which ended up being the longest ride wait time of the whole trip at 45 minutes. We never had to wait more than 30 minutes for any ride, and most were at 15-20 minutes of wait time. There's something to be said for going in the off season, even though quite a few rides are closed for repair.

Even though Aiden had refused to go on Tower of Terror, he did go on California Screamin' with John, which turned out to be a bad idea. He went silent and pale and then refused to go on any roller coasters the next day. And by refused, I mean started screaming and crying when we tried to go on Big Thunder Mountain. We did get through the rest of the first day before he freaked out over roller coasters though. Nathan and I relaxed on King Triton's Carousel while John and Aiden had the living daylights scared out of them on California Screamin'.

We had never been on the big Mickey ferris wheel, so that was our next stop. Did you know they have some stationary cars and then others that glide back and forth as you go around? I flatly refused to go on a gliding one and barely made it through on a stationary car. I kept my eyes clamped shut the entire time, although from the pictures, it seems like it would have been a nice view.

 I hate heights. Hate. Crying and hyperventilating kind of hate. I managed to avoid a breakdown this time.

We watched the Pixar parade before heading over to try Goofy's Sky School. From the ground, it seems like a fun little roller coaster that doesn't go all that fast. It is a very different experience once you get on it. It propels you towards corners (which ends up looking like you're going to go flying off the edge to your death), then whips you almost violently around. I was screaming my head off and apparently tensing my entire body to the point of injury. I was so sore and disheveled once the ride ended, I could barely walk. John whipped out the camera to document the moment I stepped off the ride.

 Nathan enjoyed himself.

The most expensive corn dog ever.

But they were huge and delicious.

We were feeling a little done with California Adventure (since everyone except John had been traumatized on something) and still had another hour before Disneyland closed, so we ran over there to finish out our day. As it turned out, everyone was watching Fantasmic, so the rides were pretty much deserted. We rode Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates before the park closed.

That night, the boys were fast asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. We were all happily exhausted and definitely sore, but were looking forward to the next day's Magic Morning and a full day in the Disneyland park.