Day 2: Discover Disneyland!

We were really pumped for the kids to realize where they were this trip. We had a lot of build-up in our minds of what their reactions would be and how excited they would become. We couldn’t wait for them to find out we were going to be at Disneyland for a week! We got up bright and early at 8am so we could be at the parks early. We took off from the resort for the short drive to the park.

We parked in the garage, and rode the tram into the parks. It was on the tram that Aiden figured out where we were. The announcer was giving us instructions, then said, “welcome to the Disneyland Resort.” Aiden said, “are we at Mickey’s house?” We told him that yes, we were at Mickey’s house. He asked if we were in DisneyWorld. When we said no, he corrected himself and asked if we were at Walt DisneyWorld. We said no. Then he asked if we were at the Magic Kingdom. We knew what he was trying to say, so we told him that we were at Disneyland. He got excited and we asked him to relay his discovery to Jeremy. Jeremy followed up with, “we’re at Mickey’s house!” They were excited, and we were glad.

We went right to the front gate with our online tickets. They checked us in, gave us our tickets and we headed straight for the Castle. We took our picture there, and then headed back to Adventureland to begin our clockwise journey around the hub of the park. The first attraction we came upon was the Tiki Room. We decided to let the kids dictate where we would go. And Aiden said he wanted to go in the tiki room. So that was our first attraction of the trip. From there, the kids chose Tarzan’s Treehouse, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean. Jeremy was scared this time on Pirates – that was a first. He didn’t like the dark parts or the “slides” (drops). He cried a little, which we weren’t expecting. But after he was done, he said that he DID like it and if he went again, he’d say, “whoo-hooo,” instead of crying. We’ll see.

Aiden really wanted to go on it’s a small world, so we started to head in that general direction. On the way, he spotted Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Aiden was tall enough to ride. Jeremy was about an inch short…maybe and inch-and-a-half. So we used the “baby swap” method – one of us waited with Jeremy while the other took Aiden on the ride. Then when Aiden exited the ride with the 1st parent, the other parent would take a turn with him. It’s a pretty good deal, cuz your kid gets to go twice, and both parents get a chance to ride. The only one it really sucked for was Jeremy, cuz he didn’t get to go at all, and he didn’t really understand why not.

After Aiden had his 2 rides on Big Thunder Mountain, it was Jeremy’s turn to choose. He chose the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. We all went in one cup – it was fun to be there all together, our little family. It felt really Disney-ish. Mommy and Daddy and the two little ones. Just like a commercial.

After the teacups, we went to our destination – it’s a small world. This ride was recently renovated. They’ve incorporated beloved Disney characters into their appropriate areas of the world throughout the ride. So there’s a doll representing Lilo with Stitch in the Hawaiian area, the Ratatouille characters in France, a Mushu kite in China, and Aladdin and Jasmine riding one of the flying carpets. To us, it was neat and appropriate to see the Disney characters represented. Some fans don’t like the new additions, but we were cool with it. After small world, we met up with Evan and Steph. Liam stayed with his grandparents while they came into the park. We grabbed some FastPasses for Buzz Lightyear and then Maria took Aiden on Star Tours while Drew took Jeremy on Buzz Lightyear. It was Aiden’s first time on Star Tours. The Monicks came with us. It was unclear whether Aiden realized we weren’t actually in outer space or not. But either way, he liked it! After those rides, we went to eat at the Pizza Port for lunch while we waited for our FastPasses to be useable. It was yummy.

We rode Buzz Lightyear really fast, then it was time to head out of the park. The boys wanted to swim this afternoon, and we figured we’d better take advantage of the nice weather while we had it. So we went back to the resort, took a swim, then a nap. Our only goal for the evening was to see the fireworks, because those don’t happen during the week.
After naps, we headed back into the park. We ate a quick dinner at Napolini in Downtown Disney, then went to find our seats for the fireworks. It was getting harder to find a spot because we didn’t get there way early and camp out. But we found a good viewing area right next to the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of the castle. Drew got us some snacks (turkey legs and cheetos) while Maria and the boys stayed in the spot. Evan and Steph met us there just in time to watch with us. They got there just as the park lights went dark for the show to start. It was a really good show – they are still doing the fireworks created for the 50th anniversary – and those were the best fireworks we’ve ever seen…still. It was a good feeling, being there in front of the castle, watching Tinkerbell zoom around with a rainbow of fireworks behind her. The boys really enjoyed it. They are getting to appreciate the music, and recognize most of the songs. Jeremy still doesn’t like how loud they are, so Drew held his hands over Jeremy’s ears. But he enjoyed watching. One of these days, we aren’t going to be able to hold the kids up so they can see the fireworks anymore. Aiden’s approaching 40 lbs., and it was a new experience holding him up for so long. We barely pick him up for any extended period of time these days.

The park really cleared out after the fireworks were done. The lines for the rides got really short – so we dove in! We hit Autopia first, followed by the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. They reinstalled the old submarines used for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but revamped the scenery and added Nemo characters and animation. It was fun ride – but Jeremy got a little freaked out in the dark parts. After that, Evan and Steph went to ride Space Mountain while we took the boys to more kid rides. We stopped for a quick spin on Buzz Lightyear (oh ya – 5 minute wait, baby!), then proceeded to Fantasyland. Jeremy wanted to ride the Carousel, so we did that first. Then we rode Dumbo (twice), followed by Snow White’s Scary Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (aka “the teacups”). By the time we finished all that, the park officially closed. It was midnight!

Main Street, U.S.A. stays open for one hour after park close. So we grabbed a scoop of ice cream and Drew went to pick up a new watch at the jewelry shop. His Walt Disney World watch stopped working a few weeks ago, so he brought it to Disneyland with us for repair. They gave us the information we needed to get it fixed, but we have to send it away for a while. So Drew got a second watch to have in the interim, and so he can alternate. It’s a really nice watch – he was pleased.

It was time to leave. The last tram leaves the park at 1am, and we needed to get our butts in those seats! We took some quick pictures in front of the CALIFORNIA sign in front of California Adventure, then rode back to our van in the Lion King parking area. It was quite a day. And unbelievably, the kids were STILL running as we approached the van to get in. That nap can really sustain them for a long evening! I wish it did the same for us! We were beat!

The best thing about Day 2 was: We really enjoyed the pace of the day. We weren’t rushed but we did a lot of things. Also, the fireworks were great!

The worst thing about Day 2 was: when Jeremy refused to take a picture in front of the CALIFORNIA sign at the end of the evening and started screaming and crying. He got over it, but it still sucked.

The weather on Day 2 was: really nice. The sun was shining for the most part. The temps were in the 70s. There was enough of a light breeze to keep us from getting too toasty in the sun. A tad cool for swimming, but still swimmable.

What we learned on Day 2 was: the Lion King tram drops you off in a different location in relation to the front gate than the Mickey and Friends tram.

Quote of the Day: “No more boarding please, no more boarding, no boarding, no more boarding. No further boarding please. No more boarding. No…more….boarding.”

Adventureland

Tiki Room

Tarzan's Tree House

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Dumbo!

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

it's a small world