On to day two of our marvelous first-Disney experience. It didn't matter to me at this point if things started going a little wrong. We still had a nearly-perfect first day, and I was already satisfied with our trip. That being said, we were all a little worn out from the traveling (
sleeping in different beds, mostly) and the big day we'd had the day before. Except maybe this little sweetheart. She was still full of energy and excitement and fully entrenched in the Disney Magic from the get go. All of her dreams were in the process of coming true!
Sidenote: My feet were actually doing pretty decently, unlike our trip before, where I had to buy a pair of Disney Crocs (at the Disney Warehouse) to switch to because I was in so much pain! This time I had been working HARD to walk a lot and lose a little extra weight (I'm 5'3, and carry around probably 35 extra lbs, which is 5-8 less than last time at least) before this trip so I could enjoy it! (and not hate the pictures) Anyway, the first day I wore my falling-apart tennis shoes that need to be replaced (but they're only a year old!) with brand new Dr. Scholl's inserts with arch support. Pretty spiffy; my legs were tired, but my feet weren't hurting! To be safe, I switched to my new Croc flip flops that I got at the Disney Outlet for the second day. I had been slowly breaking them in (ie. getting my feet used to them) for about 2 weeks now, and felt confident I wouldn't run into trouble. I had band aids in our first aid kit just in case, and knew we could go back to the room for a rest and switch them out if needed. But they didn't give me any trouble. A tiny hot spot where the band rubbed the top of my foot on each side by the end of the day is all. It was nice to wear shorts and flip flops (even though my kids were in jeans and tights for their own protection from falls and scrapes - they are NOT tough kids if they get hurt!) because it got up in the high 80's on Thursday!
We had debated using our Magic Morning this Thursday (our only option) and just not worrying about all the hectic Carsland hullabaloo, but since we had done almost everything that would be open during MM on the previous day, decided to skip it and go for the Radiator Springs Racers fast passes. So we got in line for California Adventure (which -didn't- have EMH this morning) at 9:10 AM (for a 10 AM opening). Look at all those people!
Not as early as the day before, but still, the lines were pretty crazy at opening that day! They already stretched pretty far back. Still, we were in soon after 9:30 (their system was down for pics, so they checked one ID from each group) and I got in line with the stroller and DD2 (I gave her my phone to play with) for RSR FP's. It was wrapped by around Carthay just shy of the Playhouse Disney building. I heard differing things: 10 minutes from that point once it opened. 30 minutes. I wasn't too excited about the 30 minutes and was second guessing our decision. But I called DH and they were waiting at the rope to ride Tower of Terror, and were content, so we just stayed in line while I chatted with another "Disney-freak" who was the self-appointed FP-runner and planner of her family.
She said she is mostly on TouringPlans, but checks in on the DIS sometimes too. (I didn't get her username though)
After rope drop it actually only took me 9 minutes to get my RSR FP's (they had CM's there handling the actual transactions, to keep things moving right along) with a return time of 11:30 to 12:30. Not too shabby. I walked with the little one into A Bug's Land and we met Flik at the entrance. I'm not 100% sure she knows who Flik is (though they've watched A Bug's Life a couple times, I think) and she was really cute with him. She climbed down out of the stroller and gave him a big long hug, then posed for a few pictures.
Then I took her on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train (I will probably butcher some of the names here, as I've never spent much time in it!) and by the time we got off, they were off Tower of Terror and came to meet us. My brave little souls hadn't tried to back out or anything, but they were both adamant that they would NOT be repeating that one this trip.
(This picture is from -before...- )
We ran...er, walked as quickly as little legs could go over to the Pier to get in line for Toy Story Midway Mania without -too- much of a wait. There was absolutely no line for Screamin' (It's probably 10:30 at this point?) so DH sent me on it really fast while they got in line for TSMM. It was so much fun! I absolutely love that coaster, especially with no wait. It's not as much fun to go by yourself, but still a blast. I actually waited for a couple coasters to go through to sit in the front. Why not, right? And I got some fun video of myself as it started, because I knew the kids would get a kick out of it. I chatted with a couple behind me that lives in CO (a 14-hr drive) but have AP's because they're from the area and get back at least twice a year with their kids.
I ran over to TSMM and found my family, but they were firmly entrenched in the part of the line it's -not- easy to join with. I considered just not going with them, because I know it's rude to cut in line if you can avoid it, but then I realized DH couldn't fit in one side with -3- small children, and that they needed me. So I waited until they were getting close then asked the nice CM if I could possibly join them. He had no problem with it and sent me in the exit to stand and then board with them. I helped DD2 "aim" while she shot a lot. She's really too young for it, and a little short to even be able to see well or reach the gun, but she enjoyed herself and I practiced my self control to let her keep some control over her gun... ;-) The older two (and DH, as always) loved it, of course.
They wanted to go on it again right away, but the line was already at 30 minutes, so we opted out. We decided to do the "Fun" Wheel while it was still a super short line. DH and I could happily skip this one, but the kids were enamored with the giant Mickey-headed Ferris Wheel, so off we went. We did not, however choose a swinging cart. With DH having an above-average fear of heights (especially when our kids are involved, and even with completely enclosed cages) and having experienced my only Disney-induced motion sickness in one of the darn things before, we chose a "stationary" ride. DD5 was less than impressed, but they all still enjoyed it. Except maybe DH. There was very little enjoyment on his part, but he's a trooper. (Doesn't he look excited?)
We decided to head over to Carsland and just check it out while waiting for our FP return time (which was coming right up) but as we headed around the bend (going towards Goofy's Sky School from the "Fun" Wheel) we were stopped to let an event come through. It was Phineas & Ferb's Dance Party! This was actually something on my "to do" list since the kids have recently become big fans of the show. (I had always been turned off by the style of animation and figured it was kind of rude, but I actually really like it too!) I couldn't figure out how we were going to catch it though, so I was super excited that it happened right then. The kids enjoyed following it all the way around the where they set up their "stage," we watched for a few minutes, and then continued on to Carsland.
Now our RSR window was open, but as we headed up the main road we could see they were turning people away at the end! No bueno. They said it was down, but that they would honor our FP's later any time. (Score! I was thinking of a nighttime ride!) So, at a bit of a loss, we went to check out Flo's, since we were all ready for some lunch. One look at the menu though, and I decided the kids and I would not be eating there. I was only about 30% sure they would eat anything up there, and for the prices, I'd rather just fill them up on yogurt, pretzels, and graham crackers... I could have eaten most of the stuff there, but if I was going to pay that much for counter service, it was going to be something I was really excited about, and I wasn't. So I ate snacks too. (protein bars and the like) I encouraged DH to get something anyway (because I had heard it was really good) and he enjoyed the pork loin with... some sides. I think beans and stuff (which I just can't like... I've tried!) I should have paid more attention, if just for this report! (Because I know people are into that.) I tasted a bite of the pork and it was really good.
After Flo's we drifted over towards A Bug's Land (because it was getting really warm, and it's shady there...) Mater's and Luigi's had extra long lines, since RSR was down, and Luigi's looked a bit like torture with how hot the sun was at this point.
We were going to do the bumper cars (DD2 just -barely- made the height requirement) but it wasn't going to work. Only 2 could get in a car at a time, and each child had to ride with an adult, so we would have had to leave a child off while we rode with 2 others (I guess we could have done that with DS6?) or ride 3 separate times. No, thank you. So we rode the Ladybug Boogie, and the kids enjoyed it. They loved any ride where they weren't restrained much and were slipping and sliding around.
We checked MouseWait after that and RSR was shown as being up, so we headed over. We all went to the line entrance so we could collect a child swap, and they honored our FP's. DH took the two older ones on while DD2 and I tried to stay cool and still watch for them at the same time. He texted me when they were almost there and texted me the color of the car they were going to be in, so we were able to spot them. You know, for about .5 seconds. ;-) DH said it took them a little longer than he hoped because they had to -leave- the line to take DS6 to the bathroom at Flo's and then go back. I forgot to ask him exactly how that worked...
DS6 and DH loved it. DD5 was a little more unsure, and it took some convincing and deciding if she wanted to go on it again (DH didn't want to wait around until night; he just wanted to make sure we got on it and get on with our day). She finally decided she -would- try it again and I took the two older kids on. It took us at least 20 minutes to get on the ride with our child swap (and extra FP). Maybe 25. I enjoyed the ride, but was too busy taking some video and making sure both kids were okay (DD5 was a little nervous about "the ups and downs") to really enjoy it. I look forward to riding it much more in the future, when the lines are a little less crazy!
Pretty much as soon as we got in line DD2 had sacked out in the stroller again, so DH wheeled her over into the Animation Studio to rest. They stayed there for 30-40 minutes before a little girl was running around in there screaming really loudly and kind of woke her up. Annoying, but it's not like you can expect anywhere to be quiet in Disney... At this point we were about to meet up with them anyway, so it worked out. It was just sad that she couldn't get a longer nap in. Much better than no nap, though! On the way back through A Bug's Land and into to Hollywoodland? (is that what they call it now?) we saw Red doing Meet 'n Greets and for some reason I really had to convince DS6 to be in the picture with us. I have no idea why. Was he nervous? Just being grumpy? Who knows. Despite being "the boy," he is my most emotional and intense child...
We wanted to go on the Monsters, Inc. ride, and there was no wait at that point, so we did. It was fun and the kids enjoyed it. We had decided to park hop over to
Disneyland, but as we were leaving they were just starting a showing of the Oz premiere (DH was really bummed that Muppet Vision was down; he thought the kids would love that!) and DH wanted to see this, so we ran in. I was nervous that it would be too scary for the kids (and for me) and it was a bit intense, but we all survived. On our way down toward Buena Vista Street some of us were taking a quick bathroom break when we spotted Jake (from Disney Junior). The kids were excited, but he was just leaving. His handler said, "Quick Mom, if you have your camera handy we'll sneak a picture back here where they can't see." That was nice of her, and the kids were excited. Why did DS6 gladly get in this picture (he's been saying he's too old for the Disney Junior stuff) but didn't want to get in one with Red? Interesting.
I'm really looking forward to having a little more time next time maybe to check out Buena Vista Street next time. It looks really cool, and I want to ride that trolley! (okay, not the ride so much as getting my picture taken on it!)
Video Finally Added! Day 2, First Half