Alex2kMommy's First Trip to DL! (9/21 - 9/29/2006)

[Alex2kMommy]

Cast:
DH: 2 previous trips to DL, both more than 20 years ago! Loved it then, really looking forward to sharing it with us.
Me: A Disney virgin, though a long-time fan, back to the days of the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings.
DS6: Disney and Pixar fan, especially Woody and Buzz. Greatly admires pirates, especially Capt. Jack even though he's never seen the movies.
DS2: Also a Disney and Pixar fan, loves Winnie the Pooh, as well as the Toy Story 2 characters.

This was our first family vacation in four years, and our first as a family of four. It took some doing to convince DH that it was time to go to Disneyland. Even before we had kids we had planned to take our child to Disneyland at age 5, and when our son arrived, that would have meant going in 2005. But we had a little surprise when DS2 came along in 2004, and since we really weren’t interested in going with an infant, we waited. It seems once the Disneyland seed was planted, I just couldn’t get it out of my head, and finally convinced myself and DH that taking a 2 year old to Disneyland would be ‘magical’!

We were originally scheduled to go in April. I had immersed myself in the DIS since January (yes, I lurked awhile), and had daily itineraries, packing lists, purchases of drink mixes, Body Glide and moleskin in hand. (I didn’t even know what moleskin was until this trip!) But DH wound up in the hospital two days before we were to leave, so we had to cancel. Fortunately we were able to reschedule, timing it for late September to hit the tail-end of the 50th celebration. But for some reason I couldn’t get as excited about the trip again. Park hours and events changed, the itineraries I’d prepared were useless, and I couldn’t bring myself to create new ones. DH confidently said, “We’ll have plenty of time, we can wing it!”


THURSDAY, September 21

Finally the big day arrived! We headed to Sea-Tac airport, and took advantage of the curbside check-in, Once all the paperwork and ID was shown, I went into the terminal with the boys and carry-on bags, while DH wrapped up with the checked luggage and tickets. I waited and waited for DH, and finally after about half an hour he entered the terminal. I asked what the heck had taken so long, and he said that DS2 was on the TSA’s ‘no fly’ list! DH, in disbelief, told the ticket agent, “But he’s two!” and she snorted back, “Well, I can see that.” Whatever the problem was, it was obviously straightened out, as he was finally cleared to fly.

Going through Security upset DS6 a bit. He was the first one of us in line, and the security woman gruffly told him to take off his shoes. DS6, having been told about personal space and private parts and not allowing people to things he thought were not OK, said a definite, “No!” and looked at Daddy for reassurance. The security woman was annoyed at this, and snapped to DH, “He has to take off his shoes, or else you’ll have to step aside and you will not be allowed to board the plane, even if you don’t have anything.” Oh, for cripes sake! DH was getting annoyed himself at her overreaction and gently told DS6 to remove his shoes, pointing out that everyone was doing it and it was for our safety so the security folks could check the shoes. Then he told the security commando that she could do herself a favor and speak a little kinder to children, especially when they don’t understand why things are being done like the adults do.

We finally made it to our gate, and grabbed some coffee and a snack. DS2 wanted to run around, so DH took him out of the stroller and let him, thinking it was a good idea to burn off some energy before being cooped up on the plane. DH and I took turns trailing after him down the gates and back many, many times.

DH thought it smart to take DS6 to the bathroom before we boarded, so off they went. DS2 promptly urped breakfast onto himself and the shoulder straps of the stroller. I managed to get him out of the stroller without spreading the mess, and when DH returned I took DS2 to the ladies room to change while DH tried his best to clean the stroller straps. I was able to strip DS2, suds up his chest and shirt, and change his clothes (thank goodness we had a spare set in carry-on) so he was as good as new in no time. And even bouncier than ever! The entire time I was stripping, washing and re-dressing, he was bouncing up and down like Tigger. Good grief, that boy has so much energy!

We then boarded the plane, and I found myself sitting on one side of the aisle with the two boys, while DH sat across the aisle from us all alone. One obviously-experienced mom passed through and chuckled, “How come you never see dads sitting with the kids, it’s always mom?” and I confessed I didn’t really know how it had happened. DH just grinned happily.

We waited quite awhile for take-off, and finally a flight attendant announced that the plane had a flat tire that needed to be changed immediately. We were underway half an hour later, and the boys did just great with the take-off, they were even giggling as they got pressed into their seats by gravity.

It didn’t take long for the boys to get antsy, so DH pulled out his PSP and let DS6 play, and brought DS2 over to his side of the aisle for some attention. The boys swapped places a few times, and DH and I swapped places as well, then it was time to descend.

Once off the plane, we followed the signs to baggage claim, then hauled all our stuff to the Alamo car rental counter. We had reserved a mid-size, but they were all out. The clerk gave DH the usual song and dance to pay for an upgrade, but DH declined. DH said if they wanted to GIVE him the full-size that would be fine, but he wasn’t paying any extra. So we got a nice full-size car, which JUST fit all our luggage into the trunk, got the boys settled into their carseats in the back, got the AC and radio going, and hit I-5!

DH hit the carpool lane almost right onto the freeway, and it made a huge difference! Southern California’s freeway is busy all day long! It took maybe half an hour to get to Anaheim, and then we drove in circles trying to find the Disneyland Hotel entrance. We finally found our way onto Magic Way and into the driveway for the hotel, rounded a bend and saw a huge Mickey statue welcoming us! DS6 loved it, but DS2 wasn’t saying a word…because he’d fallen asleep! So DH parked in registration parking and went in while we waited in the car. In 10 or 15 minutes he came back out and told us to grab everything to take to our room.

DS2 woke up (of course) as I put him in the stroller, but spied the Mickey statue and started squealing, “Me Moushe! Me Moushe!” We strolled into the main building lobby (in Marina Tower), walked straight through and out to the inner courtyard, right next to the pool. COOL! I saw the Mickey Sorcerer’s Hat, and DH headed into the building right next to it, which I knew must be Sierra. “Honey, this isn’t the right building,” I said. DH assured me that it was, our room was Sierra Tower, 9th floor, room 2754. “They told me you requested this building.”

I did not, I requested a waterfall view room in the Bonita Tower. But I was so tired, and looking down toward Bonita Tower at that moment, it seemed very far away. So we went to our assigned room.

We stepped into the room, which seemed like a pretty standard hotel room at first glance. One long room with two Queen beds, with the bathroom just to the left of the entrance. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding glass door with a railing at the far end. DH immediately went to adjust the AC while I went to open the curtains. The view of the pool area was breathtaking! Tick-Tock the Crocodile was looking right at us! DH opened up the sliding doors, and the boys stepped out onto the balcony, which is perhaps a foot deep. It looked like thin plywood flooring, so I made the boys step back into the room, but it was just too tempting for them, they couldn’t stay away. DS6 began begging to go for a swim, and DS2 started to climb the balcony railing, so Mean Mama closed and locked the sliding doors and said we need to eat and get groceries first.

We headed back out into the courtyard and toward the lobby. As we rounded the bend at the pool area, DS2 began to kick and squirm in Daddy’s arms. We looked up and were stunned to see Goofy walking toward us! I told DH, “Put him down, let him go!” And when Goofy got down on one knee and held his arms out wide, DS2 ran into them. Oh, wow, we’re really here! My son is hugging Goofy! What a Kodak moment it was, so heartbreakingly beautiful that my eyes welled up, and as I fumbled around for my camera I realized that I’d left it in the hotel room. I mean, who takes a camera to the grocery store, right? (Sigh.)


We piled back into the car and drove to Mimi’s (which we’d seen while driving around in circles) and had a very early dinner. (It was around 4:00pm, I believe.) Then we drove until we stumbled across Food4Less, and picked up a flat of water bottles, some snacks to carry into the park, liquid and gel toiletries, and milk, cereal, plastic bowls and spoons for early breakfasts in the room.

We hauled all of this from the DLH guest parking lot (on the roof of a building) to our room, then took a little rest. Somehow the TV came on, though none of the boys (including the adult one) would admit how. We discovered a channel that seems to have nothing but Power Rangers on 24/7, so I have a pretty good idea who the culprit was. DH got clothes put in drawers, suitcases in the closet, grooming necessities in the bathroom, food in the empty space of the TV/fridge cabinet.

Finally, it was nearly 7:00 pm, and I said, “Guys! We’re in Disneyland, and you want to watch TV?” DS6 said, “No! Let’s go to the pool!” Ooooh, so not the answer I was looking for! DH was ready to go for that, but I appealed to his thrifty nature, “You know, we paid quite a bit of money for those park tickets, and I really hate to not use one of the days, even if we can only use it for one hour.” DH’s cheap side won out, and we headed to the park!

We walked through Downtown Disney, which is an experience all on its own. Music is playing in various locations, lights are twinkling, lots of eye-catching storefront window displays and wonderful restaurant smells wafting out from doorways. The ESPN Zone, the Rainforest Café. Ooooh, there’s a Lego store! Look, the World of Disney store! Awww, the Anne Geddes store, I love her photos! We see the trams… But I’m not seeing how to get into Disneyland…? And long lines up ahead…they’re checking bags on your way out of Downtown Disney? What on earth for? To see if you’ve spent enough?

Turns out that is the security checkpoint for entering the parks. They look through the backpack, the camera bag (just to see that it actually contains a camera), and the stroller basket, and we’re through! Then we get to stand in an even longer line to get into Disneyland! Wow, who’d have thought people would bother with only one hour remaining? Other people, I mean…

The CM checking our tickets is Rolanda, a middle-aged woman with a big, bright smile and a cheery, “Welcome to Disneyland. Have a wonderful time!” WOW. My first experience with a CM. Awesome already!

Once we’re through the gate we see the 50th logo and Mickey topiary made of flowers. How cool! Even DS6 comments on how neat it is! I tried to get his picture by it, but he didn’t want to. So we pushed on through the tunnel to the left. There’s a plaque above the tunnel. I wanted to get a picture of it but the crowd was pushing at a pretty fast clip, so I figured I’d get it another day. (I don’t think I ever did, now that I think about it.)

Through the tunnel (actually an overpass for the Disneyland Railroad tracks), we found ourselves in a plaza of sorts. The Main St. train station was up the stairs to the right, City Hall and the Firehouse to the left. Up ahead I saw the stretch of Main St. shops. I loved the old-town feel of the buildings and paint colors and signs, and the streetlamps. We walked along the street, gawking left and right as we go, and came to another circular plaza, and the Partners statue. Good grief, there are sidewalks going in 6 or 7 directions from here, which way to go first? We opted to take the first left, and proceeded into Adventureland! I noticed several familiar-sounding signs, for the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones Adventure, Bengal BBQ. By now it was dark, so not seeing a whole lot to do yet. We came to Tarzan’s Treehouse, and DS6 asked if we could go there. DH asked what it was, and I told him it’s a treehouse to climb and see a few things to play around with. He offered to stay with DS2 if I want to go up with DS6, so we did.

DS6 followed other kids up the stairs, and we climbed, climbed, climbed very quickly. There didn’t seem to be much sensory stuff yet, but I couldn’t remember exactly what people had said you could play with. Once at the top DS6 glanced around, then wanted to head down…so we did. Near the bottom other kids were playing with a rope, so DS6 waited his turn, then tried to climb it a few times. I took his picture. There were some other things to touch, metal bowls to ‘drum’ on, a ‘moving picture’ thing to crank, but DS6 pretty quickly was bored and went back to the rope for a few more minutes, then we left to see what else there was to see.

Adventureland morphed into New Orleans Square, and the only reason I know this is because I knew the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is in New Orleans Square! We thought that might be too intense for the boys to start out on, so we pushed on, up and around the Haunted Mansion (which was closed for the Halloween overlay) and into Critter Country.

This is the area that my boys would move into if they could. DS6 saw those logs coming down the waterslide, and instantly wanted to try it out. Since he’d never been on ANY kind of ride before, I thought it best to start on something gentle, but he could not be persuaded otherwise. So Daddy agreed, and I waited with DS2, and worried a bit. While we waited, I chatted up the Splash Mountain entrance CM, who was very friendly and talkative about his experience. He’s on the college internship program, and getting a degree in Marketing. Part of his experience involves surveying guests about the park, which I thought was interesting. He’s not just working the ride the whole time, there are times when he works with marketing folks at Disney and actually goes out with a survey and talks to guests. Perfect for a Marketing guy! After a lull in our conversation I noticed the Winnie the Pooh ride was just across the path. I asked the CM if he thought that would be a pretty quick ride (the line for Splash Mountain was long, and it looked like no line for Pooh), and he said yes, it was a shorter ride as well as a shorter line. So DS2 and I headed over there.

DS2, of course, had no idea what we were doing as we got strapped into the yellow hive with seats! But as soon as those doors opened into Pooh’s world, he was captivated! I loved all the bright colors and cute scenes, especially in the dream sequence, which uses blacklight and blacklight/ glow-in-the-dark paint! As we returned to the outside, DS2 clapped in pure happiness! We exited the ride, didn’t see DH or DS6 anywhere, so I said, “Do you want to go see Pooh again?” He grinned and nodded vigorously, so away we went! It was just as charming as the first time, and my heart swelled to see my boy so happy.

After exiting again, we still didn’t see DH or DS6. I returned to the stroller at the Pooh entrance, but didn’t see them up there, either. Then I remembered the ride photos, and headed back to the area where you can view and buy photos. I explained that I was looking for my husband and son who had just gone on the ride, just wanting to see if they’d come through yet or not. We looked and looked, but couldn’t find their photo. She began to look at the more recent photos (taken after we’d started our search.) Then out they popped from the ride exit, both very wet, and DS6 couldn’t stop grinning and giggling. He’d had a blast! And just then we found their photo – Priceless! DS6 was on the front seat of the log, hunkered down with a huge grin on his face. DH was right behind him, holding him down and also sporting a huge grin. I bought two copies, one for DS6’s souvenir/autograph book, and one for the family album. DS6’s first ride, Splash Mountain, turned out to be his favorite. And DS2’s first ride, the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, was his favorite as well.

We headed out of the park, and as we walked through Main St., DS6 saw some sort of Buzz Lightyear “lightsaver” toy, he called it. He wanted us to get it for him, but I said no. I told him there would be lots of things he would like to have, but we can’t possibly buy all of them. He had Disney Dollars of his own to spend, but at that point we were tired and just wanted to go to bed. This caused a long whine that lasted all the way out of the park and halfway through Downtown Disney.

Despite that, we enjoyed all the lights and music as we walked. DH couldn’t pass by the Lego store again without going in, so we stopped. Outside the entrance is a sleeping man built of Legos, sitting on a real bench. When we got close we heard a snoring sound coming from the Lego man, so cute! I tried to get DS6 to sit next to him for a photo, but he was too afraid to get that close. He had no trouble, however, snuggling up to full-size Lego R2D2 and Lego Darth Vader in the store! He and DH were in hog heaven, though DS2 was a bit bored. The center of the store had small tables and lots of Lego pieces out for kids to play with, and DS6 happily made a beeline for that. We had to pry him away after 10 minutes, because he did NOT want to leave. It had been a long day, and were happy to crawl into bed that night, tired but satisfied, and excited about tomorrow!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

FRIDAY, September 22

I woke up and wasn’t feeling well; before leaving Seattle I’d picked up medication for a sinus infection. I wasn’t sure if the nausea was from the antibiotic or from the sinus infection, but I wasn’t about to miss out on a day at Disneyland! I made coffee in the hotel room, which was truly awful, even DH wouldn’t drink it. We had a light breakfast of cold cereal before heading out to the park.

We entered Disneyland and headed to Fantasyland. The first ride the boys noticed was King Arthur’s Carousel, so DH took them for a ride. Both boys loved this ride, but since I was trying to take pictures and feeling nauseous, I had to stop every now and then because the spinning was getting to me…and I wasn’t even on it!

Next stop was the Storybook Land Canal ride. The line didn’t look that bad, but good grief, did it move slowly! Just as we got to the front of the line, a group of adults with disabilities came through and were assisted onto the boat. One poor guy tripped on the way in and fell and scraped his knee bad enough to bleed. Their caretaker was immediately ready with gloves, an antiseptic wipe, and kind words and touch. Very impressive person! There was just enough room for the 4 of us to join them, so we boarded as well.

The boat sails into the mouth of a giant whale at the outset, which impressed DS6 a lot. Then it meanders around the canal which has miniature trees, shrubs, homes and other buildings along its banks. The ride itself was calm and pretty, perhaps a bit boring though, and not helped by the CM’s commentary, which was delivered in a very nasally, monotonous voice.

I so wanted to get photos of the boys on the Teacups, and DS6 agreed that they looked like fun, so they got in the short line. I love all the pastel-colored teacups with their different designs, and the brightly colored Chinese lanterns hanging overhead. DS6 really liked the spinning, and kept trying to turn the wheel in the center of the cup to increase their spinning, but DH kept trying to hold it still in case one of them turned out to be a bit motion sick. Fortunately all was well, and they had a good time. And I got some beautiful shots!

Onward to another childhood dream to be fulfilled: It’s A Small World! From the outside it looks like this beautiful white and gold building, with a big ornate clock face and animal-shaped topiaries. Of course the interior was a display of international, animatronic dolls representing the different nations of the world. The song is very repetitive, but it was a favorite of mine as a child, and the words change to different languages as you move through the ride. I loved it, and would have loved to go on it again during our stay, but we never did.

The boys took their first ride on another classic, Dumbo. I was hoping to see a golden Dumbo out in front of the ride, but it had been removed already, too bad. This also had a very long line. Once the boys got close to the entrance, the CM came around and passed out a hard plastic black feather (representing each Dumbo on the ride) to those next in line, then as they settled into one of the elephants, the CM collected the feathers and passed them to the next group to ride. I liked this, because it helped the boys know when it was their turn next.

We decided to walk down a path out of Fantasyland that leads to Frontierland, and we had our first in-park character interaction! We came upon Jessie the singing cowgirl. As much as DS2 loves Buzz and Woody, he adores “Dessie” just as much, if not more! He was so happy to meet her and get her autograph. DS6 refused to go up with DH and DS2 to meet her, so I have pictures only with DS2, though I think DH got DS6 her autograph anyway.

We ate lunch at Carnation Café on Main St. We had stopped to use the bathroom near there, then realized the café line wasn’t very long, and it looked like a nice place to sit outside at a table with an umbrella. DS6 had a kids hotdog meal, which came with cute round fries cut like smiley faces; DS2 had a mac & cheese kids meal, DH had turkey club sandwich, and I had a chicken-bacon croissant sandwich. Everyone enjoyed their respective selections, and the waiter was attentive but not intrusive. After the boys finished eating, they began getting a little rowdy and noisy, and we apologized to the older couple at the table next to us and assured them we’d be leaving as soon as we could pay for the meal. They said the boys were just fine, they had grandsons so were used to their energy level. They were very nice and watched the boys indulgently, which in turn made the boys turn up the charm.

We decided to head across into California Adventure for the first time, since we wanted to get the Mr. Potato Head parts that day so the boys could play with them through the week. There was a line to enter the park, so we took a moment to snap a few pictures of the CALIFORNIA letters.

We walked through the Sunshine Plaza and stopped to admire the big Sun sculpture and fountain. I think DS6 and I could have stayed longer just to watch and listen to the water, he really seemed to enjoy it and dragged a bit in moving on down through the park.

We hung a left and entered the Hollywood Backlot area and strolled down that street. We loved the big backdrop at the end of the street, which made it look as if it continued on forever and had a perennially blue sky with just a few puffy white clouds for interest. The funny thing was the actual sky was almost the same blue, but had no clouds whatsoever. We stopped for a snack or potty break there, then went on the Monsters Inc ride, which had no one outside of it at the time. The walkway inside the building wraps around a bit, and that’s where everyone one was! Along the way there are billboards for Monstropolis and a TV monitor showing breaking Monstropolis news. The waiting area looks kind of like a bus station or maybe a train station. It didn’t take too long to get in a taxi and head into Monstropolis. DS2 enjoyed see Mike and ‘Suddy’ and Boo, and at the end Roz said in her bored, rough voice, “To the woman in the 3rd row, you have two beautiful children.” I automatically said, “Thank you”, thinking my family was alone in the cab, but there IS a third row, and it contained a woman and her two children! Had to laugh at myself on that one.

I was really hoping to take the boys to Turtle Talk with Crush, so we headed to the Animation building. It was going to be a while for the Turtle Talk, so we wandered into a small room with displays of rough animation sketches to cells of various characters. The boys were a bit bored and began to run around, so we got out of there and went in the lobby area of the building to wait for Crush. We had the place almost to ourselves as people came in and went into the different rooms off the lobby. DS6 sat down to watch some cartoons that were running, while DS2 discovered a moving spotlight running around the floor, and he began to chase it. I was tired and had just sat down, and since no one else was there for him to disturb, I let him run figuring it would make for a good nap. DS6 soon joined him and they began running into each other and nearly into other people as they came through, so we all had to sit for a bit. After maybe 10 or 15 minutes’ wait altogether, folks were being let in for Turtle Talk, so we joined them in waiting outside that door.

There were seats in the back of the theater for Turtle Talk, but the CM encourages children to sit on the floor up front, so we sat on the floor. The CM asks everyone to call out to Crush, and then he appears. The animation for this is very well done, and I have no idea how they make it interactive, but it works so well! He taught us how to call a whale, and then one comes and fills up the huge screen. He calls people ‘dude’ and ‘dudette’, asks kids funny questions about what they eat and what they like to do, and answers questions from the audience. DS6 was too shy to ask a question and I honestly couldn’t think of anything clever myself, so we were pretty quiet, but enjoyed the whole experience.

As we exited Turtle Talk we found the lobby area to be very crowded, and quickly realized that there were lines established for three characters in there! We saw Mickey, a princess (I believe it was Cinderella), and Woody! DS2 started jumping up and down when he saw Woody, so we got in line. Once again DS6 refused to go and meet a character, which really surprised me since Woody is one of his favorites. We didn’t push, just took DS2 up for his greeting and autograph.

On our way out of the building we nearly bumped into Hercules, who was on his way in. He greeted my boys with a friendly, “Hey, guys!” but since they aren’t familiar with his story, DS6 gave a casual wave and ‘hi’, as if he sees Hercules every day at school, and walked on by with DS2 trailing along. It was kinda funny, but also a bit embarrassing. My apologies, Herc!

Before leaving California Adventure we stepped into Engine Ears Toys shop to fill up a couple of Mr. Potato Head boxes. We had brought 3 ‘potatoes’ in our luggage, and were planning to use this toy to occupy the boys in the hotel room. (When he was packing the potatoes, I asked DH why we needed three of them, and he looked at me like I was nuts. Silly Mama!) There weren’t all the pieces for an entire Disney character outfit, which was a bit disappointing, but we did find some great pieces. I love the tourist Goofy hat with the long floppy ears, and the autograph book and pen. I think DH and I both did a great job filling the boxes, stuffing in extra arms and ears and eyes at the end to get as much as possible.

DS6 also found the Buzz Lightyear ‘lightsaver’ toy he was begging for the previous night, so we allowed him to buy it with his own Disney Dollars. It was actually a laser gun shaped like the ones used on the Buzz Lightyear ride, and when you press the trigger, it has lights that spin at the front and it makes a really obnoxious, high-pitched whine. I swear this must be The Most Annoying Toy On Earth! If I hadn’t already had a headache, this would have given me one. As it was, I was ready to throw it away before we even reached the hotel. He kept that sound going the whole walk through DTD, and I finally asked him to stop because passersby were looking at him with annoyance. All he knew was that he’d waited so long to get his hands on this toy, and now that he had one, he wasn’t allowed to play with it. So unfair!

Of course he began to play with it again in the privacy of our own room, and in very short order I just couldn’t stand it anymore. After asking him several times to not press the trigger, I finally took it away and put it up on top of the large TV cabinet in the room. It wound up staying there for the duration of our visit. Oy!

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel before heading back to the park, so we headed to Hook’s Pointe. The theme was pirates (and ties into the Peter Pan/Captain Hook pool area theming), even the kids menus could be folded into pirate hats, what a cute idea! DS2 actually wore his for a little while, until he got a little too rough and it tore. He looks like quite a charming little pirate, even if I am his mother.

DS2 wanted the hotdog kids meal, DS6 ordered the mac & cheese kids meal, and I ordered a pesto pasta dish that turned out to be a tomato-based sauce and a bit spicy, with chunks of chicken sausage. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling very well, probably from the headache, and this meal did not sit well. Still, it was something in the tummy.

We walked out the back way of Sierra Tower and into a nice palm-tree-lined lawn. Nearby was a small, pretty white gazebo which is used for weddings on the DLH grounds. There is also a small flowerbed with a trio of topiaries in the shapes of Pluto, Mickey & Minnie.

The DLH Sorcerer’s hat at night is fun to look at because it has little lights that flash off and on periodically, as if it just became alive with magic. It also had a round seal with a logo for the 50th.

We re-entered the park in plenty of time to see the fireworks. I was surprised at how many people were in line to go in! A lot of people must leave mid-day and re-enter, and probably a lot of locals just getting off work were coming in for the evening.

I was also surprised that there were characters in the plaza as we entered Main St.! I thought they were out only in the afternoons and were gone by 5:00pm, but it was about 7:30 or 8:00, and Mickey and Minnie were out, and I believe Goofy and a few others!

We stood in line to meet Mickey, and this is one of my favorite photos from our trip. Both boys are just beaming on either side of Mickey. Finally we meet the mouse that started it all!

We headed up to Main St. and the Partners statue. Already, 1.5 hours before the fireworks, all the bench seats were taken, and many, many people were sitting in front of the castle and the walkway between the Partners Statue and the castle. We stood at the railing next to a lamp post just in front of the Partners Statue, just to the right of the walkway. There was a teenage couple to the right of us, and a couple near our age in front of us on the walkway. The teenagers seemed friendly enough, and the boy struck up a conversation with DS6, which I thought was very sweet of him. DS6 enjoyed talking with him and having someone not treat him like…well, a 6 year old.

After standing around a bit and smelling the popcorn cart just down the street, I asked DH for some money so I could go get some to settle my stomach. I waded out through the crowd and got in line for popcorn. It took quite awhile to get to the front of the line; I think the guy was doing booming business and had to get more supplies delivered to him, and the new pop and plastic popcorn buckets arrived just as I got to the front. I ordered two buckets (for a whopping $10!) and returned to our spot. The boys liked the buckets, which had lids on them, and ate some of the popcorn, not much. I, on the other hand, really chowed on the other bucket! I guess I hadn’t eaten much dinner, and the popcorn was really hitting the spot.

The teenage girl next to me suddenly asked, “Don’t you think that Disneyland is for kids?” Since this was my first trip to Disneyland and I was having the time of my life, I said, “Well, I think Disneyland brings out the kid in everyone. There’s something here for everyone to enjoy.” That apparently was not the answer she was looking for and she pressed on: “Well, don’t you think if you had seen the fireworks 260 times and someone else hadn’t seen it once, don’t you think the person who had seen it 260 times should give up their seat to a child or someone who had never seen it before? Wouldn’t that be the nice thing to do?” The specific nature of her question made me pause and wonder what the heck she was talking about, and why is she asking me? There happened to be a bench on the other side of the teenagers, and she was raising her voice loud enough so that others nearby would hear.

I know from other DISers that people stake out the benches early in the afternoon, and I did not agree that someone should give up their seat if they’d been on it all day with the intent of being comfortable at fireworks time. I hadn’t been willing to come sit here all day to be assured a seat, so if someone did so, who am I to demand their seat?

DH then leaned over and told me there’d just been a little tiff between the teenagers and the older woman on the bench. The teenage girl had been leaning on the railing when we arrived, but while I was getting popcorn she sat down on the railing with her feet inside the fenced-off grassy area. She was not touching any plants or anything, but just the fact that she was on the railing made the bench-sitter snap at her: “Hey! You’re not supposed to be there, get out of there!”

Teenage Girl told the woman that she wasn’t stepping on anything and was being careful, but that wasn’t good enough for the bench-sitter. She continued, “You’d better get out of there before I call Security! I’m a cast member, and I know what I’m talking about! I’ve seen this fireworks display more than 260 times and no one is supposed to be in there!” Now, had it been me chastising the teenager, I certainly would not have admitted to being a cast member while being rude to a guest. Nor would I have bragged about how many times I’d seen the fireworks display, what the heck does that have to do with anything?! But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about a ***** older cast member who has seen the 50th fireworks display 260 times…

So the girl reluctantly turns around and swings her legs over the railing, but was still leaning against it. BOCM did not find that acceptable, either, and continued to gripe at the poor girl. Her boyfriend then stepped in and told the woman to pipe down, and so BOCM started in on him. DH, finally getting annoyed at all the venom spewing next to his two young sons, stepped in and told the woman, “Look, she did as you asked, now just shut up and relax!” Apparently the other person on the bench was BOCM’s husband, who felt the need to stand up and get in DH’s face for speaking rudely to his wife. DH by then had used up his quota of patience for the day, and said, “Listen, old man, she was being a ***** and you know it. Now sit down and both of you just shut the hell up! That’s enough!” DH of BOCM apparently thought better of taking on my DH, so they finally did as asked, not one peep the rest of the night. Whew! And to think I missed all that excitement!

Not too long after I returned, DS6 grew restless. The poor boy had been standing in a crowd for half an hour with nothing to do or look at. And we still had another hour to go before the fireworks would begin. DH asked if I’d mind if he took DS6 on a few rides because he was so bored. I said that was fine, but be sure they were back before the fireworks started. He looked at me and explained patiently, “Honey, by the time the fireworks starts, it’s going to be so packed in here there’s no way we’ll be able to get back to this spot.” I wanted them to stay with me and enjoy the fireworks together, but waiting another hour? That’s too much to ask. I reluctantly said that was fine, and we’d meet up along Main St. at the end. They happily ran off like two kids playing hooky.

So I chatted a bit with the teenagers, found out he’s Tony from Auburn, CA, and they’d last visited Disneyland many years before, so this was their first visit during the 50th celebration. We talked about the fireworks, the parades, what our favorite rides were and more. (Finally! A chance to wow others with my DIS knowledge!) We got to talking about Walt Disney, and she asked me, “Is he dead?” I said yes, and she asked when he died, but I couldn’t remember. She then asked if Walt Disney was his real name, and I said it was. She then marveled, “Wow, how weird having the same name as a park!” I tried not to laugh, really I did…

For some reason, about 15 minutes before the fireworks were to begin there was a loud boom that sounded like it came from Frontierland. I checked my watch and wondered if they were starting the fireworks early for some reason, but there was nothing after that.

And just about that time, yet another unpleasant woman pushed through the crowd from behind me. People leaned out of her way to avoid getting hit by all the bags she was carrying, and she apparently took that as an indication that they wanted her there. She stopped next to me, and turned around and bellowed for others to follow, but they refused. Someone, I think her more polite DH, said there was no room and they should just stand behind everyone else. She had already pushed her way in, and instead of retreating to discuss, she stood there bellowing at this man across the sea of people! He refused to step in the middle of all the other guests, even with her barking at him to do so, and she finally screeched in my ear, “Fine! I guess we just won’t even watch the fireworks! We should never even have come!”

They retreated and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, not two minutes later she barged back through again, pushing and bumping people out of her way, moving further forward this time and stepping over those who were seated on the walkway. They leaned out of her way as well, and she seemed to take this as a sign that there was plenty of room. She pressed on until she literally could not move any further. And surrounded by people reluctantly squishing their own loved ones, The Queen finally sat, without her family, to watch the fireworks at the front of the crowd.

Finally the moment came, and the music and a fabulous fireworks display began! I leaned down to see if the booming noise was bothering DS2 at all, and I found him fast asleep. Asleep?! All right, so I enjoyed it alone, or rather in the company of a few thousand strangers…

Some of the pictures I took were blurry, but much to my surprise some were pretty good! I found myself gasping at some of the fireworks, because they were so big and so beautiful and so fast, just as one began to fade another took its place in the sky! About 2/3rds of the way through there was a series of very loud booms, and that did wake DS2 up. He wasn’t scared at all, just suddenly wide awake and looking at the castle, probably trying to figure out what the heck was going on. So I hunkered down next to him and we enjoyed the rest of the display together. It was just spectacular, and I was so glad he was able to see it with me.

It was over all too soon, and it was kind of funny how people stayed in place, still looking at the castle. I thought at first that something else was supposed to happen, but it didn’t. So at the first opening in the crowd, I turned the stroller around and joined the crush of people heading down Main St. I had no idea where DH and DS6 might be along the street, but figured we’d be moving so slowly there’d be plenty of time to see them. I watched the front end of the stroller to make sure I wasn’t bumping into anyone, and I never got bumped, either. I was traveling down the center of the street, trying to keep the stroller wheels out of the streetcar tracks, when I spotted DH and DS6 near Coke Corner. I slowly made my way over to them, and we walked together out of the park. It’s pretty amazing, really, that people were fairly orderly, patient with one another, and for the most part polite when someone was trying to move left or right within the crowd. I have no idea how many people there were in that crowd, but I am sure it took no more than 10 minutes to get out of the park.

DH and DS6 had gone back to Critter Country to ride (big surprise here) Splash Mountain! Since so many people were gathered for the fireworks display, they were able to almost walk onto the ride 4 times in a row, and had an absolute blast! As they passed through New Orleans Square they heard the same too-early boom of fireworks, and so stopped at the riverfront to check it out. DH said there was a short display of fireworks there before the one behind the castle began! (was this the beginning of Fantasmic perhaps?)

They walked back to Main St. through Adventureland and stopped near Coke Corner. Couldn’t see the castle, but had a nice view of the fireworks, probably much more enjoyable being out of the crowd a bit. We had a very pleasant walk back through Downtown Disney to the hotel.

 

[PrincessMira]

this is such a great report! thank for writing.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Great trip report, thanks for sharing. Makes me even more anxious to get there next month!!!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

aww that was such a great TR....I really enjoyed reading it...wish there was more

 

[Alex2kMommy]

aww that was such a great TR....I really enjoyed reading it...wish there was more

Thanks, Princess, Pooh and Lynn! I will try to get the next couple days up soon.

 

[tinkermell]

Loved reading your report! Can you believe some people?? And to think they were CM's! Makes me want to report them. They need some "personality pixie dust" spread on them I would say!! Anyways, can't wait to hear more!

 

[dohgusgus]

So the girl reluctantly turns around and swings her legs over the railing, but was still leaning against it. BOCM did not find that acceptable, either, and continued to gripe at the poor girl. Her boyfriend then stepped in and told the woman to pipe down, and so BOCM started in on him. DH, finally getting annoyed at all the venom spewing next to his two young sons, stepped in and told the woman, “Look, she did as you asked, now just shut up and relax!” Apparently the other person on the bench was BOCM’s husband, who felt the need to stand up and get in DH’s face for speaking rudely to his wife. DH by then had used up his quota of patience for the day, and said, “Listen, old man, she was being a *****, and you know it. Now sit down and both of you just shut the hell up! That’s enough!” DH of BOCM apparently thought better of taking on my DH, so they finally did as asked, not one peep the rest of the night. Whew! And to think I missed all that excitement!

OMG. I can't believe the nerve of that woman. If she was a castmember, I would have asked for her name and told someone about it. I love the way your husband dealt with it, ROUND OF APPLAUSE. I would have loved to see her face

 

[Alex2kMommy]

SATURDAY, September 23


Since it was Saturday and DL was likely to be very busy, we decided to take our time and hit the California Adventure park opening. We slept in a bit, then headed out for the park around 9:30. The boys were dressed in bright yellow shirts, orange and blue Nemo baseball hats, and Mickey shades, and ready to rumble! There were lines to get into the park, so we took a moment to take some pictures of the boys on the CALIFORNIA letters.

We entered the park pretty quickly, and I just tried to get the lay of the land a bit. Shop to the left, bathrooms and stroller rental to the right, with Engine Ears Toys just past the bathrooms. We headed to the Bugs Land, figuring there’d be plenty for the boys to do there. Right at the entrance you see ‘plants’ that immediately dwarf you, and I loved walking in and seeing all the giant-sized vegetation and objects.

Even though I haven’t read too many good things about it, we headed to Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train and boarded. The boys actually loved it, and I loved all the bright colors. I forgot to sniff for the watermelon smell, though, I am so disappointed! The ride was quickly over, and that was that. OK, I see what you all meant. But it was cute and made for some good pictures.

DS6 then wanted to head for Flik’s Flyers, so DH took the boys on that one. It’s also visually charming, but not much of a ride. Still, when your boys have never been to an amusement park before, anything is going to be cool, and so they still enjoyed it. DS2 tried to dash into Dot’s Puddle Park after that, but I managed to grab him before he got all the way in. Since we had just arrived, I didn’t want him to go through the rest of the park soaking wet. We walked through the Bugs Land stage area (where nothing was going on and there really wasn’t much to look at), and then continued on our way.

We continued on down the path toward the waterfront. DS2 wanted out of the stroller, so we let him loose. He ran down to a big open area next to the water, kind of an amphitheater with steps around it. He ran around in circles, ran up and down the stairs, and criss-crossed the floor many times. I was cheering him on in hopes of a good nap that day.

We came to the sunglass hut (which is inside a giant green dinosaur wearing shades, and DS2 stopped and gave a big, impressed, “Oooooooh!” We managed to pry him away and DS6 wanted to go on the Mulholland Madness rollercoaster right next to it. DS2 and I parked ourselves on a bench out front and waited while DH and DS6 took a spin. It wasn’t that busy, so when they exited, I suggested they go on a second run, and they said they already had!

We all admired the Orange Stinger ride, but neither DH nor I felt like going on it, and I think DS6 was nervous about going on a single-seat rid anyway, so we passed by. The boys were excited to see King Triton’s Carousel, so off we went. What a pretty carousel this is, populated with sea creatures of various kinds! DS2 sat atop a beautiful seahorse, while DS6 rode a big whale. I don’t know if it was because CA wasn’t very busy, but the ride seemed to go on longer than the King Arthur’s Carousel, and the boys just loved it.

From there we walked along the boardwalk in Paradise Pier. DS6 wanted to ride in the stroller, and DS2 wanted to push the stroller (uphill, no less), so I had plenty of time to snap pictures along the cute billboards and out of Paradise Pier.

We were pretty hungry by the time we walked past the entrance to the Grand Californian Hotel, so we went in to have a bite at Whitewater Snacks. The place was empty save for a few CMs at the register, and thank goodness, because suddenly my boys were struck deaf to their parents’ voices, running in circles, crashing into each other and giggling like maniacs.

DH corralled DS6 and picked out food for the two of them, while I tried to hang onto DS2 and grab our food. I didn’t realize right away that there was hot food, we first saw the prepared sandwich meals and bought them. We unpacked the childrens’ lunchboxes to get the boys started, in hopes that it would calm them down. Neither boy was interested in the PB&J sandwich, which for some reason had dried-out bread, but they quickly downed the milk and fruit or whatever came with it. DS6 tried to eat the chocolate-covered Mickey head cookie, but quit after one bite because it was so hard. Because the boys started their meal first, they finished first, and continued their rowdy ways, giggling and making noises and trying to wrestle and hit each other at the table.

We let DS6 up from the table to look at something in the doorway that caught his interest, mainly to get him away from DS2, thinking this would calm them both. DS2 had other plans, however, and upended the salt shaker all over the table, grabbed food and plasticware and threw them around, then crawled out of the high chair onto the table. DH let him loose so we could have a few bites in peace, but then we were chasing after DS2 as he ran around the other tables, rearranged chairs, and dashed out the door. Just as we had given up on lunch and were packing up to leave, a CM came up with a smile on her face and said, “May I give these to your boys?”

She held out two special straws, one with a Stitch figure attached to it, and one with Buzz Lightyear. Honestly, I have no idea what possessed her! My first thought was, “You gotta be kidding me, these boys?” These straws were selling in the park for around $4 or $5, and I couldn’t believe she was being so kind to these hooligans who were creating more work for her! But I blurted a stunned, “Sure” and thanked her profusely for being so kind. The boys magically calmed down and happily, quietly carried their new straws back to the hotel without further incident. I have since forgotten this woman’s name I so desperately wanted to remember, but it started with an “R”, and I am sure she is an angel in disguise!

DS2 and DH went down for a nap while DS6 and I headed to the Sorcerer’s Hat for a pirate rendezvous. The Disneyland Hotel offered a free Pirate Treasure Hunt for kids aged 4-10, and since DS6 is really into pirates now, we signed him up. We met up with two other families who’d also signed up. The three boys and one girl participating were then dressed like pirates, complete with black scarves, eyepatches, and a white skull ring.

They were informed that Captain Hook had stolen Michael’s teddy bear and taken it to the location of his hidden pirate treasure. The kids needed to locate clues that would direct them to the treasure. The first clue was somewhere near the Sorcerer’s Hat, and DS6 found it! It directed the children to find an “X” in the sand, so we headed to the cove pool, which has a sandy area next to it. Two palm leaves marked the “X”, and the kids began to dig. One of them located the next clue, which directed them to a hidden cave behind the waterfall. In this cave they found Michael’s teddy bear and a black treasure chest.

The treasure chest held gold and silver doubloons, which the pirates were allowed to take home, and they were also given certificates for successfully completing the treasure hunt! We had a great time, and DS6 loved all the new pirate items.

I hadn’t been through the waterfall area yet, so we returned and walked all the way around the various paths there. I took pictures, but they don’t do it justice, it’s really quite pretty there, and I love the sound of the rushing water. DS6, however, thought it too loud, and couldn’t wait for me to get out of there.

DH and DS2 were still asleep when we returned to the hotel room, so DS6 and I changed into our swimsuits and hit the DLH pool. DS6 immediately wanted to hit the big slide, and I finally gave in and sent him on his way. I waited just outside the roped off area where the slide dumps into the pool. DS was gone for quite a while, and I was beginning to worry. I finally stepped out of the pool and headed toward the stairs to the slide. DS6 was at the bottom of the stairs, holding back tears because the CM up the stairs had told him he couldn’t use the slide until he’d passed a swim test.

I wasn’t sure who we should see or what the test consisted of, but I told him we would find out right away. So we went back into the pool, and I asked one of the lifeguards, a CM named Amethyst. She pointed out a length of the pool that DS needed to be able to swim, and I honestly wasn’t sure if he could do it. But he really wanted to try, so she watched him. He got nearly halfway when he began to giggle nervously and couldn’t catch his breath enough to continue. Amethyst smiled and told him he was welcome to try again later, and he was so disappointed that he began to cry. I told him we would practice, and then get tested, but he insisted he could do it now, and started across the pool on his own. I walked along next to him, and he made it the whole way! I waved to Amethyst to let her know that he’d done it, but unfortunately she hadn’t been watching and needed to verify it herself. DS insisted on doing it again, so she focused her attention on him one more time. On this third trip he was getting a little tired, bobbing and dog-paddling most of it, but he finally made it, and she gave the signal that he was OK for the slide.

I thought this time I’d better go up with him in case there were any questions or problems. There was a bit of a line, but several adults, including a big burly man, and I overheard him tell another that it was a very slow slide, he’d actually gotten stuck and had to push himself along to get to the end. I’d seen women come down the slide and land gently on their feet in the pool, not even getting their hair wet, so I figured I could try the slide out myself. If I went down just before DS6, I’d be right there when he came through, and able to help him to the side of the pool when he comes down.

When it was my turn, I sat down in the waterflow, and pushed off when she gave the signal. At the first curve I picked up speed, zipped around the sharp second curve, flew through the third and then WHOOSH! I was airborne, my feet flew up, and I dumped gracelessly butt-first into the pool. Water rushed up my nose as I kicked around to get my feet under me, and I popped up out of the water, which was only about 4 feet deep. I swam to the side of the pool and turned to see DS6 fly down and plop into the water, then grabbed his arm to help him to the steps.

He was beaming and eager to go again, so we did. This time Amethyst had relieved the other CM and was at the top of the slide. She was so great with the kids, I was very impressed! She first was asking kids where they were from and their interests. (She had to hold them at the top of the slide until the previous slider had cleared from the bottom of the slide.) On later trips she was asking about their favorite character, and why.

I was so surprised when she asked me who my favorite character was! I don’t know that I have a favorite character, but the first story I fell in love with was Cinderella. That movie is one of my earliest memories, and I had a Cinderella watch when I was six. But the pesky little girl in front of me had said Cinderella, and I didn’t want to sound like a copycat! So I said, “Tinkerbell”, I suppose because she was part of the intro to the Wonderful World of Disney we watched every Sunday evening when I was a kid. To me, she represents Disneyland. Amethyst agreed that Tinkerbell was a good one, said she has a lot of personality and sass!

I went down the slide about 4 times, and DS6 went several times after I finished, and then we just swam gently around the pool awhile, enjoying the sun and warmth and being in the water. We got out for a bit to rest, and sat on a lounge chair we’d tossed our towels onto earlier. DS6 admired the painted toenails of the woman reclining next to us; she had bright red polish with sparkly flecks in it, very cute! (OK, it was a little weird. But he notices funny things, little things no one else probably even thinks of. DH is the same way.)

DS6 wanted to swim some more, so we went back into the pool again for a little while longer. I finally decided we needed to get back to our hotel room to check on the other two, but it was like pulling teeth getting that boy out of the pool! I saw someone use a phone beside the lifeguard stand, so walked over and punched in our room number. DH answered and said he and DS2 had been awake for awhile and just watching TV and playing with toys.

We needed to hurry and get cleaned up before going to dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen at 5:00, so we rushed back to the room to get ready. We showered and dressed in fresh clothes, and left a bit early.

It’s a good thing, too, because arriving 10 minutes early for our PS still meant waiting half an hour in line just to let them know we were there! Then we waited in another line to pay, and then sat and waited for them to call our name. About 10 minutes later, Pluto and a photographer showed up and began motioning for kids to come up to meet Pluto. DS6 didn’t want to go, so I took DS2 up. He hung back at first, but then Pluto motioned for him to come, and he walked up and gave him a hug, it was so cute! They posed for a picture, and then the photographer took a close-up profile shot of DS2 who was looking at Pluto, which I thought odd since it didn’t make for a very nice shot… He handed me a ticket to check back after the meal for our photos, and soon our name was called to enter the restaurant.

We walked past the main room with the buffet and were taken to a table in a little ante-room next to a big window. DH and I placed ourselves next to the window to give the characters easy access to the kids, and give me a good position for photography. A CM came to take our drink order, and told us we could get food at any time. The food selection seemed pretty good, both boys had Goofy-shaped mac & cheese and some fruit, while DH and I tucked into more adult fare, though I honestly don’t remember what.

When we returned to the table, Minnie was making her way through the room. She first approached DS2, who seemed to be unsure of her intentions. She touched him gently on the shoulder and he looked at her large gloved hand nervously. She then noticed his sunglasses sitting on the table, and picked them up and played with them. She opened them and then slowly placed them on his face, and he smiled at her, then they both turned to me with big grins. I called DS over for a picture with Minnie, but he didn’t want to, so I took one of the two new pals.

We took a few bites and then Snow White came through. What a pretty girl! I don’t recall that she interacted with the boys all that much, we got one quick shot of her with both boys, and then she was on to the next guests.

Then Chip came around! Goodness, they were coming through at a fast clip! It was hard to eat and keep up with our complicated autograph process, which involved selecting a color-coordinated piece of paper and pen, and putting it on a clean flat surface. I snapped a few pictures with Chip, who then took the time to write his name and draw his picture on the paper tablecover. After he left, DH moaned, “Don’t tell me, we need to take the tablecover with us when we leave?” I smiled and said, “Of course! But we can just tear off the drawing, we don’t have to take the whole thing, silly!” It’s so nice that he totally gets me!

Next came Goofy in his chef’s hat, who sauntered with all his lanky limbs swinging. He picked up DS6’s napkin and sneezed into it, which made DS6’s day! (We kept a diary for DS6, and this is what he mentioned as the funniest thing that happened that day.) Goofy dropped to the floor and sat with his arms out, motioning to the boys. I took DS2 out of the high chair and let him go to Goofy, and he happily snuggled into his lap. Then DS6 snuggled up to Goofy’s side and they both got a big hug. Great picture!

We ate for a bit, then there was a big clatter in the main room and Goofy began to speak loudly from there. This must be their big show where they get the kids up and dancing, so I grabbed the boys and my camera and we dashed out there as quick as we could. Unfortunately, everyone else was quicker, so I could barely see over all the bodies, and I’m sure the boys saw nothing but legs. DS2 pulled out of my hand and pushed his way through to stand in front of the beautiful Cinderella. She noticed him gazing up at her, and grabbed his hand to dance with him and a toddler girl. At the end, the crowd cleared a bit and I snapped a quick shot of Cinderella hugging DS2, and we were back at our table.

A pretty auburn-haired character in a simple white blouse and blue jumper began walking through the room, and I panicked. Who on earth is that? I went up to her CM assistant to ask, and was embarrassed to find out it was Belle. I wasn’t sure if the boys would recognize her, either, so when she came to our table, I greeted her and confessed that I hadn’t recognized her without the yellow ballgown. She said she felt like wearing something different that evening, and I agreed that it was nice to change things up once in a while, and besides, the thing must get cleaned some days! She was very sweet, though I don’t recall her spending a lot of time at our table, I got just one quick photo of her with both boys.

We had a belated birthday celebration at Goofy’s Kitchen for DS6, whose birthday had been the month before. We bought him a birthday bag, which they’d had waiting at the table for him. It contained a foam puzzle, a tiny maraca, I think some stickers and a cute pen. They also brought out a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate Mickey face on the top, complete with a lit candle. The staff sang a happy birthday song, and Goofy came back to sit down while DS blew out the candle. Goofy kicked back in a chair, twirled one of his ears around his finger, and basically had both boys giggling in no time. He is now one of their favorites. In fact, DS2 talked about “Gyoofee” so incessantly that DH bought a mini plush Goofy doll for DS2, so sweet.

Cinderella turned out to be our final visitor, and she was so lovely a person, I just can’t say enough about her. She bent down and spoke with each boy individually. Since DS2 doesn’t talk much yet, theirs was a brief conversation, but she really drew DS6 out and got him talking. I took a series of photos of the two of them, and he’s a bit tentative at first, then smiling and telling some involved tale, and she is gazing at him like he is the most charming little prince she has ever seen. Before she left, she asked DS6 if he would like to see how she kisses Dopey, and he nodded his head. She grabbed the tops of his ears and kissed him sweetly on the forehead. DS2 started squealing for a kiss, too, so she did the same to him and waved goodbye. Both boys proudly showed off their lipstick prints that evening. (Oddly, it didn’t occur to me until weeks later that this CM must also perform as Snow White; why would Cinderella be kissing Dopey?!)

On our way out of Goofy’s Kitchen, I stopped at the counter to view the photos taken before our dinner. There were three, and while the other two were just OK shots of DS2 and Pluto, the third one was spectacular! This was the profile, close-up shot that I didn’t think would be worth anything; however, the photographer had added Tinkerbell’s image to the picture, so it looked like he was gazing at her as she fluttered in front of his face. Call me a sucker, I just had to have it!

We returned briefly to our room to drop off our goodies, and then headed out to the park. As usual, our evening walk through Downtown Disney was filled with wonderful sights, sounds and smells. Three or four sets of musicians played, and one of our favorites was a violin player closest to the security check-point. We paused to listen to him briefly, and even the boys enjoyed the music. But we had so many places to see and things to do, so we continued on to the park.

We headed to the Innoventions building, something that DH and I had really been looking forward to. While we are both computer science graduates, DH is the bigger geek, having taken robotics and GPS courses, so we were hoping to see some really cool technical displays! As late as it was, we pretty much walked right into the next group headed in, and listened to the spiel for the home technology demonstration. I was a bit disappointed that much of what was shown was already on the market (such as the Roomba vacuum cleaner), and because we had to stand the whole time (and hold an antsy DS2 for much of that.) By the time we were let into the building I was pooped.

DH and DS6 found some computers and started in right away, while I chased DS2 around. They agreed to move along, and we found another set of computers that they hopped on, and so on. The only thing of interest to DS2 was the virtual fish tank, and the fish swim to wherever you touch the screen. Oh, and there was also a car that DS2 and DS6 wanted to play in (and so did many other children), so I had trouble getting them out of that one. By the time we hit the room containing health evaluation computers I finally found a place to sit, but that didn’t last. I couldn’t see DS2, and DH and DS6 were otherwise occupied. I told DH that I couldn’t find DS2, and he hadn’t seen him go by, so we ran back through that floor. We didn’t see him anywhere, so we ran through parts we hadn’t seen yet and finally saw him and caught him near a bank of exit doors. My heart was in my throat, and I was tired and near tears. And DS2 was in tears because we’d put a stop to his free-flying fun!

Nearby was a big, light-up IBM ball suspended from the ceiling, and a circular glass floor with beautiful blue glass pebbles underneath. The boys loved running around in circles on that floor, and finally fell down and posed for a few pictures.

ASIMO was not running (I think we were past the time of the last show), and I don’t even remember seeing anything about talking with Stitch, so I didn’t feel like I got a whole lot out of that building. Definitely not something to visit when you’re tired at the end of the day!

Once back at the hotel, DS6 begged to go to the pool. I had no interest in going, my back and feet were killing me, and I just wanted to shower and crawl into bed. So the indulgent Daddy agreed to take the boys to the pool; they changed into their swimsuits, and off they went.

I had a wonderful shower, dressed in my jammies, straightened up the room, and then decided I would do some journaling and postcard-writing while I relaxed in bed. Nice idea, but just as I got settled the boys were back, less than half an hour after leaving. “Why are you back so soon?” I asked, somewhat disappointed at the assault on my peace and quiet. DH pointed to DS2, whose lips were blue and teeth were chattering. Well, okayyyyy. So all the boys took a shower and got warmed up, dressed in jammies and tucked into bed.

DH offered to help me stretch out my back and legs, and rub my feet. At first I felt guilty, he must be so tired, too… But I was in pain, so I got over that quickly! He pulled on each leg one at a time, which made my ankles pop and stretched out my lower back. I also did some other stretches before retiring, and was then comfortable enough to fall asleep quickly.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reports ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Thanks, Minniespal! It's been fun for me to relive while writing about it.

I had journaled the first few days, and the last several, but had to recreate the weekend days from my photos and notes, so it's taking me awhile. Hopefully will get Sunday's up shortly.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

SUNDAY, September 24


Sunday morning I woke and, much to my surprise, felt great! No nausea, no headache, even my back felt pretty good considering how bad it was the night before. As usual, I was up before anyone else, so hopped in the shower and got ready before waking the troops. After a quick bite of cereal and another trip to the DLH Coffee Shop (and urging DH to buy the souvenir cup for its free refills), we were on our way.

The previous day we had stumbled across the Downtown Disney entrance of the Grand Californian Hotel, so we made our way there to enter California Adventure. We zoomed through the lobby and around the covered outdoor walkway, then zagged left just before Whitewater Snacks. There were two little turnstiles and a few tables for the security check. We were a minute or two early, and there were maybe eight people in front of us. This entrance is a sweet perk for onsite guests!

Once it was time, we stepped through the turnstiles and were near the Grizzly River Run. I remembered that this was a very popular ride, so we headed there. Naturally, DS6 wanted to go on it, and was tall enough, so he and Daddy took off down the line. A sign above had stated there was a 5 minute wait, but I think they pretty much walked right onto a raft. I noticed a walkway that went over the river, and strolled to find a good spot for photos. First I found a spot near the big drop, so then went back the other direction to see if I could get some shots of them just starting out.

The whole area is very pretty, and as I walked among the pine trees and rocks and dappled sunlight, I caught a faint skunk smell. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we’d play all day in the woods, what a life that was.

The loading platform is cool! It’s circular, with rafts attached all the way around it, and the whole thing rotates slowly. Once the raft is loaded with occupants, a ride CM checks to make sure everyone is strapped in, and then they’re let loose to float along a narrow path. By the time I spotted my guys they were near the end of the platform, so I snapped a couple quick shots, then ran back down to the waterfall drop. Somewhere in the back of my mind I noticed the skunk smell was gone when I zipped past the trees again, thinking it strange…

I waited for what seemed forever with my camera ready, and even began snapping pictures as soon as I saw a raft to make sure I got one of them when they came through. (Gotta love the digital! Not them? Delete!) Once they did come through, WOOHOO! They looked like they were having so much fun! And getting so wet! I laughed, and once they passed us, I pushed the stroller onto to a little bridge that crosses over the river. Their raft looped around and came back toward us, and it was a good spot for pictures. Every few seconds water came squirting up out of the river at certain points, surprising the rafters with another cold dousing. Everyone had that surprised, exhilarated laugh, what a great time!

We dashed back to meet DH and DS6 at the entrance, and sure enough they burst out dripping wet, DS6 exclaiming loudly how awesome it was! There weren’t too many people headed on the ride yet, so I urged them to go on again. They looked at each other, then grabbed hands and ran back on.

I again walked back through the trees, and again caught a whiff of skunk. Then it occurred to me: Why am I smelling skunk in the middle of an amusement park? Do you suppose Disney has gone to the trouble of pumping eau de skunk into this one spot? I thought it odd also that the smell faded so quickly, because both times I smelled it on the way into the trees, but not a few minutes later when I was exiting.

I had a bit of a discussion about this with a fellow DISer, who thought it probably was a real skunk that had somehow gotten into the park. I have to admit that of all the forest smells to manufacture, skunk would not be high on my list. But who knows? No real skunk smell I ever experienced faded within minutes!

Anyway, back to Grizzly River Run: DS2 enjoyed watching Daddy and big brother floating along, though of course he wanted to go with them, and couldn’t. Definitely time to move along to something he could enjoy.

We headed down toward Paradise Pier Bay, pretty much passing by everything along the way until we got to King Triton’s Carousel. DS2 sat on a beautiful seahorse, while DS6 rode atop a big whale. This carousel was so beautiful, had so many vivid colors and sea creatures of all different shapes.

DS2 did not want to get back into the stroller, which in no way compares to his lovely seahorse, so we let him walk; DS6 however, was willing to take a free ride, so he sat down while DS2 insisted on pushing. We walked back along the boardwalk, which goes uphill past some cute summery billboards advertising Coppertone and Coca-Cola. We tried to help DS2 push the stroller uphill, but he would not have it, so I stepped back and got some cute shots of him bent way over with his arms near the stroller basket, while DS6 was kicked back with his eyes closed.

We passed Ariel’s at the end of the boardwalk. What a pretty view that restaurant must have, being right on the water! I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some little princesses in line, but apparently it was too early for Ariel's to be open for dining.

We noticed Flik at the entrance to Bugs Land, so we stopped to meet him. Once again, DS6 didn’t want to go, so DS2 went up for his photo session. Princess Atta was nearby, so we walked over to greet her as well. DS6 did want to get in this picture, much to my surprise, and then as we began to walk out of Bugs Land, he began to cry. “Why are you crying?” I asked, and he blubbered that he didn’t get to meet Flik! DH and I rolled our eyes at each other, and took DS6 back to meet Flik and get his autograph.

We walked back down to the Hollywood Backlot intending to go on the Monsters Inc. ride, but stopped out along the way when we saw Mr. and Mrs. Incredible in front of the Off The Page shop. They must have just come out, because there was no line to speak of, and we and others who started to form a line were being stepped around by others who just walked right up to the characters. The CM assistant finally stepped in and started herding people into line, thank goodness, and we soon had a turn with Bob and Helen. Mrs. Incredible shook DS6’s hand, while Mr. Incredible tried to get DS2 to high-five his gigantic glove. I think DS2 was a bit overwhelmed by his size, so Bob just took DS2’s little paw into his big gloved one and leaned way down to him while DS gazed up at him in amazement. The foursome posed for a nice picture, and then DS2 needed a gentle push on the bottom from Bob to go back to his regular, boring parents, heh!

We continued on to ride Monsters Inc., then walked around back to Cruella De Vil’s trailer. Sadly, there was a note on the door that she was not to be disturbed, and after waiting around a bit and having a snack in hopes that she would turn up, we gave up. We looped around back to the main street through the Hollywood Backlot, and found the street blocked for filming of a Hispanic “American Idol”-type singing contest. One sidewalk was roped off so that we could walk past, and I’m not sure how long before filming was to begin, but they already had a small crowd in the blocked area, and were trying to keep them excited about what was to come.

We ducked into the Animation building because I wanted to go into the Beast’s Library, which we’d missed the previous day. There are several computers at which you can sit and answer a series of questions about which Disney character you are most like. DS6 found a free computer and began reading and touching the screen. I helped him read the last few questions, then waited to see what character popped up at the end. We were so disappointed, because at the beginning your photo is taken, and the chair must not have been positioned right, we got a shot of DS’s ear and shoulder. And on top of that, he must have answered the “Are you a boy or girl?” question incorrectly, because the character he was most like was Mulan. I tried to get him to do it again, but he was so disappointed and didn’t want to go through it all over. So he wandered off to be with Daddy while I tried the character discovery myself.

I don’t remember the questions asked by the program, but interestingly enough, the character I am most like is also Mulan! It mentioned loyalty, honor, and the importance of family. Seems my little apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, which is nice, because everyone says he looks just like his father… And he truly does! From me he gets pale skin, straight hair, a sensitive nature, and apparently a love of family.

I found DH and DS6 in Ursula’s cave, or whatever that area is where you can record your voice along to an animated clip. DS6 didn’t want to try it, so DH and I shared a scene. I believe the clip DH chose was from Aladdin, involving Jafar and Jasmine, and even though it shows the scene and script first, then you record, I had a hard time keeping up with a fast-talking Jasmine. Still, it was fun to do, and really funny to hear back! DH did a great, deep voice for Jafar, but it was weird to hear my voice, which is higher than I realized. And because I was trying to talk so fast and animate for the argumentative scene, I think I would have made a better Iago the parrot.

We went back out into the sunlight and were heading out of the Hollywood Backlot when I noticed they were letting a small crowd into the theater for Disney Playhouse. I blurted to DH that I thought the kids would enjoy the show, so in we went, he still wondering what the heck it was but willing to go for the kids.

The show started with a pretty blond girl working up the crowd and singing a little song. The set was apparently for the Bear in the Big Blue House, because after a bit the bear lumbered out. This led to a series of skits involving characters and sets from Bear, Jojo’s Circus, Stanley, and Winnie the Pooh. My kids are familiar only with the Pooh characters since we don’t get the Disney Channel, but they enjoyed the show nonetheless. Their favorite part was at the end, when music played, all the kids got up to dance, and bubbles floated down from the ceiling! Most of my pictures from this did not turn out (because I wasn’t using a flash), though I did get a few cute ones of the boys dancing at the end.

We headed back to the hotel room, and I went down to Crocs Bits & Bites for some lunch. I ordered four meals, then waited quite a while for them to be prepared. Other people were picking up their food, and I noticed the kids’ meals came in cute little boxes, but they had my four meals in open-face boxes. I asked about the kids meals, and apparently when the cashier rang me up, he rang up all adult meals; the kids’ meals cost less and have less food. He asked if I wanted him to re-ring them? Since I’d paid already with a credit card and the meals were ready (just not in the kiddie boxes), I said it wasn’t necessary, but could they just box two of them in the kids boxes? They did, but the boxes were too full and ripped one of the carrying handles, dropping onto the ground. Nothing fell out, so I just picked it up and stacked them to carefully carry my boxes, bags and drinks back to the room without spillage. Sheesh!

We vegged in the hotel room a bit that afternoon, then headed to Taste Pilot’s Grill for dinner. The exterior looks like an airplane hangar, and inside you select your food items on a touch-screen monitor. It was quick and easy, but some folks seemed a bit confused by it, so it took forever just to get to the monitor. Once we’d ordered, I took DS2, grabbed a high chair and parked at a table, while DS6 stayed with DH to help carry food. The tabletop was neat, made to look like a blueprint of an airplane. I’m sure the people next to us thought I was nuts as I took pictures of the tabletop, and the food as well.

The boys had kids meals with two little hamburgers, served in a tiny lunchbox with a ‘funnies’ cartoon type food wrapper. DH had some sort of chicken salad, while I ate barbequed ribs and onion rings. We don’t make ribs anymore with DH’s restricted fat diet, so it tasted soooo yummy! And I haven’t had onion rings in years, and these were real ones, with big, juicy whole rings of onion inside, outstanding!

When we stepped out of the restaurant it was dark, so I was able to get some pretty night shots of the Sunshine Plaza, including the neon Greetings from California sign. We then crossed the big plaza to the gates at Disneyland.

We had just a few hours before park closing, so we rushed back to Tomorrowland. Autopia still had an awfully long line, but there was only a 5 minute wait on the Buzz Lightyear ride. We enjoyed the pre-boarding scenes on the walls and the room with Buzz explaining the mission. He’s an animatronic, and his expressions and lip movements are projected onto a blank face, pretty cool! We loaded into astrocruisers soon enough, and took our weapons in hand, then were launched into space.

I rode with DS2 because DS6 wanted to go with his daddy, I think expecting that their points would rack up together! (Or maybe that his odds of survival against the Evil Emperor Zurg were better with Daddy?)

One of my friends had told me about a target on the ceiling after the tunnel that was worth a lot of points, so I kept my eyes peeled but never saw it. DH announced his score at the end, and asked what mine was. I had no idea, and asked how he knew his! He said it was on the dashboard of their vehicle, and of course I hadn’t paid attention. He said my first score was just over 10,000 points, pretty good I thought, until I asked again for DH’s score, which was pushing 100,000. (DS6 had the right idea about survival, I guess.) I lamented to DH that I never saw the big-points target, and he laughed, saying he saw me shooting at it, so I must have! Whatever. We waited in line to email our pictures home, then walked into the shop at the end.

Oh, boy, TONS of Toy Story themed stuff! I nearly bought DS2 a barrel of LGMs, they were so cute! And they had the cutest dress-up stuff! It’s so hard to find boy dress-up stuff, so I was sorely tempted until I saw the price, and that took care of that. We managed to escape with just a few purchased pins that DH couldn’t live without, which totally cracked me up. Zurg ain’t got nothin’ on Disney marketing genius!

The Buzz entrance line was still short, so we went right back on. I again looked for the big target, again didn’t see it, and this time my score was even lower! DH was just hitting his stride, though, and of course racked up mass points on the second round. Not exactly gloating, mind you, just an amused chuckle when he saw my piddly score.

We went back to Autopia, and the line wasn’t as long as it had been earlier. It was still long, but we decided to wait it out. This was by far the longest line we waited in during our stay, it must have been over half an hour’s wait, and the boys were bored out of their minds. Just as we were about to descend the stairs to the loading area, one of the cars died, and the CMs had trouble getting it off the track. They had to get people they’d just loaded in cars back out of them, and gave everyone a ticket for a ‘fastpass’ to any ride in the park (except Pirates.)

We were so disappointed, but tried to figure out what we could do with this ticket, which was good only for that day, of which there was only half an hour left before park closing! We walked past Buzz Lightyear, because we’d just been on that. We entered Fantasyland, but couldn’t find anyone out at the front of the ride to give a ticket to, but the Dumbo line was fairly short and the boys wanted to go on it.

We headed to Fantasyland, and the boys went on Dumbo again. Fantasyland is so pretty at night with the rides all lit up. I took a few shots of the Dumbo ride, and a shot of the back side of the castle, remembering that several people think it’s the prettier side. It glows in a purplish light, just beautiful.

We made our way back toward Adventureland, then conferred, and just decided to call it a night. Everyone was exhausted, so why push ourselves to find one more ride just to use that stupid ticket?

We stopped again to listen to the violinist playing in DTD, and DH said he sure liked the music. I had just been thinking I’d like a CD of it, so we went up to ask of they had them. (Silly question, I know!) They had three to select from, so I chose Romantica, and the woman at the table asked if I’d like to have the artist autograph the CD. There was no one with him at the moment, so I said, “Sure!” She opened the CD case and took off the wrapper, then handed it to me to take over to him.

Just before I reached him, an admiring woman walked up and began a long, involved conversation with him. He glanced at me several times during their multi-topic conversation, even stating at one point, “I’ll be with you in just a moment…”, and I smiled appreciatively. And then he launched into another tangent in their conversation!

Once that person finally moved along, I stepped up and started to say something, but was intercepted by another person who jumped in from behind me. Instead of telling that person he’d be with him in just a moment, he got into yet another long, involved conversation, which ticked me off a bit. I understand being eager to talk with your public, but I was tired, I had two tired children with me as well, and I’d waited my turn. I just wanted the stupid CD signed and I’d say thank you and be on my way.

Finally the interloper left, and the violinist (Dale Tretick is his name) gave us his full attention. He apologized for taking so long, and signed the CD. He seemed to want to talk at length, but I was in no mood, so DH made pleasantries for a bit, told him how much we’d enjoyed listening to his music during our walks through Downtown Disney. We spoke for maybe a minute, then we continued on to the hotel.

The Romantica CD is beautiful, and I highly recommend it. We listen to it a lot, and it reminds us of our trip, so it is a wonderful souvenir as well.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

MONDAY, September 25


We started the day with breakfast at the Disneyland Hotel Coffee House: Drip coffee for DH, a mocha and Danish for me, and OJ and a cinnamon roll for the boys. We sat at some outdoor tables to eat, and there were quite a few guests out and about. I noticed many of them had nametags and I thought they looked very international, and told DH there must be some sort of convention. DH said they were all doctors. I asked, “How do you know they’re all doctors?” and he said he’d gotten a look at several nametags while in the coffee shop, and they were all “Dr. So-and-so”. Ahhh!

This was an Early Entry day for Disneyland, but we were running a little late, so hit the park around 9:30am. We had intended to try out the train first thing and ride it into Toontown, but found that the train does not run during Early Entry. [I know, that was a real brain-freeze on my part; if the other lands aren't open, it makes no sense to run the train!]

So we walked up Main St., and found ourselves in a big crowd at the end of the street (just before Main St. splits off into the different lands.) There was also a rope along the left side sidewalk of Main St., and it was moving, so we got into that line. We had our tickets checked twice along the route, and were finally let through the castle and into Fantasyland. We stood in what looked like a fairly short line for Peter Pan (turns out this ride winds its line very densely, so it’s longer than it appears) and we all enjoyed our flight through the stars and other Peter Pan scenes.

After Peter Pan, we hiked up to Small World, hung a left and headed toward Toontown. Saw lots of folks wandering around inside there, but the gate was closed! I had forgotten about Morning Madness; we have tickets, but we had forgotten them back at the hotel. (I then told DH that we have a bunch of little tickets and coupons that came with the package, and we need to be carrying that stuff!)

We then headed to Autopia, which we had so nearly experienced the night before. After waiting in a long line (but not nearly as long as the night before!) we were in cars, with the boys in the driver’s seat! DS2 and I took off, and DH and DS6 were behind us. I was intending to let DS2 do all the steering, thinking the wheel didn’t really do anything, but it turns out it does move the car a bit left and right along the track, and in the first curve, the wheel whipped out of DS2’s hands and we bounced hard on one side, and the wheel spun back the other way, and we bounced hard on the other. DS2 thought this was great fun, but I found it very jarring, so finally grabbed the wheel and steadied the course. Once I turned it over to DS2, he immediately spun it around so we’d go careening side to side again, so I occasionally grabbed the wheel to keep it steady as he drove.

Other than that we had a nice, leisurely drive, cute little statues and park-like scenes along the way, then into the ‘traffic jam’ at the end of the ride. I peeked behind and took a quick picture of DH and DS6 before we headed in to ‘drop off’ the car.

We then walked quickly back to Toontown, which by then was open to all guests. We visited Mickey’s house, and played with a bunch of gadgets in there, and visited Mickey in his studio! Unfortunately the photographer’s camera was not working, so he took a quick family photo of us with Mickey, then dashed out of the room with the camera. The assistant looked like they expected us to leave, so I asked, “Is he coming back? Should we wait?” and she said, “Umm, I don’t know how soon he’ll be back, so you might just want to go.” Uhhh, OK. We had the shot on our camera, so that was fine. We then visited Donald’s Boat. The boys loved spinning the ship’s wheel, looking in the periscope, and calling out to each other from different locations.

By the time we coaxed the boys away, everyone was hungry, so we headed to the Toontown food vendors for lunch. The boys had cheese pizza and milk, DH and I had Turkey bacon sandwiches. Characters came out and wandered around the tables a bit on their way to and from their guest greeting locations and times. It was a little entertaining to see middle-aged women get excited and giggly about meeting Goofy or Donald! (I’m being generous; technically, I’m middle-aged, though I’d rather not think it. These were 50-ish or maybe 60-ish women, and it was quite cute to watch and listen to them. Everyone gets to be a kid again!)

After that we checked out the jail, the post office, the Electric Company, the Glass Factory and the Gym. When you try to open the door to the Electric Company, there’s a flash of light and a zapping sound, which scared DS6; he did not like that at all, and refused to go near it again for a picture. Ringing the bell at the Glass Factory brought the sound of shattering glass, and the photo shop window flashed when you rang that bell. DS2 loved the doorbell near the jail, which brought sounds of kitties meowing, his favorite animal sound! He wouldn’t stop ringing it, so we finally had to pull him away from it to move along. The boys posed for pictures in the jail and climbing some shipping crates, which gave different sounds when you lift each lid.

We rode on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin ride. The boys had a great time on that one, but DS6 kept trying to turn the wheel, so I felt like we missed some of the ride because we were facing the wrong direction. It’s weird, but I don’t remember a lot about it. On the way out we stopped, I think to tie DS6’s shoe, and I had him sit on the stacked innertubes. It was a cute spot, so (naturally) I took a picture as well.

We returned to Fantasyland and found a shady spot to park the stroller in hopes that DS2 would take a nap. DH was tired and stayed with DS2, while DS6 and I took off to try a few more rides. We first went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures, then careening through Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and finally on a giant caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland.

We returned to the shady spot near the carousel to find DS2 still awake! We took a walk from Fantasyland down a path that led to the Big Thunder Ranch (a petting zoo that was closed at the time) and past the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a rollercoaster ride. We walked into Frontierland and asked a CM when Woody would be around. I think it was late afternoon by then, and Woody wouldn’t be back until the next day. As we walked past the Frontierland shops, DS6 noticed several Woody dolls and wanted us to buy one. He had lost his previous one, he said, when he was in the truck and playing with Woody flying outside the open window; he dropped him, and claimed we wouldn’t go back to retrieve it. (I never knew this is how he’d lost it, we were probably on the freeway or some other unsafe place to stop, and he probably just said we needed to stop without explaining why. Ah, well…) We told him he could buy it with his Disney Dollars on the way out of the park if he wanted to, and that calmed him for the moment.

I was really thirsty, and we were close to the Tiki Room, so I suggested we get Dole Whip Floats. I bought 2, and we both shared (a lot, darn it!) with the boys. I thought the float was OK, but the pineapple ice cream was lovely! I wanted just a big bowl of that! While we were enjoying the floats, we struck up a conversation with a woman sitting nearby. Turns out she’s from Washington as well. Her husband had just taken their pre-teen kids on the Indiana Jones ride, so she was having a nice break all to herself. We were marveling at how nice all the CMs were, how orderly the ride queues were (and surprisingly short-looking when they really weren’t, and how clean the whole park was. In fact, the line for the Dole Whip Float was maybe 5 people long, and when I walked up, someone had previously spilled a bunch of juice all over the walkway right in front of the Dole stand. Before I had even been helped (and the line service was fast!), two CMs had been through to mop it up; it was spotless and they were long gone.

Once our acquaintance’s husband returned (with the kids raving about the Indiana Jones ride), he also joined the conversation. We talked about the park photographers (near the scenic spots, with the characters, and the ride photos) and marveled at how ingenious Disney is at getting you to spend your money happily. Too true.

We carried on through Adventureland and onto the Jungle Cruise, a nice little boat ride with some interesting animatronic sights along the way. The cruise narrator’s looks reminded me a lot of the jungle guide played by Alfred Molina in the first Indiana Jones movie… You know, the one that leaves him in the jungle alone to die, and winds up dead himself? Nice guy, occasionally humorous, but mostly speaking in that sing-song way that speakers who know their material too well can get, pausing and emphasizing, rising and falling on odd syllables. The kids enjoyed it, and we enjoyed the views, but I couldn’t help marveling as I looked at the animatronics that some people have sworn they were real animals and people? Maybe from off in the distance…in the dark…and got just a glance? I thought they were wonderfully presented, and while I was surprised at the detail on each “set” and the figures themselves, I did not think their movements were very lifelike.

After the Jungle Cruise we headed up toward Critter Country to see which characters were out for autographs. DS6 got distracted at Tarzan’s Treehouse and wanted to go back in, so DH said he’d wait for him while DS2 and I walked on ahead. DS2 and I saw that it was Tigger out signing autographs, and I nearly got in line, then remembered that I did not have the autograph papers and pens – DH had the backpack. And DS2 needed a diaper change, but I couldn’t do that either, with all the diapering stuff in the backpack.

So we took a ride on Winnie the Pooh while we waited for DS6 and Daddy to show up. DS2 clapped his hands in glee as the ride started, he was so happy!

As we exited the ride, DH easily found us, and said Pooh was now available for autographs. (We had unfortunately missed Tigger.) So we got in line with DS2 while DS6 sat in the stroller waiting for us. I got some really cute shots of DS2 and Pooh, and we even got an autograph for DS6, who didn’t want to stand in line. We then headed back toward Frontierland, but along the way DH noticed that the Pirates line was nearly empty, with the sign claiming a 10-minute wait. It was 4:45 in the afternoon, so made no sense to us why it wouldn’t be packed, but we were willing to take advantage of it. So we parked the stroller and walked into the building.

CAUTION: If you don’t want to know details about the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, skip the next three paragraphs!

It wasn’t even a 10-minute wait, we practically walked onto a boat! We sat four across (kids in the middle) in the boat, and the first part of the ride is a very beautiful, night-time bayou scene. Fireflies flicker, Chinese lanterns dimly lit over what must be the Blue Bayou restaurant, which is made to appear as if it is an outdoor boardwalk on the bayou. There’s a shack nearby with a lantern and an old man on the porch, and a fiddle tune playing. This is my favorite part of the ride, I just love the serenity and beauty of it.

Of course from there we pass into a sort of tunnel, where a Jolly Roger image is projected above, and the famous “Dead Men Tell No Tales” line. After that is a really cool image of Barbarossa projected onto mist, and the boat passes right through him. Then a pirate’s bedroom filled with treasure, cobwebs and winebottles, a skeleton on the lush, rotting bed. The next scene is of a pirate ship attacking a stone fort, and an animatronic pirate captain swearing he’ll take the fort. Plenty of cannonfire back and forth, with splashes in the water, and one time my hair flew as a whoosh of air rushed across the back of my neck, as if I’d been narrowly missed by a shot, really creepy! We round a bend and then come to the pirate town, where women are being auctioned off as wives, pirates are drinking up, and someone is insisting that Jack Sparrow will never find the key to the treasure he himself holds.

A later scene shows the city on fire, the drunk with the kitties, the guys in jail trying to get the dog with the key to come closer. The final scene is Captain Jack in a room filled with treasure, urging his friends to “drink up me hearties, Yo Ho!” Bravo, well done!

We headed back to Frontierland to get DS6’s beloved Woody doll. CM Beverly was minding a wagon with Woody and Jessie dolls hung on its side. There were two different sizes of dolls, and Beverly informed us that the smaller doll doesn’t talk, so of course we have to get the bigger doll. Curiously, they’re the same price…? DS2 started clamoring for a Jessie doll, so we left more than $50 of the boys’ Disney Dollars with Beverly. And gave DS6 a stern lecture about hanging toys out the car window!

Both boys held their dolls close as we left the park, and couldn’t wait to get them out of their packaging when we entered the hotel room.

We decided to stay at the hotel for the rest of the night, and just ordered room service for dinner: spaghetti and meatballs for the boys, Rotisserie chicken and green salad (and beer) for DH, shrimp fettucine and Caesar salad for me.

After that the boys went to the pool. I didn’t want to swim, but follow them to the pool with my camera in hand, and took a few pictures of the frolicking. These boys are like little fish, they just love being in the water, whether it’s a pool, shower or a tub! DS6 was practicing his swimming strokes and kicks, and all DS2 wanted to do was jump into the water to Daddy’s arms. Number Two Fish quickly turned into a Little Blue Fish, so we returned to our room, got them showered, pajama’ed, and settled into bed with a few toys.

It was still a bit early, so I tuned in to watch the Princess Storytime. That night’s episode was Snow White telling her tale, and afterward they watched some old Disney shorts (cartoons.) I love the Princess Storytime, because it really calms the boys down and gets them settled in for the night. [Yawn] And me, too, I guess…Zzzzzzz…

 

[Alex2kMommy]

TUESDAY, September 26


As usual, I arose early, and got showered, dressed, and downed some Bonine before waking everyone else. This morning I was less gentle than usual; I’d been gradually drawing the curtains open wider and wider to let in a bit of daylight, but this was an Early Entry day, and I was determined to take advantage of it! I opened the curtains partway, and started rubbing and tapping on shoulders to get things moving. We ate cereal in our room, then DH grabbed some coffee at the Coffee House, and made our way through DTD to the DL gates.

That morning I noticed several park photographers out in front of the castle, and asked one if he’d take a family photo. Of course he agreed. I had my camera in my hand (from taking my own photos) and he said it looked similar to his, which was a Nikon D70. Mine is a D50, he was impressed! He didn’t even bother with his camera, just grabbed mine (saying they were basically the same) and was ready to snap. I was unstrapping DS2 from the stroller, but could not get DS6 to stand next to DH for the photo, another moody morning and he did NOT want to get his photo taken. “Fine,” I said, and asked the photographer to take just a couples photo instead. I liked this idea the more I thought about it, since DH and I have very few photos of the two of us anymore. Heck, we’re lucky to get in any shot at all together! So DS6’s grumpiness turned out to be a boon.

The photographer took two shots, and both of them seem…I don’t know, like he could have done better. In the portrait orientation he cut off the top of the castle in favor of capturing my chubby legs! (The man clearly knows nothing about photographing women, he would probably dress me in horizontal stripes and white shoes after Labor Day… Next time I’ll look for a large woman photographer who knows how to hide some flaws!) He also took a close-up, landscape shot, of course the castle is just background for a photo of the two of us. Still, I like them a lot because they are of my handsome man and me. And when I got them printed, I did some creative cropping.

We then grabbed the kids and gear and headed on through the castle. The clock up high around the other side of the castle looked really neat, so I snapped a few photos. I don’t know if it is supposed to look like it’s falling apart, and I’d never noticed it before this day. We immediately got in the line for Peter Pan, which looked deceptively shorter than it was. I loved seeing all the little princesses in the park, and snapped a quick picture of three in a row waiting in line for Peter Pan. Cute!

Next the boys and I rode on King Arthur’s Carousel. Both boys love carousels, and were giggling the whole time. I wasn’t sure if all the spinning would bother me (even with drugs!), so I tried to face forward, and look to the side only when we were going past Daddy and waved. DS6 told me his tooth was really loose, and tugged on it with his fingers to show me how far he could swing it. I told him to just keeping playing with it with his tongue and it would come out when it was ready.

We then rode on the Teacups! Finally, another childhood dream come true! DS6 wanted to ride by himself, and the CM said that was fine, so he headed off across the ‘platter’ and we followed and sat in one next to his. The teacup has a wheel in the middle to make your cup spin faster, so I hung onto that and tried to make sure we had a gentle ride. I noticed DS6 was trying to spin his wheel and having a lot of fun, and DS2 just giggled every time I looked at him, so a great ride for all.

Once off I headed for the Golden Teacup, one of the few 50th golden ride decorations still out. I sat in it with the boys while DH snapped a picture. DH reminded me that I’d wanted to head to the Once Upon A Time shop, which was full of princess stuff and had been recommended for Tinkerbell stuff. I was still looking for some special container to hold DS6’s tooth once it fell out. So we walked back toward the castle.

All of a sudden DS6 cried out, “Daddy! Daddy, my tooth came out!” We looked in his mouth and there was a little hole with a bit of blood at the bottom where his tooth had been, and his permanent tooth coming in already right behind it! Yikes!

So I continued to the princess shop while they followed, and I ask a CM about some sort of container, preferably related to Tinkerbell, for the tooth. She asked another, grandmotherly type CM for help, and the woman said, “Oh, I know just the thing!” and bustled off to the other counter. She returned with a little purple pouch, which she said they give away when jewelry is purchased. This was exactly the kind of thing I’d been initially looking for, so even though it wasn’t Tink-related, it was perfect. When DS6 entered the shop, she presented the little pouch to him, and asked to see his tooth. He brought it out and held it in his hand, and I was amazed at how tiny it was! Good thing we found a container for it so quickly, it would so easily be lost! The CM refused to take anything for the pouch, and congratulated DS6 on losing his first tooth.

We headed out through the castle to go meet Buzz Lightyear at the appointed time (11:00), but I got a bit distracted when I saw that there was a princess in the grotto and of course a line to meet her. It was Snow White and her prince, and they were so sweet together, and so charming with the little girls visiting them. I asked the assistant CM if it was OK to just take a quick photo of the princess alone, and she said sure, so I bypassed the line and stood off to the side for a shot. I was hoping they would look up in my direction in between visitors, but it didn’t happen, so I took a couple quick shots of them in profile and then left.

In Tomorrowland we sat down and had a snack near the spot where Buzz would be (near the giant spinning marble.) DS6 asked when Buzz was going to come, and DH’s watch said it was 11:05, so I told him any minute. A few minutes later I was beginning to worry that we were in the wrong spot or Buzz wasn’t going to make it, but then out he came, stopping to wave and greet kids as he walked by, eventually leading them all up toward us. Awesome! A relatively short line of kids, and we quickly stepped into the end of it. The boys were so thrilled to finally meet their hero!

Both boys got in the same shot with Buzz, and DS2 just stood there gazing up at Buzz. After I took a few photos DS6 walked back to us, but DS2 stood worshipping His Buzzness. Despite our calls to DS2, he didn’t budge, and Buzz had to give DS2 a little push on the bottom to leave so the next child could have a turn. It was really kinda funny, and adorable, too.

We were all ravenous by then, so headed into the conveniently located Plaza Inn for lunch. I love the interior of this restaurant, especially the dining room. It took us a minute to figure out that we were supposed to grab our food cafeteria style, and then pay for it, but we finally managed and sat down in the back of the dining room near a window. DH and the boys shared a fried chicken platter (the boys mostly ate the meat, but I think DH had a few bites), I had chicken fettucine, which tasted OK (the fried chicken looked really yummy to me!), and I think we had salads and a fruit plate as well. Filling lunch, then on to Frontierland!

We wanted to ride on the riverboat Mark Twain, and it looked like it had just left, as there were not many people waiting. We stood off to one side of the dock and chatted. Soon enough the riverboat returned, and while we waited for the guests to disembark, I asked a nearby CM if it was possible to go up top with the captain. She started to answer, then stepped back and shook her head. I started to say, “Oh, OK” and she waved her hands, shook her head no, then nodded yes, then sneezed. When she could finally speak, she said we not only could, but that she was going to be the captain! She told us to just wait for everyone else to get on the boat, then she would lead us up. We then went up 3 flights of stairs, passing through a “captains’ quarters” looking room with a small bed, and into the “wheelhouse”, is that what they’re called?

CM Elizabeth showed us around, told DS6 how to operate the bell and the whistle and the big ship’s wheel. DS6 signaled with a few toots and a bell that we were leaving the dock, and away we went! He was so excited, and just loved it. Elizabeth was so good about reminding him when to turn, and which direction, sometimes telling him he needed to turn sharper to avoid the rocks and so forth. I got some great shots of the scenery, and of DS6 with Elizabeth, and she even took a family photo for us. She gave DS6 a certificate at the end. I thought he did a great job, but DH said he motioned to Elizabeth during the trip, quietly asking if it were real, and she pointed out a track or something in the water. She was so good at making it real for our boy, I really believed he was steering! What a great time!

We next went to the Tom Sawyer Island rafts, and rode over to the island. The boys immediately took off running, and we followed. We found some caves and ducked into them, but they were pretty dark and the boys got a little scared, so after we popped out the other end, they did not want to go into any more of them. The boys continued on up the trail with DH following and me keeping my eyes peeled for a bathroom. I found one and went to tell DH to give me a minute. They hadn’t gone very far, having found a cool treehouse built over a rocky little waterfall. Stairs went up and into the little treehouse and back down, similar to Tarzan’s Treehouse only much smaller. For some reason the boys loved it, and just continued running up and down the stairs while DH watched and I gratefully found the bathroom and ducked in.

After they were bored with the treehouse, they took off down a trail toward some wood-plank and rope bridges over water, so I let DH rest and I followed. The boys ran all up and down the paths, bridges and stairs on the island, and I just tried to keep up. We eventually met up with DH again, returned to the ‘mill’ and water wheel structure, and I snapped a few shots before we headed back to the raft dock.

Once back on the ‘mainland’, we took a water and snack break in the shade. It felt like a very hot day, and we were definitely wilting. We then wandered back to Critter Country to see which characters were out for autographs. It was just Pooh, whom we’d already met, so we headed into the Winnie the Pooh ride, all four of us this time. DS6 went reluctantly, but DS2 sang and danced all the way down the path, it was so cute! I rode up front with DS2 while DH and DS6 sat behind us. Afterward DS6 said he was surprised how much he liked that ride!

Next, of course, was Splash Mountain, and for the first time we took advantage of the Fastpass and Baby Swap. DS6 and DH rode first, then I turned in the Baby Swap pass and DS6 and I ran down the Fastpass line. What fun passing all those other people! Especially since we weren’t bright enough to get fastpasses for our first few days, we just avoided those rides! We asked to be in the first seat, and I put DS6 in front as usual. We went through the first drop, but then just as the ride winds around back toward the interior and just before the 2nd drop, our log bumped into a jam of about 5 logs in front of us. Soon other logs bumped us from behind. After about 5 minutes there was a speakerphone announcement that a CM would be coming to help us out of the log and off the ride altogether. BUMMER! I can’t remember if this was the same trip where the CM made 3 speakerphone announcements for everyone to keep their hands out of the water or the offenders would be removed from the ride.

Anyway, a female CM came and helped each person out of their log, and we worried about some Japanese folks that didn’t seem to understand what was going on, and apparently didn’t speak English. She was able to use hand motions to indicate that we were all to follow her, and they got it. Once back on the ground we were collected into a group. There were quite a few more than were just in our little log jam, and some folks said they got stuck on the big incline near the drop! I would have hated trying to climb out of that log, especially with DS6! Anyway, the CMs were going to give us a special pass (like a Fastpass), but the Japanese group didn’t want to wait, so they left. DS6 and I got the pass, which was equivalent to a fastpass for up to 5 people to come back through Splash Mountain once the ride was operational again.

Walking back toward New Orleans Square, DS2 finally crashed in the stroller. We went into the shady Court de Anges to rest a bit out of the sun. I took a few photos of DS6 (alone and with DH) on the curved staircase with the flowerpots along either side, and then DH took some of DS6 and me. DH looked tired and suggested I take DS6 on the Pirates ride, so we did. The ride had nearly no line again! I think we waited for 1 boat! Love that ride, and DS6 never gets bored with it, either. He’s heard the tune enough that he now sings, “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate’s life for me!” We rushed back down the alley, and DS2 slept on. A woman with two young children came down the alley, apparently also looking for a quiet shady spot. They sat down on a bench across from us. There was a sleeping infant boy, and a little girl maybe 5 or 6 years old.

The pirate band came into the alley, still singing and playing their instruments, followed by an older gentleman. The band members stepped up the staircase and out of sight, but the fiddle player stopped at the bottom and kept on playing for the gentleman, who was dancing along. She played faster and faster, and of course he couldn’t keep up, so they laughed and parted, and she went on up after her bandmates. I loved the way she handled that.

Then a second surprise, Captain Jack Sparrow himself entered the alley! Capt. Jack came through to 'go offstage', and stopped to admire the pretty little girl, asking her if she was a princess. She shyly nodded yes, and he then asked how much she weighed, and just as she answered he said "because princesses are worth their weight in gold, you know, pirates love to steal princesses." His speech and mannerisms were just perfect, like the drunken, slightly effeminate Captain Jack. We adults all laughed, but the little girl began to cling to her mother, and then came the tears. Her mother tried to tell her it was OK, just in fun, while DH offered Capt. Jack our two boys instead! Capt. Jack decided he'd better leave so the little miss could recover in peace, so up the stairs he went. And who should appear to save the day but the lovely CM Beverly! She was working in one of the New Orleans Square shops nearby, and heard the girl crying. She came out to bring her a trading pin to dry her tears and make her smile. MAN, these people are awesome!!!

DS2 awoke finally, and we headed back to Critter Country to see if we could find Tigger. And he was there, but just leaving! However, Eeyore would be coming out in a few minutes, so we waited in line. Unfortunately for us, the line went from one character to the next, and began with Pooh, whom we’d already met. And the way the line wrapped around (intentionally so), you could not get to Eeyore without first seeing Pooh, and I’m sure he’s the main attraction. Great if you want to see both, not so great if you just want Eeyore. So we waited in a pretty long line for Pooh, and while the folks in front of us went up to meet him, we zipped around them to get to Eeyore. This line was much shorter, maybe 4 people? Eeyore was sweet and a bit bashful, and both boys loved meeting him and hugging him. We got pictures and autographs to mark the occasion, then headed back to New Orleans Square.

We saw that Captain Jack Sparrow was just out on the sidewalk, with a bit of a line to speak with him. Lots of giggly teenage girls, and he seemed to enjoy the attention (as any self-respecting pirate would, I suppose.) Finally it was DS6’s turn, and he was so thrilled to meet a real pirate! He talked a bit with Captain Jack, and Daddy dutifully asked for an autograph for the boy, which of course he gave. A few quick snaps of the camera and we were done.

The French Market was nearby, and we were feeling pangs of hunger again, so we stopped in. I told DH what I wanted, then took the kids out to the seating area to get a table and keep them from running amok around people carrying food trays. We found a nice table near an exit gate, and I parked the stroller and found a high chair for DS2. When I came back, DS6 said somebody had dropped something, and when I peered over the low railing, I saw that it was some sort of CM ID card. So I went out and picked it up, then found the nearest CM in the French Market to leave it with. I have no idea what that badge might have done for someone, or how big a deal it would be to lose it, but I’m sure it’s not a good idea to have those floating around.

The boys ate mac and cheese, and DH and I had stew in a breadbowl. The family shared a fruit platter, a piece of chocolate cake, and some sort of caramel dessert. After dinner we headed toward the castle for the Parade of Dreams through Main St.

I took a few pictures of the Partners statue, and we crossed the street and found a not-too-bad spot in front of the Plaza Inn entrance. I was standing next to a garbage can which sent out wafts of stench every time someone dumped something into it, but it also made a handy tripod of sorts. The folks in front of the garbage can were standing, as were we, but the folks toward Tomorrowland were seated and I had a great shot of the parade coming from that direction if I ducked down over the garbage can! DS6 was on Daddy’s shoulders for awhile and DS2 was in the stroller as the parade started. First came the Honorary Grand Marshalls (a family picked out of the guests that day) who were accompanied by Aladdin and Jasmine. DS6 was thrilled to see two favorite characters in real life! Then came Tigger and Pooh, and ahead of the big Parade of Dreams float were the many fairies from various Disney stories: There was the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, and the fairies from Sleeping Beauty.

The Parade of Dreams float was enormous, and had Tinkerbell sitting front and center! Next was the Beauty and the Beast float, with both characters waving and dancing together. The Pinocchio float had a giant animatronic Gepetto operating the strings to a couple of live marionettes, and other marionettes on bungee cords bounced, swung and danced on the sides of the float, really cool! Ariel came by in her Little Mermaid float, followed by a giant blow-up Ursula, then an Alice in Wonderland float. The Lion King float was also very long and full of animatronic animals, followed by Goofy, Pluto and the 7 dwarves. The final float contained Princesses, including Aurora and Philip, Snow White, Mickey and Minnie dressed in crowns and robes, and Chip waved from the back! At some point in the parade the boys had switched places, and DH said DS2 just ROCKED OUT on his shoulders! He bounced to the beat of the music and chattered away about the characters he saw. The boy loves a parade!

We figured after the parade we had a bit of time to do another ride or two. Any guesses as to DS6’s vote? Yup, Splash Mountain! Besides, we had that extra pass to use up! So DH and DS6 went with the extra pass and got a Baby Swap pass, then barreled down the Fastpass line. DS2 and I did a couple rounds on Winnie the Pooh, then actually entered the end of the Splash ride where you can view the photos. We were there for some time before DH and DS6 came through, and I was able to snap a photo of their ride photo, but it didn’t come out very well. Then DS6 and I went, again charging through the Fastpass line and getting on fairly quickly by then. DH and DS2 did Pooh, of course, and afterward we headed out of the park.

I tried to take a nighttime shot of the CALIFORNIA letters, but they all came out blurry. Too bad, it was very pretty! We went back to the hotel and DH took the boys for a brief swim before bedtime.

While the boys were swimming, I dashed out to the DLH front desk, and explained to her that my son had lost his first tooth at the park that day, and was there any --

She interrupted me, "Oh, my goodness, not because of an accident, I hope?" No, no, nothing like that, I said it had been loose for some time, and finally came out. I asked if there was any way that we could get a little note from Tinkerbell congratulating him on losing his first tooth?

She looked at me for some time, perhaps wondering why the heck I was asking her this, when a fellow CM stepped in and asked excitedly, "Would you like Tinkerbell to be his tooth fairy?"

"YES!" I exclaimed, "That's exactly what I was hoping to do. If someone could just write him a note in teeny tiny handwriting?"

"Oh, I think we can do better than that! Wait here, please." she said, and disappeared through a door behind the front desk. I waited, perused the front page of the USA Today newspaper on the counter, kicked the ankle strap of my Crocs up and down...

The younger gal at the front desk picked up the phone when it rang, then said, "Excuse me, she wants to know what his name is? And who are his favorite characters?" I gave her the information, and again reiterated that this was his first tooth, because they kept saying he lost a tooth. It's not any old tooth, it's the first time he's lost a tooth!

After awhile, our CM fairy godmother came back, and I could not believe it! She had a little envelope that had a Tinkerbell image on the front, and in tiny print Tinkerbell gave DS6 congratulations on losing his tooth. She also had three pins, one Mickey, one Donald, and one Buzz Lightyear. AND she had an 8x10 black and white photo of Buzz and Woody, and it was autographed by both! AND she had a personal message (printed off the computer in a spacy font!) from Buzz himself, indicating that he had been in the Gamma Quadrant and ran into Tinkerbell, who told him DS's big news! I could not believe they went to all this trouble, and I knew DS would be so thrilled when he saw all of this! I thanked them profusely, and went back to the hotel room. Since the boys were back from their swim by then, I snuck the goods into the bathroom until the boys were asleep.

The only dollar bills we had were Disney Dollars, and the smallest was a $5D, so that's what Tink gave him for his first tooth. (I hope he's not going to expect all of this for every tooth!)

I made room on a little round table next to the TV cabinet, and pinned the little Tink envelope onto the big envelope containing the photo and note from Buzz. Then I placed his purple pouch containing his tooth on top, and crawled into bed. I had trouble falling asleep, because I couldn't wait to see DS6's reaction when he woke up!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

WEDNESDAY, September 27


As usual, I woke up before everyone else, and got up and showered and dressed. By the time I was ready, DH was awake and sitting up, so we chatted a bit waiting for the boys to wake up. I finally couldn’t stand waiting anymore, so I took a few pictures of my sleeping boys. That didn’t wake them, so I gently woke DS6, and asked if he’d had a good sleep. He didn’t even lift his head off the pillow, just muttered something like ‘mmmhmmm.’ I tried to keep the conversation going, but he was too tired and not responding. So with my camera ready, I asked, “So honey, where’s your tooth?”

He sat up suddenly, with serious bedhead, and woozily fumbled under his pillow while I snapped a few pictures of him. “Oh no!” he blinked and his face fell, “I forgot to put my tooth under my pillow.” He looked crushed. Fortunately Daddy saved the day with a calm, “Hey bud, there’s a bunch of stuff over here, what is all this?”

DS6 stumbled out of bed and over to the table and found all the tooth fairy stuff, with his little purple tooth pouch sitting on top. He loved all the pins, and could not believe he got a personal note from Buzz Lightyear! And the autographed photo of Woody and Buzz will be treasured. He was excited to see the small envelope with Tinkerbell on the outside, and loved finding D$5 inside even more! He thought it was pretty special having Tinkerbell as his tooth fairy, and indeed it was.

We then dressed in shorts and Hawaiian shirts for our breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, and headed out for the short walk to the Paradise Pier Hotel. The restaurant was easy enough to find from the hotel lobby, and we had an 8:00a.m. reservation. We checked in and waited maybe 5 minutes before they called us in. It wasn’t crowded at all yet, which was very nice. We were able to grab some food before the characters started coming around. The boys and DH ate Mickey Mouse waffles, while I tried the typical eggs & bacon, with fresh tropical fruit (yum!) and a pineapple coconut scone with pineapple preserves. We met Minnie, Lilo, Stitch, Daisy and Pluto. Minnie loved DS2! She spent lots of time with him, and kept hugging and kissing him like she couldn’t bear to let him go. It was so sweet, I just wanted to hug her myself for adoring him so sweetly. We also made sure to tell the characters about DS6’s missing tooth, so he got plenty of attention, too. Some looked in his mouth to admire the gap.

We also celebrated DS2’s 2nd birthday, since our cancelled April trip was going to include a birthday breakfast with Lilo & Stitch. The staff brought a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate sauce drizzled over it and confetti candy sprinkled over the top, and several of the CMs came to sing a happy birthday song. And interestingly, this is not the same birthday song sung at Goofy’s Kitchen!

We hung around after meeting all the characters because I knew they were going to play the Island Hopping Game, similar to Musical Chairs. Once they were getting started, I took the boys over to the game gathering spot and the host put out island markers for the Hawaiian islands and the music began. DS2 clearly didn’t know what he was supposed to do, and was just following the bigger kids, so Stitch grabbed his hand and they walked hand in hand for most of the game. It was so adorable! DS6 was out fairly early, and a bit put out about it. But we stayed at the end to cheer for the winner, and then left to make room for other diners.

We wound up returning to the hotel room to change the boys’ syrupy Hawaiian shirts for some t-shirts, and figured we may as well be more comfortable as well! We left the hotel by 9:30, and made it up near the rope at Main St. before 10:00. Once the rope dropped and the crowd surged forward, we made our way through Adventureland to the Indiana Jones ride. DH and DS6 got on and picked up a Baby Swap pass for me. DS2 and I waited nearby for what seemed forever! I was seriously beginning to get worried about them, but figured there would be more of a hubbub if something was up, so tried not to panic. They finally appeared, of course, and DS6 was jazzed – He loved it! DH was a little more skeptical of me going on with DS6. He said it was a very rough ride, and he had a hard time holding onto DS6. We decided to wait a bit before we tried that one again. I hadn’t realized the ride would take so long, so we missed half of our Toontown Morning Madness, but went anyway. We caught the tail-end of the Mayor’s speech welcoming us to Toontown and making us honorary citizens. The staff passed out buttons to all the guests, which the boys wanted to wear. The ceremony included Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and Chip & Dale. I was excited because I’d read that Donald is a bit more rare to meet due to his short stature, and I was hoping we’d be able to find him after the ceremony and get his autograph and a photo. Unfortunately all of the characters went into the Toontown City Hall building at the end of the ceremony.

However, as we stood around trying to decide what to do, Donald walked across the plaza heading toward his boat! We rushed along and made it there without too many people in front of us (maybe 10 – 15), and had a wonderful time with him. He clowned a bit with the boys, which they loved, and I just kept snapping pictures. DH made sure to get the autographs, and we walked out very satisfied.

DS6 needed to use the bathroom, so DH took him while I let DS2 play around at Goofy’s Gas Station. He sat in all the cars, climbed around the pumps and peered in at the fishies in the pumps and into the station’s windows. He was really enjoying himself, and I got some cute photos.

DS6 really wanted to go on the Toontown roller coaster, so we all got in line. There was a boy about DS6’s age in front of us, and he turned around and asked me if “his Daddy [pointing to DS6 and referring to DH] could sit with my Daddy so I could sit with him.” DS6 had never met the kid before and didn’t look too sure about that; plus he’s a bit possessive with his Daddy, even with his brother! I said that was a nice idea, but I thought DS6 really wanted to ride with his Daddy. The boy looked so disappointed. Apparently not one to give up easily, a few minutes later he was asking DS6 directly, and surprisingly DS6 agreed! DS6 can sometimes be easily persuaded in the face of stronger personalities, so I still wasn’t sure if he really wanted to ride with this boy. I just kept an eye on their interaction in line in case DS started to look uncomfortable, but they wound up talking a lot and enjoying each other’s company. The two men started talking, both surprisingly agreeable to riding together, and the other dad asked where we were from. We said Seattle, and he said they were from Everett! We said we were actually from Kirkland, and he said he used to live in Kirkland, were we on Rose Hill? We said no, and gave the name of our neighborhood, and he said he used to live there, and named his street. It was our street! Turns out he lived only 6 blocks east of us until 10 months ago, and we’d moved into the neighborhood about a year before that. WOW, it really is a small world!

We finally got on the roller coaster, which was a fast, short bumpy ride. DS6 is now a fan of roller coasters! We met up with the Everett family’s mom and said our hellos before splitting up. We spotted Chip and Dale’s Treehouse tucked up between the roller coaster ride/Toontown RR Station and Mickey’s house, and the boys really wanted to see it. It was the same as Tarzan’s treehouse and the one on Tom Sawyer Island, more an opportunity to run up and down stairs than anything much to see. Still, the boys loved running up and down several times, so we let them. We finally walked away, and DS2 made a beeline for Mickey’s car, which is next to his house. He happily sat and played in there for several minutes, and I had to pull him out to continue on our way.

I’d hoped to get Dale’s autograph, but the two chipmunks don’t seem to be together very often, and we’d seen Chip a lot. As we were preparing to leave Toontown, out came Dale! I hesitated, but there was already a big crowd around him, and I was the ONLY one who wanted to meet him, so we left him to the rest of his adoring public.

We decided to go back to Tomorrowland and check the line for the Buzz Lightyear ride. On the way I saw that Sleeping Beauty was at Snow White’s grotto. The line wasn’t too long, so I added us onto it. Aurora was really spending a lot of time talking with each child individually, so the line moved a bit slower than others had. I don’t know that many people minded though, given how much attention the children were getting. DH had taken off with an antsy DS2, and unfortunately they weren’t back by the time it was our turn, so DS6 had Aurora all to himself. She kept calling him a handsome prince and asking him questions I couldn’t quite hear. I couldn’t catch his responses either, but he seemed quite taken with her, gazing adoringly at her from under his lashes. I snapped a few shots of them together, then mentioned his missing tooth, so she of course had to see for herself, and DS6 was eating up the attention. We finally said our goodbyes and met up with DH and DS2 to head to Buzz.

The line wasn’t too long, so in we went. I don’t know why, but my first ride was a fairly decent score, and it went consistently downhill after that! I think the last ride was something like 2,000 points, even DS2 had more than I did! What the heck was I doing wrong??? It was still fun, of course, it’s just that I had to put up with some teasing from DH.

Since we were in Tomorrowland, we had lunch at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port. Chicken Caesar salads for grown-ups, cheese pizza for the boys. We also got a couple chocolate chip cookies and a Mickey-shaped rice krispie treat for dessert.

I’d been admiring all the funny and funky Disney hats people wore around the park, and since DH needed a potty break, we headed to the bathroom next to Hatmosphere. DS6, DS2 and I tried on various hats and headbands with ears and took pictures in them. The Buzz Lightyear hat was cool, because it reversed to become the Evil Emperor Zurg hat! And I thought I looked quite fetching in the gold sequined Minnie Mouse ears headband!

Coming out of Tomorrowland we saw the line for the Little Mermaid at Ariel’s Grotto. So we stepped into that line, and just a few people away from meeting her, her assistant said she needed to step away for a quick swim, but we were welcome to wait for her return. I asked DS6, “How do you suppose she’ll go away?” He asked what I meant, and I said, “She’s nowhere near the water, and she doesn’t have legs, so how will she get there?” He said that was a very good question! She visited with the few remaining people in front of us before leaving, so we were in the perfect spot to find out! The beautiful shell seat she sits in for visiting actually turns around into the rock behind it. The CM explained that there’s water under the rock, so she can just go for a quick, refreshing swim and be back in 5 minutes. We loved the cleverness of this.

In very short order fog began to come out of the rock, signaling her return. The shell seat slowly spun around and there she was again. She unfurled her fins and then invited the boys to step up to her, which they did. She talked to them, the photographer and I snapped photos, we got autographs, and off we went. DS2 kept saying, “Bye!” and waving to her, so she kept on waving goodbye. DH and DS6 took off for somewhere (bathroom?) with an agreement to meet at the silhouette artist’s shop, so DS2 and I headed toward Main St. Just outside the camera shop on the way, we came across Mary Poppins in a white turn-of-the-century outfit! She had very few people around, but once again I did not have the autograph stuff, and DS2 wouldn’t know who the heck she was anyway, so we skipped another opportunity.

The silhouette artist wasn’t due back until 2:10, so we had to wait for her for about 10 or 15 minutes, but that meant no one else was waiting in front of us, so it worked out well. Both boys sat beautifully for her, and she was very good and done in minutes. We had the boys’ silhouettes done with a Mickey silhouette to signify their first trip to Disneyland.

We decided this was also the day to pick up any souvenirs, since we may not have time on our last day in the park to get everything, so we meandered a bit into the shops along Main St. We headed to the Century Music shop, and I asked about making our own compilation CDs of Disney music. The CM said they had just removed all the equipment for that the previous weekend. I was crushed that I had just missed the chance! Ever the good salesperson, she pointed out a 50th commemorative set of CDs, complete with a book and other items, in a nice box, all on sale for only $99! It has all the music from the parks and the movies, including music from when the park first opened, Walt’s opening speech, music from long ago attractions, and more recent music from the 50th parade and so on. Quite a wonderful set, really, so we bought it and had it shipped home. [We have since received it, but haven't yet played the CDs; DH wants to copy them so we can preserve the original set, especially considering DS2's tendency to chew on them...]

We also perused jewelry in the Clock and watch shop across Main St. for a souvenir for me. They had watches, inexpensive children’s jewelry, costume jewelry, and quite expensive fine jewelry. Naturally the piece I fell in love with was a silver medallion surrounded by cubic zirconia – It was only $30, but I thought it would have been gorgeous in gold since I don’t wear silver. When the CM asked if he could assist, I said, “I don’t suppose you would have this in gold or goldtone?” He said actually they did, and pulled out a catalog. It would have to be ordered because they did not have any in stock, and it was going to cost $500. For a pendant with cubic zirconia and no chain even, I decided to pass. I really wasn’t looking to spend that kind of money anyway, I was hoping for something under $100.

We also stopped at a shop near the Firehouse at the end of Main St. that has a lot of t-shirts and sweatshirts and less expensive souvenirs. DS6 chose matching gray sweatjackets and Mickey t-shirts for the boys, DH found a cool black Pirates of the Caribbean sweatjacket, we got another set of golden Mickey ears, and a few trading pins for DH.

I took the boys outside while DH bought our purchases, and we entered the open Firehouse to check out the old-fashioned Fire wagon, or whatever the horse-drawn type is called. Cute horse stalls in the Firehouse, complete with the horses’ names on plaques on the stall doors. At first DS6 wouldn’t go near the wagon, but I told him it was OK to climb on it. He was skeptical, but eventually decided to climb into the driver’s seat. I snapped some pictures, and then he climbed onto the back part of the wagon to explore. He’s so fascinated with firefighters (whom he calls ‘fighter-fighters’), I just knew he would love the Firehouse.

DH joined us, and we finally continued on out of the park and back to the hotel room. We dropped off our bags, took a bit of a rest and changed our clothes. Too soon we headed back out, this time to California Adventure to watch the Block Party Bash. We walked through the Grand Californian Hotel and arrived at Sunshine Plaza around 4:45, half an hour early. Though not nearly as crowded as Disneyland gets for a parade or fireworks, there were already people seated along the curb for the parade. We were able to be right behind some folks at curbside. The two Japanese girls in front of us turned around and saw the kids, and immediately scooted over and motioned for DS6 to come sit in front. That was so kind of them! DS2 had fallen asleep in the stroller so we left him alone, but I helped DS6 scoot up in front of the stroller, and I sat close by so he wouldn’t be nervous. DS6 put on his golden Mickey ears and I snapped a few pictures of him and DS2 from the middle of the street. Just before the parade started, DS6 began to howl loudly and wanted to crawl back to sit in my lap. I kept asking him what was wrong and trying to encourage him to stay where he was, but he was so upset. A gentleman nearby told me that the chinstrap of DS6’s hat had slipped up and smacked him in the face. I’m sure it hurt, but DS6’s crying just wouldn’t stop. I thought he was being a bit melodramatic, probably because he was a bit tired. I tried to calm him repeatedly as the parade started, but he was having none of it, he was not happy and did not stop crying for some time.

The Toy Story float stopped right in front of us – A perfect view! Woody and Jessie, Mr. Potato Head and a green Army man rocked out on the front of the float, and several dancers spun around the float on the street. Woody pulled up a developmentally-disabled woman seated next to DS6 to dance with him in the street, it was very sweet. I think they probably would have chosen DS6 as well, because he was the only easily reachable kid, but he was still upset and wouldn’t even look in their direction. The dancing ended, and that was pretty much the end of the parade; the rest of the floats zoomed on past while I snapped quick photos. We saw Sulley and a few other monsters from the Monsters Inc float as it zoomed past, and then the floats shot out green balls at the end. One zoomed near us and DS6 almost had it, but it fell under the stroller and rolled a bit. The mom of the Woody's dancing partner kindly pulled it out from next to her and handed it to DS6. He had finally cheered up by then, and gave her a shy “thank you.” He then explained to me that the Mickey ears chinstrap had smacked him across the eyes, and it hurt really bad. OUCH! Poor little guy.

After the Block Party Bash we headed back to Disneyland and had dinner at the Rancho del Zocalo restaurant in Frontierland. I had a beef Burrito Sonora, DH had grilled chicken with lime, and the boys had soft chicken taco kids’ meals. DH declared this the best meal he’d had yet; mine was OK, not great.

After dinner there was almost no wait at the Pirates of the Caribbean, so the whole family rode it again. Love this ride! After that DS2 wanted to ride Pooh, so he and I headed there while DH and DS6 took in another round on Splash Mountain. We rode Pooh 2 times, then met up with DH and DS6 and went on Pooh one more time as a family.

We then went clear across the park to Hatmosphere in Tomorrowland to get the boys’ Mickey ears hats embroidered. There are other shops around the park that have computerized embroidery machines, but only Hatmosphere and one other place were still doing it by hand. It was late enough that Hatmosphere was closed. But not a total waste of time: We had collected fastpasses for the Buzz Lightyear ride earlier in the day, so popped in to ride that again. (Don't ask me my score, I'm not tellin'!)

On Main Street we stopped in the photo shop to get postcard stamps from the vending machine. The shop was so full of people and there was actually a line out the door! At first I couldn’t figure out what was going on, was there a character actually in the shop? I had forgotten that this was the place to view your professionally photographed park photos, and everyone was trying to view and purchase their photos before leaving. I managed to squeeze through the crowd to use the vending machine, then squeezed back out again.

I remembered that the Baby Swap pass for Indiana Jones was still in my pocket, and I really wanted to ride it, so DH told me to make sure DS6 was seated in the middle seat of the row, and off we went. We dashed down the fastpass line and got all the way to the room with the video reel. In a way it was too bad, because it looked like there was tons of neat stuff along the way that we didn’t stop to look at. And no one was there, I could have taken lots of photos with my flash! Next time, I told myself…

The line next snaked back the direction we’d come, and I could see the jeeps being loaded from the other side. Just as we were about to switch-back again, there was an announcement that the ride had broken down, and we needed to make our way out of the building. Oh, no! I was so disappointed. So we made our way back out the way we’d come, and promised ourselves we’d try again tomorrow.

On the way through Downtown Disney we stopped at World of Disney to look for more souvenirs. I chose a lavender long-sleeved Tinkerbell top. As we walked out of the store I spied a mom with a mini-Snow White, who was about two years old. She was so adorable I had to ask the mom if I could take her daughter’s picture. She agreed, and I couldn’t get over how cute she was. She acted as if it was no big deal to have perfect strangers take her photo, which I thought was even funnier. Outside the Disneyland Hotel, the Sorcerer’s Hat was surrounded by orange caution tape and a vehicle with a lift. It looked like they were going to remove the 50th anniversary logo, so I snapped a quick picture for posterity.

Once back at the hotel, DH took the boys for a late-night swim. It was again cut short by a shivering DS2, but they enjoyed it nonetheless, and after a warm shower, they were ‘jammied, in bed and watching the Princess Storytelling on TV.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

THURSDAY, September 28


Another Early Entry day, though we had decided to take a more leisurely approach on our last day in the park. I got ready to go, and woke everyone else as usual. We had eaten all of our cold cereal, and started in on the flavored oatmeal packets. The coffee maker (that makes horrid coffee) finally came in handy after all, I heated up some water and then mixed up some oatmeal for each of us.

I had to go back to the room for something, so DH went to the Coffee House by himself. We met up with him at the walkway between Sierra and Marina Towers, and he eagerly pointed out a couple seated nearby. He’d just been talking with them as we exited the building, and he told me they were from Seattle, and had won the Golden Treasure Hunt contest from our local radio station, Star 101.5. Winners from all over the country would be participating in a treasure hunt that evening, and possibly winning a lot of money! I shouted out, “Congratulations!” to them, and they waved and told us to enjoy our last day in the park.

We walked leisurely through DTD, knowing this was our last morning there. I took several pictures of the flowering trees and fountains along the way. The CALIFORNIA letters in front of California Adventure were now in white, yellow and orange, with the ‘A’s as a solid candy corn shape.

The tops of the Disneyland gates had pumpkin-like shapes for Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and more, so cute! The 50th celebration floral Mickey just inside the gate had been removed, but the area was still under cover.

We waited for the rope drop, then rushed into Adventureland and headed straight for Indiana Jones. I was determined to ride this before we left that day! I handed over the baby swap pass, which they did accept (the day after we got it, I wasn’t sure if they were color-coded to be good for only one day or something.) DS6 and I dashed down the fastpass line once again, and I have to admit I was thinking we’d come so early we’d get even further down the way than before! And I was WRONG! We were stopped quite a bit further back, near the spears room, I think. Then the line just crawled. There’s one spot that has a big rock or pillar or something with a sign that says “Don’t touch!” I rolled my eyes when the big guy in line behind me started tugging on it, but much to my surprise it began to make some sort of noise! How on earth did he know to do that? And how much more of that kind of stuff have I missed? Indiana Jones, the Toontown for grown-ups, who knew???

We did finally get loaded into a jeep this time, and sat in the second row, with me on the far left side and DS6 in the seat next to me. I got us both buckled tight, then as we took off I reached across him and gripped his right thigh, using my arm as a seatbelt for his upper body. The ride is very bumpy and very jerky! There were sharp turns where I was half-hanging out of the jeep, and DS6 was just giggling and bumping into my arm the whole way. I will admit that I am not a big fan of bugs or spiders or snakes, but none of that really got to me. It was the rock. The jeep suddenly stops and stalls. The rock starts to roll toward the jeep. You can hear the jeep engine nearly catching, then finally it catches, and the jeep rockets FORWARD toward the rock! I let out a bloodcurdling scream, and I was not the only one, either! I scrunched my head down onto my neck as far as it would go, and it was a bit sore after that.

As we got out of the jeep, DS6 and I kept giggling and talking about how exciting the ride had been. We almost ran out of the exit and talked DH’s ear off about our experience. He was very relieved that I had no trouble keeping DS6 from bashing his head on the jeep.

This was our last chance to try out some new rides, so we headed to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland. DS6 was definitely up for the rollercoaster, so he and Daddy went on while DS2 and I watched. I could see the cars come flying through the track, then slow way down as they come along the final curve. I got pictures of them with the little town backdrop.

DS6 was up for a second ride, so he and I went on it. I thought it was very jerky as well, but fun, and over all too fast.

I headed to Rancho del Zocalo to use the restroom, and didn’t have to look far for the boys when I came back, they were at the Shootin Exposition. Daddy was shooting and the boys were admiring his aim.

We headed out toward the Partners statue, and came across a Disneyland fire department vehicle, with a bunch of officials getting out of it. These 5 or 6 men were dressed like the guys on the railroad, I think, all in navy blue, but I couldn’t figure out any reason why they’d be in that vehicle, and why arriving at the Hub like that.

I took a moment to take several photos of the castle and its 50th crowns, since I knew they were temporary. I also took a quick shot of the crystal shop inside the castle, which DH had wanted to visit sometime, but we never did.

The boys and I rode Dumbo, with DS6 in his own elephant. DS6 didn’t like to ride with DS2 on their previous trips, because they both wanted to control the height of the Dumbo. Since DS2 couldn’t really reach the switch, I had it the whole time, and just kept moving it up and down in hopes that it would make for a fun ride for DS2, and would give DH a chance for some decent photos.

After that, we headed back to Critter Country in hopes of finally seeing Tigger. Sure enough, he was due within minutes, so we got in line. We once again slipped around the folks in front of us while they met Pooh, and waited eagerly to meet Tigger. I thought DS2 would be over the moon about Tigger, because he just giggles when Tigger jumps jumps jumps in the video! But he just walked up to him and stared, then I took a picture with Tigger, DS2 and DS6. This was a major item on our To-Do list, so I was glad to have it accomplished.

We headed next to the train station at New Orleans Square, and boarded the next train. We took a round-trip, and of course I was snapping pictures the whole way. We saw many of the same sights along the Rivers of America as we headed to Toontown station. There was a cute Americana billboard and Autopia scenes along the way to Tomorrowland station. And the famous Grand Canyon and dinosaur dioramas along the way to the Main Street station. We returned to New Orleans station and encountered the Delta Daddios performing, so stopped to listen for a bit. We really loved them, and would have stayed longer, we were just worried about fitting all the last minute things in that day, so we reluctantly left them.

We still needed to get the boys’ Mickey Ears embroidered, so we headed to Hatmosphere in Tomorrowland. The CM there said their machines were going to be switched out in a few days so that they were all computerized, so I’m glad we were able to get some of the last hand-embroidered ones!

Back on Main Street, we stopped to listen to the Dapper Dans at Coke Corner. They had apparently pulled some pretty blond girl out of the audience and dubbed her an honorary Dapper Dan, then tried to get her to sing along and harmonize with them. She, of course, didn’t have a clue what to sing or what part, so she wound up laughing helplessly through the whole thing.

We moved along down Main Street, and came across a band playing at the next corner! I have no idea what their name is, but we thought it was so funny that we didn’t see any of these performers until our final day, and we hit them all within half an hour!

As we passed the fire station, the fire station band came out to play as well! We stopped to listen, and one of the first songs they played was “You’ve Got The Cutest Little Baby Face”, and the trombone player came right up to both boys and played to them, then moved along to play for other kids in the audience. The drummer also came out and played “This Old Man” on one guest’s wheelchair, showing how different parts of the chair made different sounds. It was so cool, and so sweet!

I saw the fence behind the firehouse open up, and out ran Chip and Dale, wearing fire hats and carrying a ladder and red buckets! They clowned around a bit, then dashed off back through the fence, and up the street came the fabulous Cruella De Vil! This CM is so into her character, and she makes the best rubbery facial expressions! She sauntered around the bandmembers, who hissed at her, and then pulled a gentleman out of the crowd to model one of her latest creations. This big burly guy was then draped with her red coat and told to pose. Of course he was hopelessly pathetic, and she was hilariously aghast. She finally gave up and returned him to his giggling wife, then she wove her way across the street to some fans to pose with them. Love her!

You may wonder why we were heading out of the park so early on our last day. Well, like the chicken who crossed the road, it was to get to the other side! We entered California Adventure, and I was intent on riding the rapids at Grizzly River Run.

DS6 and I boarded a raft as the last two passengers, so we were stuck with the seats on either side of the entrance. We buckled ourselves in, and then the raft was released to the current. There are bumpers along the route that are designed to roll the raft around in circles as you pass, so no one has to go the whole way backwards, I suppose. The rest of the folks in our raft were all related, from grandparents on down to an 8 or 10-year old boy. I kept saying, “I just don’t want to go down the big drop backwards, that’s all I care about.” So take a guess as to who the big loser there was? Yup, it was me. Or rather, DS6 and I both, as the raft entrance gap was facing down!

And just as I’d feared, cold water came rushing in over us through that big gap, so we were pretty well drenched. After the big drop, the raft takes a leisurely stroll around a scenic loop, then heads under the bridge I stood on to take pictures of DH and DS6 days ago. And sure enough, there were DH and DS2, taking pictures of us this time! What fun!

Next up was Soarin’ Over California. It looked like there was no line, so DS6 and I dashed in. Well, there is an enormously long line inside, and it moved slowly. At least it was out of the heat inside the building. We finally were loaded in, and DS6 and I were in the front row. I wasn’t sure if he’d be nervous or get motion sickness, so I once again laid my hand on his leg and told him to let me know if he was scared.

I worried needlessly. He began to giggle and whoop at the first scene. We whooshed down a snowy mountain ski slope, soared over a big lake (and I had to lift my feet as we nearly dropped into the water!) I told DS6, “Honey, sniff! Do you smell the pine trees? Do you smell the ocean? Sniff the oranges!” He had the biggest grin on his face the entire ride. We flew over Santa Monica and Hollywood, then over Disneyland itself, complete with fireworks and Tinkerbell. Awesome!

It’s quite a long ride, and well worth the wait. I so wanted DH to experience it, but he wasn’t feeling well, and just wasn’t that interested, so he passed.

We walked through the Greetings From California shop, looking for souvenirs to take home. I found some antenna toppers, so DH got in line to pay for them, and DS2, DS6 and I tried on a few more hats while we waited.

We exited California Adventure for the final time, and re-entered Disneyland. We walked up through New Orleans Square, and took a break at the fountain in front of the train station. DS2 fell asleep, so we stayed awhile and just admired the scenery and quiet.

Once DS2 woke, we headed to Critter Country for our last rides on Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh. We had picked up Indiana Jones fastpasses earlier in the day, so we headed there for our last ride in the park. DS6 and DH went first, and DS2 and I sat in the dark. Once again, I didn’t have a watch and had no idea how long they were gone, but it seemed like forever! I glanced over at the shops across the way and noticed a mast with a pirate flag moving across the top of it from behind the building. I was so excited, figuring this was related to the big Golden Treasure Hunt event taking place after hours that night.

When DH and DS6 returned with the baby swap pass, I told him to rush over to the waterfront to see what was going on, and to take pictures for me! DH said it was nearly park closing time, so we’d better hurry, as we wouldn’t exit the ride until well after closing. Then DS6 and I rushed into Indy and ran all the way down the fastpass line. Uff, the line was even longer than before! I was so sick of that video reel after seeing it and getting stuck at that section three times!

We finally were loaded into a jeep, this time with me in the driver’s seat! Somebody behind me yelled, “Both hands on the wheel, please!” Heh. One hand was on the wheel, and one across DS6’s lap to hold him tight. More careening, more screaming, what a blast this ride is! I still screamed at the big rock, but this time it was more out of fun than fear.

We had to walk slowly out this time due to the crowd in front of us, and DH and DS2 were waiting patiently. I eagerly asked if he’d gone over to the riverfront, and DH said yes. I asked if he’d gotten pictures, and he winked at me, which I took to mean “yes.”

We wandered out of Adventureland almost on our own, which was very weird. The park apparently had closed about half an hour before. We said our “good nights” and “thank yous” to the CMs at the gate, and the boys gave one gal a high five each. I’m going to miss those waving white gloves!

We wandered through Downtown Disney, perhaps a bit slower than before to drink it all in one last time. Once in the room we got the boys ready for bed, got the Princess Storytime on the TV, and packed up what we could, setting out a few items for the next morning.

I finally got to talk with DH about what he’d seen while DS6 and I were on the Indiana Jones ride. He wandered toward the riverfront, but the area was roped off and full of security people. One woman stopped him and asked if he had a pass. He said he did not, and she said that the park was closed, so he needed to leave. He told her that his wife and son were on the Indiana Jones ride, so he couldn’t leave without them. She very nicely told him he could stay and watch as long as he stayed behind the rope, and he agreed.

A few minutes later she noticed him still standing there, and walked over. She told him that everyone at the special event was wearing a badge like hers (and she showed it to him on her chest.) He had DS2 on his shoulders at that point, and she said if he wanted to come into the area and just keep his chest covered with DS2’s feet, no one would be the wiser! [I couldn’t believe this!] He thanked her, and did wander around for just a minute or so. He said the sailing ship Columbia was all decked out to look like a pirate ship, and that people were on it, as well as on land. He took no pictures (I guess it would be difficult while holding onto DS2), and left quickly, not wanting to get this nice security person into trouble.

I was crushed that there were no photos of the event to look at, but I did see them on the DIS from others who’d posted them. How cool!

Anyway, we got to bed late that night, and had trouble falling asleep. The next day we’d be home.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

FRIDAY, September 29: The Journey Home


We decided to order room service for breakfast: Mickey Mouse waffles for the boys, I think DH had pancakes, and can’t remember what I had, just that the bacon was big and thick, yummm!

We finished all the last-minute packing, straightened up the room for easier cleaning by Mousekeeping, did a final check to make sure we weren’t leaving anything behind (other than bags and popcorn buckets and other things we didn’t want to carry home.) It was sad to leave, but it was time to head home.

We hadn’t thought to move the car to the closer parking, so we had to haul everything all the way to the top floor of the parking garage. DH easily got onto the freeway, though he missed the first entrance to the carpool lane, so we crawled along for quite awhile. When we were more than halfway there I spotted another entrance for that lane, so we jumped over and sailed the rest of the way to the Orange County airport.

Dropping off the car was breezy, then we were checking in, and then going through the security check-point. We again had to remove our shoes and load everything we were carrying into trays for scanning. Fortunately, our gate was just on the other side of the security check, so we pushed everything over to some seats and then got ourselves put back together. The boys wanted something to snack on, and DH and I wanted some coffee, so I headed to the Starbucks nearby.

Loading onto the plane was smooth as well, and soon we were in the air. DH pulled out his PSP, DS6 his L-Max, DS2 watched Daddy’s game, and I asked DH for one of my books to read. “Oh,” he said, “I hadn’t thought you would want that, it’s in checked baggage.” Oh. That's OK. Well, how about my journal and a pen? “Oh. That’s in checked baggage as well. Sorry.” So I read the in-flight magazine cover to cover, talked a bit with the boys, took them to the bathroom… It’s not a long flight to Seattle, it just seemed that way.

During the flight, the pilot occasionally got on the intercom to tell us about some landmark below us. The pilot eventually told us somewhere over southern Washington that we would begin our descent soon, so DH looked out the window. When DS6 asked what he was doing, DH said, "I'm trying to figure out where we are." DS6 got a puzzled look on his face, then looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. He finally explained gently, "Daddy... We're in the sky." It still cracks me up every time I think of it.

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

Thanks so much for the trip report! I loved every minute! I'm sad it's over and I have nothing more to read, but hope next time you go you post an equally long report.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

FRIDAY, September 29: The Journey Home


We decided to order room service for breakfast: Mickey Mouse waffles for the boys, I think DH had pancakes, and can’t remember what I had, just that the bacon was big and thick, yummm!

We finished all the last-minute packing, straightened up the room for easier cleaning by Mousekeeping, did a final check to make sure we weren’t leaving anything behind (other than bags and popcorn buckets and other things we didn’t want to carry home.) It was sad to leave, but it was time to head home.

We hadn’t thought to move the car to the closer parking, so we had to haul everything all the way to the top floor of the parking garage. DH easily got onto the freeway, though he missed the first entrance to the carpool lane, so we crawled along for quite awhile. When we were more than halfway there I spotted another entrance for that lane, so we jumped over and sailed the rest of the way to the Orange County airport.

Dropping off the car was breezy, then we were checking in, and then going through the security check-point. We again had to remove our shoes and load everything we were carrying into trays for scanning. Fortunately, our gate was just on the other side of the security check, so we pushed everything over to some seats and then got ourselves put back together. The boys wanted something to snack on, and DH and I wanted some coffee, so I headed to the Starbucks nearby.

Loading onto the plane was smooth as well, and soon we were in the air. DH pulled out his PSP, DS6 his L-Max, DS2 watched Daddy’s game, and I asked DH for one of my books to read. “Oh,” he said, “I hadn’t thought you would want that, it’s in checked baggage.” Oh. That's OK. Well, how about my journal and a pen? “Oh. That’s in checked baggage as well. Sorry.” So I read the in-flight magazine cover to cover, talked a bit with the boys, took them to the bathroom… It’s not a long flight to Seattle, it just seemed that way.

During the flight, the pilot occasionally got on the intercom to tell us about some landmark below us. The pilot eventually told us somewhere over southern Washington that we would begin our descent soon, so DH looked out the window. When DS6 asked what he was doing, DH said, "I'm trying to figure out where we are." DS6 got a puzzled look on his face, then looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. He finally explained gently, "Daddy... We're in the sky." It still cracks me up every time I think of it.

this was such a GREAT TR ...I totally loved it....no one would ever know this is your first...your so awesome at this...I totally got into your report and seriously, you took me right there with you... I guarantee you that my tr will be a dud next to yours ....wtg

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your trip report. I remember when you guys had to cancel & then the trip was on again. You have a wonderful understated humor & I grinned a lot while reading about your adventures. I think you did a great job capturing your thoughts,, and I truly enjoyed riding along.