Day 5: Not So Early Entry

We had a big plan for today. Early entry. Stay in park til 1. Go back to hotel. Take naps. Come back in early evening. Stay til close. There was one snag…no early entry today. We got up bright and early this morning to head to the park for early entry. We even left the hotel early to get a quick drive-thru breakfast, so as not to waste time eating in the park when we could be riding rides! We planned to munch on our breakfast while we waited to be admitted – cuz we were gonna be early, even for early entry. We got our breakfast and headed to our new favorite parking area – the Lion King Lot. When we got there the gates were closed. Okay, so maybe that’s an overflow lot that’s not open first thing in the morning. We’ll just head to the Mickey and Friends parking structure – the main lot. That one was curiously closed as well. Turns out we were there for an early entry day that didn’t exist. Drew called the help number while we were waiting for the parking lot to open and they informed us that we can redeem our early entry day on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, but not today, cuz it’s Wednesday. D’oh!

Needless to say, we got a great parking spot. We were among the first few cars to enter. So that part was nice. What wasn’t nice was waking up early for nothing and getting to the park 2 hours too early. Oh well. We had time to do some shopping before opening. Then we went right onto Space Mountain first thing when they dropped the ropes to the main areas of the park.

This was Aiden’s first time on Space Mountain. He hasn’t been tall enough in the past. But he sure was excited to ride it today! Maria took him on first, and Drew got the “baby swap” pass, which allowed him to take a turn immediately after Maria. Aiden was really excited – he threw his hands up into the air as soon as he lowered his lap bar! He left them up for the whole first half of the ride. Quite brave! He was clenched onto that lap bar pretty tight by the end, though. But he said “it was really good!” and went on again with Drew.

Aiden Boarding Space Mountain

Jeremy Riding a Virtual Rollercoaster While Aiden was on Space Mountain

We tried the Jedi Training Academy after that. We tried two times today for Aiden to be chosen to participate in the show. He really wanted to go up and fight with the Jedi as a Padawan. It’s pretty cool cuz they get the little Jedi robes and a light saber. And they fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul. But unfortunately for all of us, Aiden wasn’t chosen at either show. He was sooooo upset. He was right in the front both times, jumping up and down, waving and yelling, but he just never got a turn. He was crying both times. But he tried really hard to get over it and we told him we’ll try again before we leave.

Aiden Volunteering for Jedi Training

After a quick jump on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, we headed over to New Orleans Square for lunch with the Monicks at Blue Bayou. It’s that restaurant with the lanterns you can see when you ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was kinda weird eating there today, tho – as Pirates was closed for refurbishment, and there were no boats floating by. The food was good, though – and the boys got cool Buzz Lightyear drinks with light-up toys on them.

Space Ranger Spin

Blue Bayou

After lunch, we headed for Toontown, where we met Mickey in his house. Then we went over to try Gadget’s Go Coaster. This was Jeremy’s first roller coaster. He told us he would, “go…wooo hooo,” on the ride. Maria and Aiden rode in the front. Jeremy and Drew rode in the second car. Jeremy did well on the ride, but decided he didn’t like it. He said it was too fast. We kinda guessed that would happen. He’s not quite into that yet.

Meeting Mickey

Jeremy's First Rollercoaster Ride

We spent some more time in Toontown, playing around in the kid areas. There’s lots of stuff to climb on and run around, as well as things to explore. The kids burned off some energy while Maria and Drew grabbed a seat on a bench for a bit. After a quick snack, we headed off to it’s a small world, Jeremy’s pick for our next ride. Aiden informed Maria that she was taking pictures of things we already had photos of, and Jeremy sang for a good portion of the ride.

Playing in Toontown

Riding the Carousel

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Our last main event of the day was the, “Celebrate! A Street Party,” parade. The current theme at Disneyland is “celebrate.” They are offering free admission on your birthday, and special buttons for people celebrating occasions like marriage, graduation, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. The parade is all about celebrating – everything. It involves dancing and crowd interaction. Aiden got to dance with one of the performers. And he and Jeremy enjoyed the streamers and confetti that flew through the air at the end. By the end of the parade, we had been in the parks from open to nearly close. We were ready to head home. It’s hard to remember the last time we were so tired at only 7:30pm!

Parade Photos!

The best part of day 5 was: How much Aiden loved the rollercoasters, and how much Jeremy loved the super tame rides. They were both really enjoying themselves.
The worst part of day 5 was: Aiden being overlooked to become a Padawan (it was hard to see him so upset). Also, being there early for nothing kinda sucked.
The weather on day 5 was: great, as usual. A slight chill when the breeze picked up, but great overall.
What we learned on day 5 was: early entry is on days beginning with “T” and “S” only.
Quote of the day: At the wishing well – “What did you wish for, Aiden? Did you wish that you could ride the rides?” Aiden: “I wished that I could marry Belle.”