wendygrl
05-03-2007, 07:10 PM
Cast of Characters
Me- Wendy-28-Trip planner, writer and lover of all things Disney. Have been to Disneyland many, many, times.
Mark-my husband-28-Is finally starting to understand the whole Disney obsession. Has been to Disneyland about 20 times
Peter-our son-5 almost 6- loves roller coasters! 1st trip was when he was 6 weeks old. This is his 5th trip.
Sam-our son-Just turned 2-already loves Disney! 1st time to Disneyland!
David-Mark’s brother-a few years older than Mark
Elizabeth-David’s wife-same age as David-both love Disney
Zachary-David and Elizabeth’s son-12
Josh-Their other son-10-both are along for the ride!
Pre-Trip Planning-
At a family gathering in May of 05, Mark and I mentioned that we were planning a trip to Disneyland this Christmas. A lot of his family expressed interest in coming with us. Mark has four brothers and two sisters all with families so whoever could come with us would lots of fun! It turns out that just his brother David and his wife Elizabeth and their two sons were able to come.
We decided to go the week before Christmas, I know, I know, crazy, but that’s just how things worked out with school and work schedules. We will leave very early Tuesday morning (4:00 A.M.) and try to be at Disneyland around 6:30 or 7:00 A.M. We’ll spend Tue., Wed., and Thru., in the parks and then go to a Character breakfast and shopping at Downtown Disney before going home on Fri. We live in Bakersfield which is about a two and a half to three hour drive depending on traffic north of Anaheim. David and Elizabeth live in Las Vegas which is about a four hour drive.
We tend to be commando people, spending all day in the parks, so where we sleep and shower isn’t that big of deal to us. We did want one with a fridge and microwave, for quick breakfasts. We found a great deal at the Ramada with two queen beds, and a separate living room with a pull out sofa, a fridge/microwave, and another T.V. for only 70 bucks a night. It sounded good and the pictures posted online looked like a basic southern California motel room so we booked two rooms.
Monday before the trip was our day to get ready for our trip and Christmas since we will be back late Friday night and the next day is Christmas Eve. Needless to say we did not get everything done! Mark got home from work around 3:00 then we went to get the guys all haircuts and do a few more errands. We get home got the boys bathed and in bed then Mark and I packed and everything. By the time we loaded up the car, it was 3:00 A.M.! Remember, we are leaving at 4:00! Mark went to lie down for half an hour while I took a shower. He woke up at 3:30, showered and then we carried our sleeping boys out to the car and left the house at 4:02!
We got on the 99 south and headed towards the grapevine. I fell asleep as we passed where the 99 and I-5 merge. I’ve been asleep for half an hour when David called to see where we were. It turned out that he had to work an extra shift at the hospital so he had been up all night too!
I was way too excited to sleep anymore so Mark and I played our Disney music and talked about how much fun we are going to have. Peter woke up as we were passing Magic Mountain and stayed awake singing along with us.
Officially Day 1 Tuesday Dec.20th, 2005
We arrived in Anaheim at 6:30 and ate breakfast at the McDonalds across the street from DL. Mark ordered our food while I took the boys in the bathroom and helped them get dressed. We sat by the window and watched the Monorail go by while we ate.
A few months ago, we stopped here for breakfast as we headed down to San Diego to visit some friends. It was really hard to watch everyone on their way to DL. Today, I am VERY happy to be one of those people heading to Disneyland!
After breakfast, we went to our hotel to drop off our stuff and our car
and then we took the A.R.T (Anaheim Resort Transit) to DL. We were supposed to meet David and Elizabeth at the hotel, but they took a wrong turn and were running late. I know that they are family and we should be nice and wait for them, but how could I be expected to wait when Mickey was calling my name, besides, it’s just my husband’s family… just kidding…kind of.
I went to ticket booth 4 to pick up our tickets while Mark and the boys got in line to get in. I met up with them when they were about fourth in line. I LOVE the chime as they take your ticket and you pass though the turnstiles. During breakfast we asked the boys what they wanted to do first. Peter wanted to ride Autotopia and Sam wanted to ride the train so we decide to take the train to Tomorrowland. We always enter through the right tunnel and …I am home, at 8:16, not bad! There is absolutely nothing like walking down Main Street for the first time of your trip. I love Main Street and would be very happy to spend an entire day here just people watching, listening to the music, smelling the smells, and enjoying the entertainment. We went to the lockers to put our backpack away then while Mark used the bathroom, I took pictures of the boys on the fire truck. Ever since my brother and sisters and I were little, our parents took a picture of us on the fire truck every time we went to Disneyland and who am I to break tradition?
We then got in line at the Main St station. As we were in line, David calls and said that they just walked through the turnstiles. We all meet up as the train pulls into the station. We took the loop to Tomorrowland and got in line as David ran and got fastpasses for Buzz.
Peter and I got into our car while Mark and Sam got in the car behind us. Throughout the ride, I would stop so Mark and Sam could catch up with us. I saw David, Elizabeth, Zach, and Josh pass on the other track, but no Mark and Sam. We finish the ride and wait for them on the bridge. We wait and wait, finally about 20 min. later, here they come around the corner. Their car broke down after the first turn so they got to go again. Peter ran down to ride with them while the rest of us look inside the winners circle except David who gets fastpasses for Space Mountain. While in the store, I was very happy to see that they still have the road signs that I forget to buy last time we were here.
We all met up and rode Buzz. Peter rode with Daddy and Sam went with me. This was our first time on this ride and I was paying so much attention to Sam and watching him have fun that my score was pretty lousy! This ride is definitely a favorite with my boys!
It was getting hot out by this time so the four of us went to the lockers to put our sweatshirts away while David and family waited in line to see Buzz. On the way back, we stopped so Peter can buy some cotton candy. He has been saving his money for a few months and when asked what he wanted to buy, his reply was cotton candy! Now we can check that off our list.
We met up with “the others” (reminds me of Lost) at Club Buzz. Elizabeth had bought an autograph book for my boys and one for her boys. They are the gold ones with the 50th logo on the front. We got Buzz’s autograph and had our pictures taken while David went and got more fastpasses for Buzz. After we met Buzz, we got in line for Star Tours. Well, everyone else got in line for Star Tours, Sam and I got the baby swap and then we went into Star Trader. I don’t know why, but this is one of my favorite stores in the entire Disneyland resort! I took some pictures of Sam with some funny hats on and we played with a ball. We then went into the Star Wars section of the store and played with the light sabers until everyone got off the ride.
Peter loved the ride and was so excited to ride it again with Mommy! We sat in the back row which is my favorite place to sit.
We then all rode Buzz again, this time Peter rode with me and Sam with Daddy. I’m very embarrassed to say that my five year old kicked my butt!
I took Sam to the bathroom while everyone went to ride Space Mountain. After the bathroom break, we played some video games while waiting for our group to exit. When they did, Peter and I went though the exit and got put on the front row! Peter was so excited to ride up front, that he kept his hands up the entire time! It is so much fun watching my son having fun on the “big kid” rides!
While Peter and I were riding Space, David went to get fastpasses for Splash. Elizabeth told Mark that they brought ice chests full of sandwich stuff in their car. Mark is a huge sandwich guy, he would eat sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could. So of course when he found out about the sandwiches, he was all for it. I am not a sandwich person at all. I would rather eat a hamburger over a sandwich any day, so when we all met up and Mark tells me that First, we are leaving the park, and second, we are leaving the park to eat sandwiches, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. But I realized that when you’re with a big group, you just have to go with the flow.
We took the Monorail to Downtown Disney at 1:23 and then walked to the parking structure. I will admit they did a great job with fixings. It wasn’t just some Wonder bread and processed cheese. They had deli cut roast beef, ham, and turkey. We had three different kinds of cheese, two kinds of bread, and two different types of mustard. It was pretty elaborate. I made Peter and Sam their sandwiches first. They ate while I made mine. Before I finished my lunch, Sam had fallen asleep. I thought that Peter would fall asleep also, but he had too much fun playing with his cousins. We spent about an hour eating lunch including travel time to and from the park.
We walked back though the gates at 2:39. We had just enough time for a restroom stop and get great seats for the parade. While waiting for the 3:00 Parade of Dreams to start, David ran to get fast passes for The Haunted Mansion. Sam woke up as the parade was starting. The parade was okay, we were sitting on the curb and the Lion King float stopped in front of us. All four boys were able to give high fives to the characters so they thought that was pretty cool. After the parade, we finally made it over to the west side of the park.
Sam and I got the baby swap while everyone went to ride Splash Mountain. As they got in line, Sam started to cry. I could not figure out what was wrong with him! I took him into the shops to try to distract him. He found a 50th gold soccer ball. I thought that I would buy it and then we could play with it by the exit of Splash. After 10 minutes of waiting in line (with Sam crying the ENTIRE time) and fifteen dollars later, I took Sam to play ball, he wanted nothing to do with it! So finally everybody exits the ride. I tell Mark that hopefully he can figure out what’s wrong with Sam and I take Peter to ride Splash. Peter is really loving being able to ride all of these rides twice in a row! We exit and find Sam happily playing ball with his daddy! It turns out that Sam wanted to ride some rides and didn’t like to be left out. So our next ride was Winnie-the-Pooh. This is my new favorite ride! Okay, not really, but anything that can help my little boy stop crying at the Happiest Place on Earth is my favorite.
From Pooh, we went to ride the Jungle Cruise so Sam can ride an attraction! By this time its dark out and I love the Jungle Cruise at night. We then climbed through Tarzan’s Tree house and let the boys play at the base while David got fast passes for Thunder Mountain. When the boys finished playing, we met David at the Haunted Mansion.
A month ago, I bought The Nightmare before Christmas. I wrapped it and put it in the mailbox with a card attached. When Peter came home from school, he found this gift to him and Sam from Mickey Mouse saying that he is very excited to have Peter and Sam visit him at his home and that he would like them to watch this movie about some of his new friends. This is the best ten bucks I have ever spent! My boys LOVE this movie and have watched it at least once every day right up to our trip.
When Sam saw Jack Skellington sitting on the gate of the mansion, he got really excited. The part I was worried about was how he would do in the stretching room. He did great! I think it helped that NO ONE screamed at the end! And he liked seeing Jack on the ceiling. Both my boys loved the music and seeing all of the characters. As we were leaving Sam clapped and said bye to Jack and Sally. Outside the Haunted Mansion, a man was selling light up necklaces so we got the boys each one.
Up next was Pirates of the Caribbean. This was a walk on. We walked through the line and right onto a boat. The boys all loved this… okay everyone loved it. In my opinion, anyone who does not like, I mean love this attraction has no business being at a Disney park.
We then headed over to Thunder Mountain. I again stayed with Sam while everyone rode first. Sam and I got a bucket of popcorn, watched the Mark Twain, and fed the birds. When I rode with Peter, I was very happy to see him keep his hands up the entire time!
By the time we exited the ride, Sam had fallen asleep in his stroller and it was time to get good seats for the fireworks. It’s only 8:00 but I really wanted to get great seats and be able to see everything. We found great spots just to the left of the hub between Plaza Gardens and the Partners statue. Mark and Peter went to get us all hot dogs and sodas from Coke Corner to eat while we wait. After awhile, Christmas music started playing. When Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer came on, everyone started to sing. It really was a magical moment. After waiting for A LONG time, the few minutes warning was finally announced. By this time all four boys were asleep on the ground and would not wake up! It was kind of nice because the adults were able to enjoy the show without having to worry if the kids were able to see or not.
WOW! This show is so worth the long wait! I’ve read all I could about this show and knew about the different segments and the lights on the Castle and the Matterhorn and about the lasers, but nothing prepares you for seeing it in person. And then the snow with the music playing, it was wonderful especially standing there with my husband’s arms around me (and my children peacefully asleep on the ground) a perfect ending to our first day at Disneyland.
After the show, we headed back to our room. We gave the boys a bath and got them to sleep (which wasn’t very hard) and after our showers, Mark and I were ready for bed. We had been up for 42 hours!
Day Two Wednesday Dec. 21st 2005
This morning Mark and I woke up and got ready then we got the boys up. As I was getting them ready Mark warmed up some breakfast croissants in the microwave for us to eat on the way to the parks. We grabbed some juice boxes and our breakfast and headed out the door. On our way down the hall, David and family were walking out of their room, great timing! David and Elizabeth got a free parking pass though their AAA package so we all piled into their van.
We walked though the turnstiles right at opening and after a stop at the lockers (by the way, our locker number was 1313. We thought we should have gotten our locker free or something.) We went on the Astro Orbiters. Sam wanted to ride this yesterday, but the line was too long. Our wait was five minutes this morning. Everyone rode except David who got fast passes for Space Mountain. Up next was Matterhorn. Sam was too short to ride so he and I went on the teacups while everyone else rode. I then went on the Matterhorn with Peter. We love this ride!
We went across the hub to the Tiki Room. While waiting to enter, David went to get fast passes for Splash. He made it back just as we were entering the building. I love this show. It’s classic Disney. No matter how old or how some people think it’s dated, it is still amazing to watch and I hope that when my great grandkids bring their kids to Disneyland, the Tiki Room will still be the same. We all enjoyed the show and sang along with the birds. Peter was so funny, during the thunderstorm, he thought that it was really raining, so when we were getting ready to leave the building, he put on his jacket and pulled his hood up. His face was so funny when he stepped outside and saw it was warm and sunny out! One more story about the Tiki Room and then I’ll move on, I promise. My brother had a pet bird that escaped a few weeks ago. He bought another bird and had a hard time naming him. During the show, I was thinking about the words and thought that he should name him Tiki because as the song goes, “Most little birdies will fly away, but the Tiki Room birds are here everyday.” I called my brother and told him this and so he named his bird Bob…just kidding, he named it Tiki of course!
While getting our Dole Whips we realized DCA is now open. We made our way down Main Street, stopped at our lockers to put our jackets away and were walking by the Emporium looking at the window displays when we saw Pluto in front of the fire station with no one around! The boys got their autographs and their pictures taken with him and then we went across the esplanade to DCA.
David ran ahead and got fast passes for Tower of Terror while the rest of us slowly made our way to the back lot. We didn’t get very far when we saw Donald Duck. The boys got in line to do the autograph and picture thing. When we were next in line, David called and said that they were having soft openings of Monster’s Inc. and to hurry down there. As soon as the boys finished with Donald, we high tailed it over there and got right onto a ride vehicle. It’s a cute ride, not something I would wait in line for unless one of my kids really wanted to ride it. Peter and Sam thought it was great. Everything was working except for the little T.V. on the taxi. We have some friends (who don’t have any kids) who went to Disneyland in Feb. and waited for over an hour to ride and thought it was a waste of time. So this ride serves its purpose, something for families with small children to ride together. As we exited the ride, we saw Sully in the court yard. He couldn’t sign autographs, but we got the boys picture taken with him. We then made our way over to Muppet Vision. Who does not enjoy the Muppets? We got right in as they were closing the doors and walked into a less than half empty auditorium. It was so much fun listening to my children belly laugh while watching the Muppets.
By now our fast pass time is up for Tower of Terror. I stayed with Sam while they rode first. Sam and I walked over to the Animation building where we do our personality profile. I’m Belle and Sammy is Simba. I then let him run around the lobby. He loved this! He loved chasing the lights on the floor and the music and watching all of the movie clips.
While Peter and I were riding ToT, (which he loves and is now my new favorite attraction) Mark and everyone took Sam to ride Monsters Inc. again.
Peter and I met up with everyone in front of Monster’s Inc. Mark and Sam were already in line to see Mrs. Incredible so Peter went to join them to get her picture and autograph. Mark and I then took our boys to see the 12:30 show of Playhouse Disney. I don’t know what David, Elizabeth, and their boys did. Playhouse Disney was really fun for our kids. When we were waiting in line and even after we were inside waiting for the show to start, Peter didn’t want to see it, he thought it was “too babyish”. It wasn’t until Mark was chosen to go up and hold the BIG sign that Peter got into it. I asked him why he changed his mind and he said that if the show was cool enough for Daddy then it was cool enough for him! The C.M. in charge of this show was really good; he was very energetic and fun. All I could think of was, “Man, it would be hard to do this job when you are having a bad day”!
After the show we met with David and family in the Animation building. We got our pictures taken with Chicken Little and with Sorcerer Mickey. Then Mark and I got our picture taken by the “and they lived happily ever after” painted on the wall.
We then left the parks and had sandwiches again. On our way back to DCA, we took pictures by the striped California letters and then headed inside the park. We went into Engine-ears Toys where I got my Mr. Potato Head with the Disney parts and the boys got light spinners. Sam picked out Buzz Lightyear and Peter picked out a gold and blue 50th anniversary one. While we were shopping, David and Elizabeth saved seats for the Block Party Bash. We sent our boys to sit with them while Mark and I went to get hot chocolate at Baker’s field Bakery.
The people who perform the Black Party Bash sure have lots of energy! The boys liked it and it was nice to see something new. We made our way over to It’s Tough to be a Bug and had to wait ten minutes until the next showing. I love this attraction. I love watching other people’s reactions while in this attraction. I do admit that when the black widows attack, I am out of my seat and down on the floor. Spiders scare the crap out of me…yes, even big fake ones.
We then had the pleasure of spending an hour in Bug’s Land, (David got fastpasses for Screamin’). Sam loved Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train and lucky us, we were able to ride it four times without getting off. Mark and I had a nice little nap! At 7:00 our fastpass time opened so we went over to Paradise Pier and rode Screamin’ taking turns watching Peter and Sam. Poor Peter, he’s not tall enough to ride and was not happy about it! We went on King Triton’s Carousel and then he was okay. Peter and Sam both wanted to ride the Sun Wheel next so that’s where we went. Elizabeth stayed out as she is afraid of heights she went to save seats for the Electrical Parade. The boys all wanted to ride in the cage that slides. Wow, what an incredible feeling! It was a little scary, and I’m a huge dare devil! Definitely something to do again! We then made our way around Paradise Pier stopping to ride Maliboomer, the Orange Stinger, and the Golden Zephyr before waiting for the parade with Elizabeth.
While waiting for the parade to start, it got very cold. Instead of walking all the way back to Disneyland to get our sweatshirts, Mark and I ran over to Greetings and bought new sweatshirts for the four of us before the parade started. The Electrical Parade is a favorite of ours. The music just makes us happy. After the parade, everyone went to ride Soarin’ while I took Sam over to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. We had a great time and while we were up in one of the towers, the fireworks from Disneyland went off and we got a great view of them. We then met with everyone and Peter and I rode Soarin while everyone went to get in line for Tower of Terror. As Peter and I exited the ride, Mark called and said to hurry, Tower of Terror is closing in one minute. Peter and I ran all the way over (that is one nice thing about DCA; you can run though the park and not have to worry about running into any people!) We made it just in time and enjoyed our trip through the twilight zone. DCA is now closed. As we made our way to the entrance of the park, I stopped to get a churro, but they were out.
We headed back over to Disneyland. There were lots of people leaving the park when we entered. We went right to Space Mountain and got right on using our fast passes from earlier. We decided to then go to the west side of the park. On the way, I stopped to get a churro, I waited about five minutes and the line still has not moved so I decided to get a churro later. We rode Thunder Mountain three times with no wait. Elizabeth sat with Sam and they shared some popcorn while we rode. After our third trip, there was a line so we headed over to Splash.
On our way to Splash, I tried again to buy a churro; this cart just ran out for the night. I was not meant to have a churro tonight! We rode Splash and then were able to stay in our log for a second ride. Elizabeth again stayed with Sam who was at this time asleep in his stroller. Disneyland was closing so we walked over to the train station in New Orleans and took the train to Tomorrowland and then took the monorail to Downtown Disney and then walked to the parking structure. Once in our room, the boys had baths and I dressed them in the clothes they were going to wear tomorrow (track pants and tee-shirts) because tomorrow is Early Entry for Fantasyland. Mark and I showered and then hit the sack.
Day Three Thursday Dec.22 2005
Up at 6:00A.M. this morning. Mark and I got ready then Peter woke up at 6:30 put on his sweatshirt and shoes and grabbed a Poptart. I put Sam’s sweatshirt and shoes on him and gave him a Poptart as soon as he finished eating it he fell back asleep. I only feel a little guilty for waking him up so early. Both my boys have been really good this trip. They haven’t fought, or whined, or complained the only thing was when Sam cried on the first day because he wanted to ride.
We arrived in Disneyland at 7:12. Our first ride of the day was Peter Pan. This was also our longest wait of the Fantasyland attractions with us waiting 10 minutes before we boarded our pirate ships. We all enjoyed our flight and then headed towards Dumbo. Peter and Joshua rode together, I rode with Sam, and Mark rode by himself. David and Zack went to get fastpasses for Buzz and Elizabeth sat and watched us.
We went on King Auther’s Carrousel next while waiting for David and Zack. When they got back, we went on Snow White, Pinocchio, Casey Jr.’s train, Alice in Wonderland, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride all within an hour. Mark and I were amazed at all we were able to do during early entry. This is definitely worth waking up early for!
We then went on Storybook land canal boats, the teacups, and then finally we went to It’s a Small World. Again Peter thought this was a “baby ride” and we had to remind him that when he was Sam’s age this was his favorite ride and that we should do things everyone enjoys and to take turns. He was okay after this and seemed to enjoy the attraction even though he would never admit it!
At 10:00 Mark and I took our boys to Toontown while David, Elizabeth and their boys went back to the hotel to rest. We first went to Mickey’s house. I have never done this before as the line has always been way too long. Today the wait was five minutes to see Mickey. The boys then wanted to play on Donald’s boat. We spent some time there and then went to ride Gadget’s Coaster. Sam was too short so while Mark and Peter rode, Sam discovered all the doors around Toontown. He had the best time trying to open every door and making all the different sounds. We saw Pluto again and had another picture taken with him. We met up with Mark and Peter and went to ride Rodger Rabbit.
Rodger Rabbit was closed so we took the train to New Orleans Square and went to look for an Indiana Jones fedora for some friends for a Christmas present.( they were here a few weeks ago and her husband was looking at the hats so she gave us some money to buy it for him as a surprise.) As Mark and I were shopping, Peter discovered pressed pennies. We bought him a pressed penny book and the hat.
We went to our locker to put the hat away and then went to the Penny Palace and spent a long time making pressed pennies. Peter and Sam had a great time with this. After awhile, it was time for lunch. We headed to Hungry Bear in Critter corner. Eating here is a family tradition even though the food isn’t great, the view is amazing. We love sitting on the lower level watching the canoes and The Mark Twain floating by and the big highlight for the kids is being able to feed the ducks their French fries.
After lunch, we rode the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island and played for awhile. The barrel bridge was closed, but the suspension bridge was working and I took some great pictures of the boys running across it with no one else in the shots. We had a great time playing in the tunnels and everything. I can’t wait until they fix up everything again.
While on the island, David called and said they were back in the park. We agreed to meet at the Davy Crocket Canoes. We all met up and then went for a canoe ride around the Rivers of America.
It was now time to visit Santa. We went to the Reindeer Roundup where the kids petted the reindeer, colored pictures, and decorated cookies, and of course, visited Santa and Mrs. C.
Mark headed to the ESPN Zone to watch BYU play in the bowl game while the rest of us went to DCA. We went on Monster’s Inc. again and then got in line to watch the Aladdin show at the Hyperion Theater. This show was really good. The Genie was very flamboyant and was great! After the show, we headed to Tower of Terror (ToT). The park was getting ready to close. As we walked up to ToT, Mark called and said he was heading back to DCA. The CM in front of ToT said that he could ride if he got here before the clock turned 8:00. It was now 7:58. I told him to hurry. At 8:00 he was passing the Animation building, luckily, he rounded the corner and ran down the street before the clock turned 8:01. The CM was so impressed that Mark made it from the ESPN Zone to the ToT in that short of time that she let us ride twice! Elizabeth stayed with Sam who had fallen asleep in his stroller. This attraction is so much fun!
We made our way out of DCA tacking pictures along the way and then went back to Disneyland. We went on Buzz using our fast passes from earlier (Sam woke up in time to ride Buzz) and then decided to go on Haunted Mansion before we watched the fireworks. This time all the kids were awake and enjoyed the show. We then made our way to the Rivers of America and found great seats for Fantasmic. We took turns saving seats while everyone else used the restroom and got something to eat. Mark and I always get clam chowder in bread bowls while watching Fantasmic. The show was as good as always.
After Fantasmic, we went to ride Splash, then Winnie the Pooh, and then Big Thunder Mountain. We were able to ride three times with no wait! By the time we finished, it was time to leave the park. We stopped in the Emporium to do a little shopping. I bought the road signs that I wanted, we got Peter the monorail board game, and we got the boys Disneyland coloring books for their stockings. After our shopping we went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day four Friday Dec. 23ed 2006
This morning we packed our things and loaded our car and then drove to Downtown Disney for our Character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Our seating was for 11:00 so we got plenty of time with the characters. We saw Minnie, Daisy, Lilo, and Stitch. Peter was tired of having his picture taken with “girl characters”! The buffet was awesome, Mark loved the omelet bar and I loved everything. My favorite part was the little plastic cups with the 50th logo on them that they served the freshly squeezed pineapple juice in. I took a clean cup for a souvenir.
After breakfast, we went to Downtown Disney to do our shopping. Mark spent a LONG time in World of Disney shopping for my Christmas presents. We then shopped and got the boys some gifts also. We got stuff for their stockings and we bought the Monorail set to go around our Christmas tree. We continued walking until Peter discovered the Lego store. We bought a few more Christmas presents and then headed to our cars and back home. After saying good-bye to David, Elizabeth, and their boys, we drove until Lyons and stopped at In-N-Out for dinner. We got back home around 9:00 P.M.
Final thoughts
It was lots of fun going with another family. The boys all got along great. All four boys were happy and the only problem we had was with Sam on the first day when he felt left out with the child swap. David and Elizabeth are great people and we all are very laid back. I don’t think that I’ll ever go the week before Christmas again. The crowds and weather were great, but I missed the week leading up to Christmas. The baking of cookies and the last minute shopping and wrapping presents and all are things that I really missed! Time to plan another trip this time next January after Christmas!
Me- Wendy-28-Trip planner, writer and lover of all things Disney. Have been to Disneyland many, many, times.
Mark-my husband-28-Is finally starting to understand the whole Disney obsession. Has been to Disneyland about 20 times
Peter-our son-5 almost 6- loves roller coasters! 1st trip was when he was 6 weeks old. This is his 5th trip.
Sam-our son-Just turned 2-already loves Disney! 1st time to Disneyland!
David-Mark’s brother-a few years older than Mark
Elizabeth-David’s wife-same age as David-both love Disney
Zachary-David and Elizabeth’s son-12
Josh-Their other son-10-both are along for the ride!
Pre-Trip Planning-
At a family gathering in May of 05, Mark and I mentioned that we were planning a trip to Disneyland this Christmas. A lot of his family expressed interest in coming with us. Mark has four brothers and two sisters all with families so whoever could come with us would lots of fun! It turns out that just his brother David and his wife Elizabeth and their two sons were able to come.
We decided to go the week before Christmas, I know, I know, crazy, but that’s just how things worked out with school and work schedules. We will leave very early Tuesday morning (4:00 A.M.) and try to be at Disneyland around 6:30 or 7:00 A.M. We’ll spend Tue., Wed., and Thru., in the parks and then go to a Character breakfast and shopping at Downtown Disney before going home on Fri. We live in Bakersfield which is about a two and a half to three hour drive depending on traffic north of Anaheim. David and Elizabeth live in Las Vegas which is about a four hour drive.
We tend to be commando people, spending all day in the parks, so where we sleep and shower isn’t that big of deal to us. We did want one with a fridge and microwave, for quick breakfasts. We found a great deal at the Ramada with two queen beds, and a separate living room with a pull out sofa, a fridge/microwave, and another T.V. for only 70 bucks a night. It sounded good and the pictures posted online looked like a basic southern California motel room so we booked two rooms.
Monday before the trip was our day to get ready for our trip and Christmas since we will be back late Friday night and the next day is Christmas Eve. Needless to say we did not get everything done! Mark got home from work around 3:00 then we went to get the guys all haircuts and do a few more errands. We get home got the boys bathed and in bed then Mark and I packed and everything. By the time we loaded up the car, it was 3:00 A.M.! Remember, we are leaving at 4:00! Mark went to lie down for half an hour while I took a shower. He woke up at 3:30, showered and then we carried our sleeping boys out to the car and left the house at 4:02!
We got on the 99 south and headed towards the grapevine. I fell asleep as we passed where the 99 and I-5 merge. I’ve been asleep for half an hour when David called to see where we were. It turned out that he had to work an extra shift at the hospital so he had been up all night too!
I was way too excited to sleep anymore so Mark and I played our Disney music and talked about how much fun we are going to have. Peter woke up as we were passing Magic Mountain and stayed awake singing along with us.
Officially Day 1 Tuesday Dec.20th, 2005
We arrived in Anaheim at 6:30 and ate breakfast at the McDonalds across the street from DL. Mark ordered our food while I took the boys in the bathroom and helped them get dressed. We sat by the window and watched the Monorail go by while we ate.
A few months ago, we stopped here for breakfast as we headed down to San Diego to visit some friends. It was really hard to watch everyone on their way to DL. Today, I am VERY happy to be one of those people heading to Disneyland!
After breakfast, we went to our hotel to drop off our stuff and our car
and then we took the A.R.T (Anaheim Resort Transit) to DL. We were supposed to meet David and Elizabeth at the hotel, but they took a wrong turn and were running late. I know that they are family and we should be nice and wait for them, but how could I be expected to wait when Mickey was calling my name, besides, it’s just my husband’s family… just kidding…kind of.
I went to ticket booth 4 to pick up our tickets while Mark and the boys got in line to get in. I met up with them when they were about fourth in line. I LOVE the chime as they take your ticket and you pass though the turnstiles. During breakfast we asked the boys what they wanted to do first. Peter wanted to ride Autotopia and Sam wanted to ride the train so we decide to take the train to Tomorrowland. We always enter through the right tunnel and …I am home, at 8:16, not bad! There is absolutely nothing like walking down Main Street for the first time of your trip. I love Main Street and would be very happy to spend an entire day here just people watching, listening to the music, smelling the smells, and enjoying the entertainment. We went to the lockers to put our backpack away then while Mark used the bathroom, I took pictures of the boys on the fire truck. Ever since my brother and sisters and I were little, our parents took a picture of us on the fire truck every time we went to Disneyland and who am I to break tradition?
We then got in line at the Main St station. As we were in line, David calls and said that they just walked through the turnstiles. We all meet up as the train pulls into the station. We took the loop to Tomorrowland and got in line as David ran and got fastpasses for Buzz.
Peter and I got into our car while Mark and Sam got in the car behind us. Throughout the ride, I would stop so Mark and Sam could catch up with us. I saw David, Elizabeth, Zach, and Josh pass on the other track, but no Mark and Sam. We finish the ride and wait for them on the bridge. We wait and wait, finally about 20 min. later, here they come around the corner. Their car broke down after the first turn so they got to go again. Peter ran down to ride with them while the rest of us look inside the winners circle except David who gets fastpasses for Space Mountain. While in the store, I was very happy to see that they still have the road signs that I forget to buy last time we were here.
We all met up and rode Buzz. Peter rode with Daddy and Sam went with me. This was our first time on this ride and I was paying so much attention to Sam and watching him have fun that my score was pretty lousy! This ride is definitely a favorite with my boys!
It was getting hot out by this time so the four of us went to the lockers to put our sweatshirts away while David and family waited in line to see Buzz. On the way back, we stopped so Peter can buy some cotton candy. He has been saving his money for a few months and when asked what he wanted to buy, his reply was cotton candy! Now we can check that off our list.
We met up with “the others” (reminds me of Lost) at Club Buzz. Elizabeth had bought an autograph book for my boys and one for her boys. They are the gold ones with the 50th logo on the front. We got Buzz’s autograph and had our pictures taken while David went and got more fastpasses for Buzz. After we met Buzz, we got in line for Star Tours. Well, everyone else got in line for Star Tours, Sam and I got the baby swap and then we went into Star Trader. I don’t know why, but this is one of my favorite stores in the entire Disneyland resort! I took some pictures of Sam with some funny hats on and we played with a ball. We then went into the Star Wars section of the store and played with the light sabers until everyone got off the ride.
Peter loved the ride and was so excited to ride it again with Mommy! We sat in the back row which is my favorite place to sit.
We then all rode Buzz again, this time Peter rode with me and Sam with Daddy. I’m very embarrassed to say that my five year old kicked my butt!
I took Sam to the bathroom while everyone went to ride Space Mountain. After the bathroom break, we played some video games while waiting for our group to exit. When they did, Peter and I went though the exit and got put on the front row! Peter was so excited to ride up front, that he kept his hands up the entire time! It is so much fun watching my son having fun on the “big kid” rides!
While Peter and I were riding Space, David went to get fastpasses for Splash. Elizabeth told Mark that they brought ice chests full of sandwich stuff in their car. Mark is a huge sandwich guy, he would eat sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could. So of course when he found out about the sandwiches, he was all for it. I am not a sandwich person at all. I would rather eat a hamburger over a sandwich any day, so when we all met up and Mark tells me that First, we are leaving the park, and second, we are leaving the park to eat sandwiches, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. But I realized that when you’re with a big group, you just have to go with the flow.
We took the Monorail to Downtown Disney at 1:23 and then walked to the parking structure. I will admit they did a great job with fixings. It wasn’t just some Wonder bread and processed cheese. They had deli cut roast beef, ham, and turkey. We had three different kinds of cheese, two kinds of bread, and two different types of mustard. It was pretty elaborate. I made Peter and Sam their sandwiches first. They ate while I made mine. Before I finished my lunch, Sam had fallen asleep. I thought that Peter would fall asleep also, but he had too much fun playing with his cousins. We spent about an hour eating lunch including travel time to and from the park.
We walked back though the gates at 2:39. We had just enough time for a restroom stop and get great seats for the parade. While waiting for the 3:00 Parade of Dreams to start, David ran to get fast passes for The Haunted Mansion. Sam woke up as the parade was starting. The parade was okay, we were sitting on the curb and the Lion King float stopped in front of us. All four boys were able to give high fives to the characters so they thought that was pretty cool. After the parade, we finally made it over to the west side of the park.
Sam and I got the baby swap while everyone went to ride Splash Mountain. As they got in line, Sam started to cry. I could not figure out what was wrong with him! I took him into the shops to try to distract him. He found a 50th gold soccer ball. I thought that I would buy it and then we could play with it by the exit of Splash. After 10 minutes of waiting in line (with Sam crying the ENTIRE time) and fifteen dollars later, I took Sam to play ball, he wanted nothing to do with it! So finally everybody exits the ride. I tell Mark that hopefully he can figure out what’s wrong with Sam and I take Peter to ride Splash. Peter is really loving being able to ride all of these rides twice in a row! We exit and find Sam happily playing ball with his daddy! It turns out that Sam wanted to ride some rides and didn’t like to be left out. So our next ride was Winnie-the-Pooh. This is my new favorite ride! Okay, not really, but anything that can help my little boy stop crying at the Happiest Place on Earth is my favorite.
From Pooh, we went to ride the Jungle Cruise so Sam can ride an attraction! By this time its dark out and I love the Jungle Cruise at night. We then climbed through Tarzan’s Tree house and let the boys play at the base while David got fast passes for Thunder Mountain. When the boys finished playing, we met David at the Haunted Mansion.
A month ago, I bought The Nightmare before Christmas. I wrapped it and put it in the mailbox with a card attached. When Peter came home from school, he found this gift to him and Sam from Mickey Mouse saying that he is very excited to have Peter and Sam visit him at his home and that he would like them to watch this movie about some of his new friends. This is the best ten bucks I have ever spent! My boys LOVE this movie and have watched it at least once every day right up to our trip.
When Sam saw Jack Skellington sitting on the gate of the mansion, he got really excited. The part I was worried about was how he would do in the stretching room. He did great! I think it helped that NO ONE screamed at the end! And he liked seeing Jack on the ceiling. Both my boys loved the music and seeing all of the characters. As we were leaving Sam clapped and said bye to Jack and Sally. Outside the Haunted Mansion, a man was selling light up necklaces so we got the boys each one.
Up next was Pirates of the Caribbean. This was a walk on. We walked through the line and right onto a boat. The boys all loved this… okay everyone loved it. In my opinion, anyone who does not like, I mean love this attraction has no business being at a Disney park.
We then headed over to Thunder Mountain. I again stayed with Sam while everyone rode first. Sam and I got a bucket of popcorn, watched the Mark Twain, and fed the birds. When I rode with Peter, I was very happy to see him keep his hands up the entire time!
By the time we exited the ride, Sam had fallen asleep in his stroller and it was time to get good seats for the fireworks. It’s only 8:00 but I really wanted to get great seats and be able to see everything. We found great spots just to the left of the hub between Plaza Gardens and the Partners statue. Mark and Peter went to get us all hot dogs and sodas from Coke Corner to eat while we wait. After awhile, Christmas music started playing. When Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer came on, everyone started to sing. It really was a magical moment. After waiting for A LONG time, the few minutes warning was finally announced. By this time all four boys were asleep on the ground and would not wake up! It was kind of nice because the adults were able to enjoy the show without having to worry if the kids were able to see or not.
WOW! This show is so worth the long wait! I’ve read all I could about this show and knew about the different segments and the lights on the Castle and the Matterhorn and about the lasers, but nothing prepares you for seeing it in person. And then the snow with the music playing, it was wonderful especially standing there with my husband’s arms around me (and my children peacefully asleep on the ground) a perfect ending to our first day at Disneyland.
After the show, we headed back to our room. We gave the boys a bath and got them to sleep (which wasn’t very hard) and after our showers, Mark and I were ready for bed. We had been up for 42 hours!
Day Two Wednesday Dec. 21st 2005
This morning Mark and I woke up and got ready then we got the boys up. As I was getting them ready Mark warmed up some breakfast croissants in the microwave for us to eat on the way to the parks. We grabbed some juice boxes and our breakfast and headed out the door. On our way down the hall, David and family were walking out of their room, great timing! David and Elizabeth got a free parking pass though their AAA package so we all piled into their van.
We walked though the turnstiles right at opening and after a stop at the lockers (by the way, our locker number was 1313. We thought we should have gotten our locker free or something.) We went on the Astro Orbiters. Sam wanted to ride this yesterday, but the line was too long. Our wait was five minutes this morning. Everyone rode except David who got fast passes for Space Mountain. Up next was Matterhorn. Sam was too short to ride so he and I went on the teacups while everyone else rode. I then went on the Matterhorn with Peter. We love this ride!
We went across the hub to the Tiki Room. While waiting to enter, David went to get fast passes for Splash. He made it back just as we were entering the building. I love this show. It’s classic Disney. No matter how old or how some people think it’s dated, it is still amazing to watch and I hope that when my great grandkids bring their kids to Disneyland, the Tiki Room will still be the same. We all enjoyed the show and sang along with the birds. Peter was so funny, during the thunderstorm, he thought that it was really raining, so when we were getting ready to leave the building, he put on his jacket and pulled his hood up. His face was so funny when he stepped outside and saw it was warm and sunny out! One more story about the Tiki Room and then I’ll move on, I promise. My brother had a pet bird that escaped a few weeks ago. He bought another bird and had a hard time naming him. During the show, I was thinking about the words and thought that he should name him Tiki because as the song goes, “Most little birdies will fly away, but the Tiki Room birds are here everyday.” I called my brother and told him this and so he named his bird Bob…just kidding, he named it Tiki of course!
While getting our Dole Whips we realized DCA is now open. We made our way down Main Street, stopped at our lockers to put our jackets away and were walking by the Emporium looking at the window displays when we saw Pluto in front of the fire station with no one around! The boys got their autographs and their pictures taken with him and then we went across the esplanade to DCA.
David ran ahead and got fast passes for Tower of Terror while the rest of us slowly made our way to the back lot. We didn’t get very far when we saw Donald Duck. The boys got in line to do the autograph and picture thing. When we were next in line, David called and said that they were having soft openings of Monster’s Inc. and to hurry down there. As soon as the boys finished with Donald, we high tailed it over there and got right onto a ride vehicle. It’s a cute ride, not something I would wait in line for unless one of my kids really wanted to ride it. Peter and Sam thought it was great. Everything was working except for the little T.V. on the taxi. We have some friends (who don’t have any kids) who went to Disneyland in Feb. and waited for over an hour to ride and thought it was a waste of time. So this ride serves its purpose, something for families with small children to ride together. As we exited the ride, we saw Sully in the court yard. He couldn’t sign autographs, but we got the boys picture taken with him. We then made our way over to Muppet Vision. Who does not enjoy the Muppets? We got right in as they were closing the doors and walked into a less than half empty auditorium. It was so much fun listening to my children belly laugh while watching the Muppets.
By now our fast pass time is up for Tower of Terror. I stayed with Sam while they rode first. Sam and I walked over to the Animation building where we do our personality profile. I’m Belle and Sammy is Simba. I then let him run around the lobby. He loved this! He loved chasing the lights on the floor and the music and watching all of the movie clips.
While Peter and I were riding ToT, (which he loves and is now my new favorite attraction) Mark and everyone took Sam to ride Monsters Inc. again.
Peter and I met up with everyone in front of Monster’s Inc. Mark and Sam were already in line to see Mrs. Incredible so Peter went to join them to get her picture and autograph. Mark and I then took our boys to see the 12:30 show of Playhouse Disney. I don’t know what David, Elizabeth, and their boys did. Playhouse Disney was really fun for our kids. When we were waiting in line and even after we were inside waiting for the show to start, Peter didn’t want to see it, he thought it was “too babyish”. It wasn’t until Mark was chosen to go up and hold the BIG sign that Peter got into it. I asked him why he changed his mind and he said that if the show was cool enough for Daddy then it was cool enough for him! The C.M. in charge of this show was really good; he was very energetic and fun. All I could think of was, “Man, it would be hard to do this job when you are having a bad day”!
After the show we met with David and family in the Animation building. We got our pictures taken with Chicken Little and with Sorcerer Mickey. Then Mark and I got our picture taken by the “and they lived happily ever after” painted on the wall.
We then left the parks and had sandwiches again. On our way back to DCA, we took pictures by the striped California letters and then headed inside the park. We went into Engine-ears Toys where I got my Mr. Potato Head with the Disney parts and the boys got light spinners. Sam picked out Buzz Lightyear and Peter picked out a gold and blue 50th anniversary one. While we were shopping, David and Elizabeth saved seats for the Block Party Bash. We sent our boys to sit with them while Mark and I went to get hot chocolate at Baker’s field Bakery.
The people who perform the Black Party Bash sure have lots of energy! The boys liked it and it was nice to see something new. We made our way over to It’s Tough to be a Bug and had to wait ten minutes until the next showing. I love this attraction. I love watching other people’s reactions while in this attraction. I do admit that when the black widows attack, I am out of my seat and down on the floor. Spiders scare the crap out of me…yes, even big fake ones.
We then had the pleasure of spending an hour in Bug’s Land, (David got fastpasses for Screamin’). Sam loved Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train and lucky us, we were able to ride it four times without getting off. Mark and I had a nice little nap! At 7:00 our fastpass time opened so we went over to Paradise Pier and rode Screamin’ taking turns watching Peter and Sam. Poor Peter, he’s not tall enough to ride and was not happy about it! We went on King Triton’s Carousel and then he was okay. Peter and Sam both wanted to ride the Sun Wheel next so that’s where we went. Elizabeth stayed out as she is afraid of heights she went to save seats for the Electrical Parade. The boys all wanted to ride in the cage that slides. Wow, what an incredible feeling! It was a little scary, and I’m a huge dare devil! Definitely something to do again! We then made our way around Paradise Pier stopping to ride Maliboomer, the Orange Stinger, and the Golden Zephyr before waiting for the parade with Elizabeth.
While waiting for the parade to start, it got very cold. Instead of walking all the way back to Disneyland to get our sweatshirts, Mark and I ran over to Greetings and bought new sweatshirts for the four of us before the parade started. The Electrical Parade is a favorite of ours. The music just makes us happy. After the parade, everyone went to ride Soarin’ while I took Sam over to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. We had a great time and while we were up in one of the towers, the fireworks from Disneyland went off and we got a great view of them. We then met with everyone and Peter and I rode Soarin while everyone went to get in line for Tower of Terror. As Peter and I exited the ride, Mark called and said to hurry, Tower of Terror is closing in one minute. Peter and I ran all the way over (that is one nice thing about DCA; you can run though the park and not have to worry about running into any people!) We made it just in time and enjoyed our trip through the twilight zone. DCA is now closed. As we made our way to the entrance of the park, I stopped to get a churro, but they were out.
We headed back over to Disneyland. There were lots of people leaving the park when we entered. We went right to Space Mountain and got right on using our fast passes from earlier. We decided to then go to the west side of the park. On the way, I stopped to get a churro, I waited about five minutes and the line still has not moved so I decided to get a churro later. We rode Thunder Mountain three times with no wait. Elizabeth sat with Sam and they shared some popcorn while we rode. After our third trip, there was a line so we headed over to Splash.
On our way to Splash, I tried again to buy a churro; this cart just ran out for the night. I was not meant to have a churro tonight! We rode Splash and then were able to stay in our log for a second ride. Elizabeth again stayed with Sam who was at this time asleep in his stroller. Disneyland was closing so we walked over to the train station in New Orleans and took the train to Tomorrowland and then took the monorail to Downtown Disney and then walked to the parking structure. Once in our room, the boys had baths and I dressed them in the clothes they were going to wear tomorrow (track pants and tee-shirts) because tomorrow is Early Entry for Fantasyland. Mark and I showered and then hit the sack.
Day Three Thursday Dec.22 2005
Up at 6:00A.M. this morning. Mark and I got ready then Peter woke up at 6:30 put on his sweatshirt and shoes and grabbed a Poptart. I put Sam’s sweatshirt and shoes on him and gave him a Poptart as soon as he finished eating it he fell back asleep. I only feel a little guilty for waking him up so early. Both my boys have been really good this trip. They haven’t fought, or whined, or complained the only thing was when Sam cried on the first day because he wanted to ride.
We arrived in Disneyland at 7:12. Our first ride of the day was Peter Pan. This was also our longest wait of the Fantasyland attractions with us waiting 10 minutes before we boarded our pirate ships. We all enjoyed our flight and then headed towards Dumbo. Peter and Joshua rode together, I rode with Sam, and Mark rode by himself. David and Zack went to get fastpasses for Buzz and Elizabeth sat and watched us.
We went on King Auther’s Carrousel next while waiting for David and Zack. When they got back, we went on Snow White, Pinocchio, Casey Jr.’s train, Alice in Wonderland, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride all within an hour. Mark and I were amazed at all we were able to do during early entry. This is definitely worth waking up early for!
We then went on Storybook land canal boats, the teacups, and then finally we went to It’s a Small World. Again Peter thought this was a “baby ride” and we had to remind him that when he was Sam’s age this was his favorite ride and that we should do things everyone enjoys and to take turns. He was okay after this and seemed to enjoy the attraction even though he would never admit it!
At 10:00 Mark and I took our boys to Toontown while David, Elizabeth and their boys went back to the hotel to rest. We first went to Mickey’s house. I have never done this before as the line has always been way too long. Today the wait was five minutes to see Mickey. The boys then wanted to play on Donald’s boat. We spent some time there and then went to ride Gadget’s Coaster. Sam was too short so while Mark and Peter rode, Sam discovered all the doors around Toontown. He had the best time trying to open every door and making all the different sounds. We saw Pluto again and had another picture taken with him. We met up with Mark and Peter and went to ride Rodger Rabbit.
Rodger Rabbit was closed so we took the train to New Orleans Square and went to look for an Indiana Jones fedora for some friends for a Christmas present.( they were here a few weeks ago and her husband was looking at the hats so she gave us some money to buy it for him as a surprise.) As Mark and I were shopping, Peter discovered pressed pennies. We bought him a pressed penny book and the hat.
We went to our locker to put the hat away and then went to the Penny Palace and spent a long time making pressed pennies. Peter and Sam had a great time with this. After awhile, it was time for lunch. We headed to Hungry Bear in Critter corner. Eating here is a family tradition even though the food isn’t great, the view is amazing. We love sitting on the lower level watching the canoes and The Mark Twain floating by and the big highlight for the kids is being able to feed the ducks their French fries.
After lunch, we rode the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island and played for awhile. The barrel bridge was closed, but the suspension bridge was working and I took some great pictures of the boys running across it with no one else in the shots. We had a great time playing in the tunnels and everything. I can’t wait until they fix up everything again.
While on the island, David called and said they were back in the park. We agreed to meet at the Davy Crocket Canoes. We all met up and then went for a canoe ride around the Rivers of America.
It was now time to visit Santa. We went to the Reindeer Roundup where the kids petted the reindeer, colored pictures, and decorated cookies, and of course, visited Santa and Mrs. C.
Mark headed to the ESPN Zone to watch BYU play in the bowl game while the rest of us went to DCA. We went on Monster’s Inc. again and then got in line to watch the Aladdin show at the Hyperion Theater. This show was really good. The Genie was very flamboyant and was great! After the show, we headed to Tower of Terror (ToT). The park was getting ready to close. As we walked up to ToT, Mark called and said he was heading back to DCA. The CM in front of ToT said that he could ride if he got here before the clock turned 8:00. It was now 7:58. I told him to hurry. At 8:00 he was passing the Animation building, luckily, he rounded the corner and ran down the street before the clock turned 8:01. The CM was so impressed that Mark made it from the ESPN Zone to the ToT in that short of time that she let us ride twice! Elizabeth stayed with Sam who had fallen asleep in his stroller. This attraction is so much fun!
We made our way out of DCA tacking pictures along the way and then went back to Disneyland. We went on Buzz using our fast passes from earlier (Sam woke up in time to ride Buzz) and then decided to go on Haunted Mansion before we watched the fireworks. This time all the kids were awake and enjoyed the show. We then made our way to the Rivers of America and found great seats for Fantasmic. We took turns saving seats while everyone else used the restroom and got something to eat. Mark and I always get clam chowder in bread bowls while watching Fantasmic. The show was as good as always.
After Fantasmic, we went to ride Splash, then Winnie the Pooh, and then Big Thunder Mountain. We were able to ride three times with no wait! By the time we finished, it was time to leave the park. We stopped in the Emporium to do a little shopping. I bought the road signs that I wanted, we got Peter the monorail board game, and we got the boys Disneyland coloring books for their stockings. After our shopping we went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day four Friday Dec. 23ed 2006
This morning we packed our things and loaded our car and then drove to Downtown Disney for our Character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Our seating was for 11:00 so we got plenty of time with the characters. We saw Minnie, Daisy, Lilo, and Stitch. Peter was tired of having his picture taken with “girl characters”! The buffet was awesome, Mark loved the omelet bar and I loved everything. My favorite part was the little plastic cups with the 50th logo on them that they served the freshly squeezed pineapple juice in. I took a clean cup for a souvenir.
After breakfast, we went to Downtown Disney to do our shopping. Mark spent a LONG time in World of Disney shopping for my Christmas presents. We then shopped and got the boys some gifts also. We got stuff for their stockings and we bought the Monorail set to go around our Christmas tree. We continued walking until Peter discovered the Lego store. We bought a few more Christmas presents and then headed to our cars and back home. After saying good-bye to David, Elizabeth, and their boys, we drove until Lyons and stopped at In-N-Out for dinner. We got back home around 9:00 P.M.
Final thoughts
It was lots of fun going with another family. The boys all got along great. All four boys were happy and the only problem we had was with Sam on the first day when he felt left out with the child swap. David and Elizabeth are great people and we all are very laid back. I don’t think that I’ll ever go the week before Christmas again. The crowds and weather were great, but I missed the week leading up to Christmas. The baking of cookies and the last minute shopping and wrapping presents and all are things that I really missed! Time to plan another trip this time next January after Christmas!