The BALD and the BEAUTIFUL take a road trip to see THE mouse **FINISHED**

[reyasmommy]

Ohhh.. sorry about the DC trouble!

Yea, you're finally there... it looks so nice and sunny. It's raining here in Oregon (FINALLY feeling like fall). Reya looks so cute with her lanyard

I'm patiently looking forward to more!

Well we found the card, so that's all that matters. It was really scary at the time though.

Reya got some really cute pins, can't wait to share them with you. She picked them all out by herself too. Her lanyard was soooo BIG on her but she was adorable.

Great photos!

I really like Mr. Toad's. I don't know why exactly...but I do.

I can't wait to read more!

It was "okay", just not one of my favorites.

I'll try posting more today! Hope the doggie is doing well!

You got dreamed.
Wonder why Reya is so scared of carousels but likes Dumbo? They both go round & round.

You know what's REALLY crazy?!?!? She's terrified of carousels, but she threw the Biggest fit when we told her she couldn't go on the ride Insanity that's located on the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

 

[JaneJetson]

Yikes...that ride looks scary!!!

The dog is okay. The vet gave me some antibiotics for her stomach. She also might have kennel cough. Hopefully she'll be better soon.

 

[mommaU4]

You and your DH sound just like me and mine would have been in that situation with the credit card. LOL I'm glad you found it.

Cute pics! And dream FPs!!! Dang, I think I am the only one on the DIS to not be dreamed. I have had APs for a year and we've been so many times and nothing, nada, zilch. (no, I'm not bitter, what gives you that idea?)

Oh, and I'm glad the gifts were a hit! That was so nice of you!!

 

[travelmel]

considering your aversion to lines I am SO glad things were so quick for you guys and you had the ability to see so many things in quick succession!

You really captured Toad (the pic) in good light, I stole that for my files (if you don't mind!). Nice work!

Insanity I am SO glad I can't do spinning rides otherwise I would have been forced to go on it (Self imposed ride dare-devil). But the big-shot is my fave! (all time).

I think those dark rides are all personal preference. Nostaligia, colors, moods, likes/dislikes... it strikes us each different! I love them all. Did you make it onto Alice??? I'll have to wait and see!!

 

[reyasmommy]

Yikes...that ride looks scary!!!

The dog is okay. The vet gave me some antibiotics for her stomach. She also might have kennel cough. Hopefully she'll be better soon.

Ohhh good, I'm glad your dog is doing okay! I'll think happy thoughts for her!

You and your DH sound just like me and mine would have been in that situation with the credit card. LOL I'm glad you found it.

Cute pics! And dream FPs!!! Dang, I think I am the only one on the DIS to not be dreamed. I have had APs for a year and we've been so many times and nothing, nada, zilch. (no, I'm not bitter, what gives you that idea?)

Oh, and I'm glad the gifts were a hit! That was so nice of you!!

Yeah, we were bickering back and forth the entire time we were looking for the card.

I'm glad you like the pictures! And it was really neat to get those dream fast passes. It made up for our horrible morning.

I'm sure you'll get lucky this time around, I just know it!

considering your aversion to lines I am SO glad things were so quick for you guys and you had the ability to see so many things in quick succession!

You really captured Toad (the pic) in good light, I stole that for my files (if you don't mind!). Nice work!

Insanity I am SO glad I can't do spinning rides otherwise I would have been forced to go on it (Self imposed ride dare-devil). But the big-shot is my fave! (all time).

I think those dark rides are all personal preference. Nostaligia, colors, moods, likes/dislikes... it strikes us each different! I love them all. Did you make it onto Alice??? I'll have to wait and see!!

We really were blessed this trip when it came to crowds. You'll see that throughout my TR!

It was soooo funny to see my daughter crying and screaming when she couldn't go on the rides atop the stratosphere. My goodness, that girl is weird! She can't handle a whimpy merry-go-round but she wants to spin 866 feet above the ground at 3 g's?!?!?

And of course you're welcome to my Mr. Toad picture, and any others you'd like!

 

[travelmel]

We really were blessed this trip when it came to crowds. You'll see that throughout my TR!

It was soooo funny to see my daughter crying and screaming when she couldn't go on the rides atop the stratosphere. My goodness, that girl is weird! She can't handle a whimpy merry-go-round but she wants to spin 866 feet above the ground at 3 g's?!?!?

And of course you're welcome to my Mr. Toad picture, and any others you'd like!

Thanks! I know how she feels.. I love thrill rides but am not fond of Ferris Wheels - back in the early days of "real life" TV they showed somebody falling off of them and I didn't like them before and have not been AT ALL happy about them since! sorta like people who Hate onions but Love onion rings (me) or HATE tomato's but LOVE salsa (DH).. .just WEIRD.

 

[reyasmommy]

Next up was the Tea Cups

Chad and I had both declined on riding this one! I really wasn’t ready to blow chunks this early on in the day!

Chad and Logan then decided to try their hands at pulling the Sword from the Stone!

We headed over to Space Mountain next. This had been my first time riding this version at DisneyLand, and OMG!! It was SOOO much better then the one at WDW! There was also NO wait so we didn’t have to worry about using our fast passes either. After our thrilling ride through space, Chad had realized that he left Lori’s sunglasses and his father-in-laws $700.00 camera on the ride. Luckily someone turned the camera in, but the sunglasses had not been. Apparently there's something in our VANDAMME gene that causes us to constantly forget and misplace things.... we learned this very quickly on our trip.


Buzz Lightyear's astro blasters was next on our list. Once again there was NO wait, and a BIG hit with all the kids!

It was now time for lunch, we had reservations at the Blue Bayou for 1:40pm. Dad and Linda sadly had skipped having lunch with us because Linda’s a vegetarian and there wasn’t much for her to choose from.

Our meal was absolutely delicious! DH, Brother and I had the Monte’ Cristo , while Lori had the steak . She commented that the steak was the best she’s ever had. I’d have to admit that the Monte’ Cristo was the best I ever had too! Our lovely waitress also presented Alyssa with some yummy chocolate Mousse for her birthday!

After lunch my poor brother decided to run back to the hotel to get his kids their strollers. Linda had rented them a couple from Disneyland earlier that day but they didn't recline so the kids couldn’t take a nap. The rest of us decided to take a quick ride on the POTC while he was away. Poor Alyssa was not a fan of this ride from the beginning. She was terrified . In my opinion this version is way better then the one at WDW, but also a lot scarier for the little kids. Reya and Logan did awesome however! Unfortunately I was the one riding with Alyssa this time around so it was my responsibility to reassure her that everything was okay during the entire ride rather then being able to just sit there and enjoy it.

Once we were done with POTC we headed over to California Adventure to meet up with the rest of the family.

On our way out of the park we ran into the loveable Pluto. Alyssa was beyond excited to meet her first character and to get his autograph!

Once we arrived at DCA we headed towards the ToT

When we arrived we noticed that there was only a 5 minute wait! YAY!!! So far so good on waiting times.

The guys rode together first followed by Linda, Lori, and I . The entire time we were waiting Lori kept asking what she was in for. I wasn’t giving her any hints, just told her she needed to wait and see. It’s always so much fun going to Disney with Newbies and seeing their reactions to everything.

Of course, NO surprise, she absolutely loved it! When the ride was over and we were about to get off the creepy cast member asked us all if we wanted to take one more ride and we all replied was a BIG FAT YES!!!
I definitely think this is one of my top 5 rides, except I have to admit that I like the one at WDW a little more.

To be continued ……………………………​

 

[JaneJetson]

Did you like Buzz better than the one at WDW? I thought the one at WDW was too hard since you couldn't remove the guns.

 

[Lizzybear]

OK I just got home this morning and haven't even showered after our flight yet but I found your TR and just had to get up to speed
I LOVED LOVED LOVED the highway 1 drive too, so gorgeous
Cute BAB pics, I actually used to work there, it was a lot of fun (as far as retail goes anyway!) and I got the same Disneyland set for my bear Cornelius when we were at DTD
Looks like you all had an awesome time at DL, I think I *gasp* liked it even more than WDW, it's so small and cute

 

[reyasmommy]

While us ladies were riding ToT , the guys took the kids over to meet ELASTIGIRL .

My brother was really impressed with the junk in her trunk! I told him that it was probably a dude in that costume and that sobered him up pretty quick!

Next we headed over to Monsters Inc, but first we had to stop and snap a quick picture of Wall-e !!!

Wall-e is currently my DD’s favorite Disney character. And he will always hold a special meaningful place in our hearts. The first movie Reya ever sat all the way through was his! I love how she gets excited every time she see’s him.

The wait for Monster’s Inc was only 5 minutes! The kid’s loved it, as did I!

After our thrilling ride through Monstropolis we headed over to soarin.

It was only a 10 minute wait! I could not believe our luck with wait times thus far. We had these great Dream Fast Passes and didn’t have to use them once. As usual the ride was exhilarating! Chad and Lori absolutely loved it!

After we were finished riding Dad, Linda, Lori, and Chad decided to ride it once again. Meanwhile I walked across the way to check out the cute gift shop there.

It was now closing time for DCA so we headed back to Disneyland to find seats for the 7:00 parade.

To be continued ………………………………...


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[JaneJetson]

I think someone told me once before but I can't for the life of me remember who Wall E is. How long has he been at DCA and where is he? I've never seen him.

 

[reyasmommy]

I think someone told me once before but I can't for the life of me remember who Wall E is. How long has he been at DCA and where is he? I've never seen him.

You don't know who Wall-e is?!?

His pixar movie came out this summer ... It's freakin' adorable, you need to watch it if you have not.

The Wall-e that Reya is standing next too is just a cut-out located at DCA between Monster's Inc and the Hyperian theatre.

 

[JaneJetson]

You don't know who Wall-e is?!?

His pixar movie came out this summer ... It's freakin' adorable, you need to watch it if you have not.

The Wall-e that Reya is standing next too is just a cut-out located at DCA between Monster's Inc and the Hyperian theatre.

I guess not having kids and never watching commercials (gotta love DVR) makes me a little slow with knowing movies...haha.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Wow! You guys are having a great first day! (Except for that elusive Discover Card! ) It looks like a beautiful day, wait times are minimal, AND you got dreamed!

I completely agree with you on Space Mountain - it puts WDWs to shame!

 

[reyasmommy]

Once we arrived at Disneyland we searched for our seats for the parade. We found a great spot right in front of the Magic shop on Main Street.

For the next hour all we did was relax, people watch, and chit-chat! My cutie pie did a little dancing for us too!

Dad and Linda also bought the kids some light-up toys for the parade. This one is Reya’s.

Unfortunately my camera died before the parade started, so these are the ones that my Brother took. Sadly not very many of them turned out, but I’ll share the ones that turned out half way decent.

Ever since Alyssa had received her gifts from that morning she had been asking for her. So she was super excited to see her leading the parade!

During the parade I could overhear this family standing behind us, their poor little boy couldn’t see anything from where they were standing so I motioned for him to come take a seat by me. He was so happy and you could tell the mom was thankful that I did so, I sorta felt like a little dream maker.

Reya was having the time of her life. Pointing, smiling, dancing, laughing, and clapping. I just sat there squeezing and kissing her the entire time. Almost from start to finish I cried happy tears. It was just so magical to be there with my family, there was no other place I’d rather be.

After the parade was over, we sat back and waited for the enormous crowd to thin out a bit before we made our way out of the park and towards our hotel.

Reya had such a busy, busy day and hadn't taken a nap all day, so it was no surprise when she crashed in her stroller on the way back to our room. Once we arrived we just transferred her into her crib without taking off her dress so we wouldn’t wake her. She and the rest of us slept beautifully through the night with delightful memories of our first day at Disneyland!

END OF DAY 7

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[JaneJetson]

Wow! You guys are having a great first day! (Except for that elusive Discover Card! ) It looks like a beautiful day, wait times are minimal, AND you got dreamed!

I completely agree with you on Space Mountain - it puts WDWs to shame!

We went on SM at WDW in January. It was the first time on it for both me and the hubby. It was the first ride we went to when we got to the magic kingdom. We grabbed a fast pass and hopped in the line because it was short.

We did NOT like it at all. It was painful and not any fun. We gave away our fast passes.

It just seems so lame compared to the one at Disneyland. I now have no regrets about being too chicken to go on it as a child...haha.

 

[mommaU4]

I love all the updates!! Great pics of the parade. Mine always turn out crappy. Reya's dress is adorable! And I love Wall-E too. He's too cute. We all went to see that movie over the summer and the whole family loved it.

 

[wendylady36]

Your Fairytale Town photos actually make me want to visit! It's strange, because I know it doesn't look that good in person! The slide that came out of the barn was my nieces absolute favorite! They probably spent a good 45mins-1hr on it. I was happy when more kids came along and booted them off.

It looks like you had a great time so far! Congratulations on your fast passes! And way to make a moms day by letting her child see the parade up close

Disneyland magic is something else!

 

[JaneJetson]

I've seen tons of photos of that parade. And I've seen bits and pieces of it while walking by. But we've never actually sat down and watched it. I think we might have to do it this time though. It really looks cute.

 

[reyasmommy]

September 24th​

We arrived at Disneyland around 10:30am on this beautiful morning.

The first ride of the day was Indy. DH, DB, Dad, and Linda went to ride first while DSIL and I took the kids on the Jungle Cruise. For some reason Alyssa and Reya were nervous and crying before we boarded our vessel ,but snapped out of it pretty quickly after they realized there was nothing to worry about.

Once we disembarked our boat, Dad and Linda took the kids while the rest of us went to ride Indy. Another great ride and a big hit with the Newbies.

Our next stop was to ride Pirates of the Caribbean once again because my DB missed out on it the day before. Poor Alyssa freaked out before she boarded the boat, but regained her composure once we set sail.

((I’d also like to add that it was SO dead that half the boats were empty, we had a whole boat all to ourselves.))

We were headed towards Critter Country to ride splash mountain when we realized that The Haunted Mansion was up and running! It wasn’t supposed to be open until Friday, so we jumped in line! There was only a 15 minute wait. My Dad was ecstatic because he was going to get a chance to ride it!

((Halloween is his favorite holiday too Beth))

Alyssa was terrified of getting on this ride. I guess the name "HAUNTED MANSION" doesn't sound very inticing to a 4 year old?!? We tried so hard to convince her that it wasn’t scary and was filled with christmasy, happy stuff! She wasn’t buying it! The only time Reya had a problem was when we were standing the in library , otherwise she did GREAT!!

After the ride was over Alyssa told us how much she LOVED it!!

To be continued …………..​