The Adams Family Does Disneyland

[Glynis]

I've never posted a trip report before, but I've loved reading them, so I'm going to try my hand at this.

Cast of Characters:

Me: 38 year old Disney Fanatic (would live in Small world if they'd let me)
DH: 37 year old Disney tolerator (doesn't mind going every once in a while)
DD1: 8 year old Disney fan (4th trip to DL)
DS: 6 year old Buzz Lightyear fan (3rd trip to DL)
DD2: 3 year old who loves wild rides (2nd trip to DL)
DD3: 3 year old (twin) who didn't like the wild rides (2nd trip to DL)

Others:
Too many to count. There were 20 of us in total. My dad took us all to celebrate my mother's successful recovery from 7 bypasses. All my siblings and their families were with us.

Dad and I have been planning this trip for quite some time. He's as much a Disney fanatic as I am, and we enjoy the planning as much as the going.

Day 1: Saturday September 10, 2005
We woke our kids up at 7:30 to get ready to go to the airport. They were quick to get up and get dressed, unlike school days, and by 8:30 we were loaded up and on our way to the airport. Each kid had their own backpack which carried a folder of coloring pages, travel journal pages, word games, crayons and a special Disney pencil. This was to keep them busy in the airplane so they wouldn't cause a commotion. Worked Great! They loved them and kept quiet the whole hour and half flight. We arrived in Ontario and DH and Dad went to get the rental vans (we usually don't rent vehicles, but this year, my mom is on dialysis, so we needed some transportation to get her to the clinic and back. Within an hour of landing we were on our way to our hotel. DH thinks he is a better navigator than Mapquest, so we got a little lost, but eventually we found our way, and soon we were pulling into the parking lot of the Park Vue Inn. We met up with my brother and his wife who were already there, and planned to meet up in DL within the hour.

There was a bit of a mixup with our rooms, but it wasn't enough to dampen our moods. We were directly across the street from the Happiest Place on Earth and nothing, I repeat nothing, was going to bring us down. We quickly stored our luggage in our rooms, grabbed water bottles, sunscreen and autograph books and headed for the park. Going through security was painless as we really didn't take any bags into the park. Last time we had diaper bags as well as a backpack for snacks, and this year we didn't have either of those. The twins are now potty trained (side note: hooray for me! No more diapers in the house!!!!!!), and I figured for a Saturday afternoon, we could do without the granola bars and fruit snacks. So we were quickly in. I had warned everyone beforehand about the crowds we would experience on the weekend, but we were pleasantly surprised. It was not too crowded at all! The main reason we wanted to come on Saturday was to see the fireworks. Our plan was to deposit my mother in her wheelchair to hold some spots while the rest of us came and went. Mom had other ideas. She wanted to ride some rides. So, we headed over to Tomorrowland to check out Space Mountain. The lines were pretty long for that ride, so we decided to put it on our to do list for tomorrow. While we were there, though, my son begged to go on Star Tours. Last time we came he was an inch too short to go on it, and nothing we could do would make him taller (DH even sabotaged 2 of our twins diapers in the hopes he could stuff them in DS shoes to make him taller. No luck!) I took his hand and off we went into the queue. There was a posted 5 minute wait on this ride, and I'd have to say we actually waited only 3. It was zipping along. DS tried to talk himself out of the ride the closer we came to the entrance, but I managed to get him on. He LOVED it! He is still so young, that he actually bought into the idea that we had just flown through space, and he couldn't wait to tell his Daddy that he had done it.

Next was a quick trip on Buzz Lightyear. This was a first for all of us, and with several Buzz fans it was a natural for us to do as a group of 20. We all loved the ride. Some of us did better than others, but it's not really about the score, right? (try telling that to my DH ) The little boys (ok and the big boys) all wanted to come back again later and try that ride.

Meanwhile Mom wanted her Fantasyland fix. I thought we wouldn't be able to do anything in FL, but we were pleasantly surprised. In a relatively short time we were able to do Small World, Dumbo, the Carousel, and the Teacups. There was no line over 5 minutes in FL. Pretty cool for our little ones.

Now we were hungry, so we headed to the Plaza for a late lunch. We ordered a chicken plate for our kids to share (too much food for even the four of them. We had so much left over), DH had a Cobb Salad, and I had the pasta (I'm having Gastric Bypass in a month, so this is my farewell to food). All the food was delicious and we really needed it! After lunch we all had to go on mom's favorite ride: Pirates of the Caribbean. DD3 freaked out as we entered the dark building. It was definitely not her favorite ride of the night. So we promised to take her on Winnie the Pooh. Now that was more her style.

After this we went to Coke Corner to listen to the piano player and wait for the fireworks. We set ourselves down, and the more adventureous went to Space Mountain to wait it out. Turns out they only had about a 15 minute wait. We all got back together, and waited for the fireworks. I had heard amazing things about the fireworks, and they sure didn't disappoint. It was absolutely AMAZING!!!!! My kids are still talking about it a week later. So cool. After they were over, we just sat, waiting for the crowds to thin out. Then we put all the little ones in their strollers and headed back to the hotel. We were back there and in bed in just a few minutes (love having our hotel directly across the street!). Now it's on to Day 2.

Day 2 will be coming, but right now I have to get back to studying for my Master's of Education. I'm really behind.

TTFN

 

[stich626]

I hope I have a s much luck with the lines as your family did. an't wait to hear the rest of your report. They help me to get by until I actually get to DL.

 

[tarheel]

Hi. Any way you can describe for someone who hasn't been there yet where Coke Corner is? I heard it is a good spot to see the fireworks from, and I like the idea that you got to listen to some entertainment while you were waiting. By the way, how long did you wait for the fireworks from that spot? Thanks!!!

 

[Glynis]

Hi. Any way you can describe for someone who hasn't been there yet where Coke Corner is? I heard it is a good spot to see the fireworks from, and I like the idea that you got to listen to some entertainment while you were waiting. By the way, how long did you wait for the fireworks from that spot? Thanks!!!

Coke Corner is on the left hand side of Main Street if you are facing the castle. Directly across the street is the Plaza Inn. It's easy to find, because there's usually a ragtime piano player entertaining the crowds. We saw most of the fireworks, and we got to see all of Tink flying from the Matterhorn around the castle. That was the COOLEST THING EVER!!!!! My mom was in a wheelchair, so we took her over there by about 7:30. The rest of us came and went. There was always about 5 of us sitting with her. Mostly us gals, as the dad's wanted to take the kids on rides while we were waiting. By about 8:30, however, we were all sitting there waiting. It was nice to wait, though, since we had music to listen to. Another good point is that we had chairs that were at a height that even though others were standing in front of us, we had an unobstructed view for the most part. Very good for the small kids. I would recommend it. You don't get to see everything, but you do see most.

 

[tarheel]

Thanks, Glynis!

 

[Michelle2]

We are the Adams family and were at Disneyland at about the same time too! So it looks like I can't name my trip report that ...just kidding. Glad you had a good time!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Glynis, I enjoyed day one, we were there that same day as you! I agree, the fireworks were truly amazing. Good luck with your surgery!

 

[Glynis]

Well, you can only do so much homework, don't you know? So, I'm back to post Day 2.

Day 2 Sunday September 11, 2005

One of the best things about the Park Vue Inn is the fact that they offer a continental breakfast. It's not fancy, just donuts, muffins, toast, juice and fruit. You can purchase other items, but we found the basics to be just enough for our family. The kids really enjoyed sitting on the patio, crumbling their muffins to feed the birds. I think they would have been happy to stay there all day doing that, but once they heard the D word (Disneyland) they were ready to be off.

I had made T-shirts for the entire group to wear on our first full day at the park. They have the castle in the background while all the major characters (at least 20) are standing in front of it. At the top is a caption saying, Adams Family September 2005, and at the bottom it says, Thanks Walt! They all turned out really cute and I was pleased with the way we all looked in them. We caused quite a stir, too, as we walked to the entrance. As we approached the security tents, Dad ran ahead to get Mom a wheelchair, so the rest of us took our time. As we went through security, one of the cast members said, "I think we just saw one of your party." She showed us where he had gone and told us to have a great day. In short order we were all through the turnstiles and Mom was placed in her wheelchair. Since this was the vacation that Mom/Gram and Dad/Gramp paid for, we felt they should decide where we went first. No surprises there, Peter Pan Ride. It's my Dad's favorite ride. So, off we went to Fantasyland. We were prepared for long lines, but really it wasn't that bad. We only had to wait about 10 minutes in line. It was a fun line, too. The people were all in good moods, and things went smoothly. We got several comments on our shirts, which made me feel good. Peter Pan was fun for everyone except my DD3. She doesn't like dark things, so we knew that it would be hard for her. She cried quietly and begged us not to make her go on it again. That was a promise. We would never force our kids to go on something they don't want to.

Next we headed over to Dumbo. My mom has never been on this ride, so we all decided this was the year. However, the way things worked out, my DD1 had no one to ride with her. She was feeling pretty low until the CM came over, asked her how old she was and told her she was old enough to go alone. That perked my DD right up. The pixie dust didn't stop there, either. When it was our turn to board, the CM took my DD by the hand and walked her over to the golden Dumbo. Talk about true magic. That was my daughter's dream; to ride the golden Dumbo. So, thanks to a wonderful CM who made an 8 year old's day! You are wonderful!

After Dumbo we went to the Matterhorn. This was the first roller coaster for our twins, and they really enjoyed it! They thought the "snow monster" was funny and they loved all the twists and turns. As a reward for being good we took them on the "funny train", Casey Jr. Circus Train. We ran into another wonderful CM here. While we waited for the train, she made a big fuss about all the kids in matching shirts, and made them all feel really important. She told us how much fun it was working at DL. It was nice to see a CM have good things to say about DL. I don't know what it was, but we had nothing but good interactions with the CM's this trip. They were all pleasant and made our vacation so wonderful.

After spending the morning in Fantasyland, the older kids wanted some excitement. It was getting warm, so a trip to Splash Mtn. was in order. The line here was not too long. I'd say we waited about 15 minutes in line, here. I took my son on this ride, and he was excited but nervous. He asked me to put my legs around him for the whole ride. He was scared there wasn't a seatbelt. He's my safety kid. Do you know how hard it is for someone Pooh sized to keep her leg around a 6 year old on that ride???? Talk about love. Well, Splash Mtn. became his favorite ride that day. Once we were off, he begged to go on it again. Since we had done the Child Swap, he went with his daddy, and came off even more in love with the ride than before.

Lunchtime had arrived and we were all hungry. We headed over to the Hungry Bear for lunch. Our kids shared 2 kids meals; one cheeseburger and one Mickey nuggets. They came in wonderful little boxes that all the kids wanted. My husband got the cheeseburger platter and I had a bbq chicken salad. It was all yummy, but the burger could have been hotter. It was still warm, but on the downside of warm. Anyway, we all ate everything, so it couldn't have been too bad, right?

After lunch it was time to split up. The little ones needed a nap at the hotel, and the bigger kids were eager to go on some more rides. Before we all went our separate ways, we stopped in front of the castle and had our picture taken. It turned out great and we ended up buying it. What a great memory of the trip! DH took the twins back to the hotel to nap and I took the kids to the Haunted Mansion. It was going to close the next day for the holiday overlay and since my kids had never seen the original HM, that was a priority for me. Mom and Dad went with us as did my sister and her family. It was GREAT! I'd forgotten all the spooky little touches there are in the house. While we were being herded into the stretching room, another patron noticed our shirts and said, "The Adams family, huh? You must feel right at home here." It took me a minute to get the joke, but then we all laughed. My kids thought this ride was so fun, but they were a little spooked by it. They like it better with the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff.

The mommy in me reared her ugly head and insisted that we all head to the hotel for homework time. I was able to get about a half hour of homework out of them before relenting and letting them go swimming. They had a great time doing that while I stayed in the room and did my own homework. Classes had started for me the week before and I didn't want to get too far behind. Dad called from California Adventure asking us to meet him and the rest of the family at the Hyperion Theater for the final showing of Aladdin. We dragged the kids out of the pool and dried them off and went off to CA. We made it to the theater and had to wait in line about 10 minutes before they opened the doors for us. Now, the good thing about mom being in a wheelchair is that we all get great seats for the show! We were down front, and my kids were so excited to be that close to the stage. The show was fantastic, as always, and it was fun to see the Genie's new jokes. The kids were ecstatic to be that close to the elephant.

It was close to 7 by the time the show ended, so we decided to split up again. The brave ones in the group went off to Tower of Terror, while the mommies went to Flik's Fun Fair with the little ones. There were no, and I mean NO lines here so we were able to get on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Francis's lady Bug Boogie, Tuck and Roll's Bumper Cars and Flik's Fliers. The little ones loved this land so much they wanted to do all the rides again and again. We promised we'd bring them back during the day time to do them all over again. We met up with the TOT people and went to find some dinner. It had grown a bit chilly, so Mom demanded soup in a bread bowl. We went to the Pacific Wharf Cafe and ordered Broccoli and Cheese soup, Corn Chowder and Clam Chowder. The kids wanted Mexican so ours split 2 kids meals again (yay, 2 more of the wonderful boxes, now each of our kids has one). There was so much food, that no one finished their order. My DH and I could easily have split one order. Oh well, lesson learned. We sat outside eating our dinner and watching the lights on the Paradise Pier. It was so relaxing. It was hard to believe that we were in the Disney parks on a Sunday night. We had the place practically to ourselves. Great fun.

It was really cold now, and Mom had to get up early for dialysis tomorrow, so we decided to call it a night. Back we went to the hotel where we got the kids into bed in short order. I still had homework to finish, so I kept a small light on and worked for a while. It was interesting to watch the kids fall asleep. One right after the other, till all were deep breathing, dreaming Disney dreams.

Day 3 will be coming in a bit. I've got to get some laundry done, now.