Disneyland: Day 3

Day 3 was...intense. So many crazy things happened!

We got there SUPER early to be first in line. We were almost first! Then, we booked it over to Peter Pan. This was the Magic Morning day. I am not sure if Magic Morning is worth it. There were so many people crammed into just the two lands that are open for MM. Plus, everyone is racing to Peter Pan. So, maybe next time we will skip MM and Peter Pan.

It was just insane. But, we did Peter Pan, which is my other favorite ride, and then the lines everywhere were atrocious. We had to throw out my beloved itinerary, and just go anywhere there wasn't a crazy ride. We only hit 4 rides in a little over an hour. I was very glad when Magic Morning was over and people started to clear out.

Then, at 11- the rains came. And I don't just mean a drizzle. It POURED!!! We had ponchos, and we even had my Seattle Secret: Bread bags to put over our socks so our feet didn't get wet. My feet were nice and warm and dry all day long. No, they weren't pretty. But they worked.

We pulled out our ponchos and the rain continued. But, much to our dismay, nobody left the park. We had hoped the rain would clear the park. It did not! So, now we were wet and sardines- the worst of both worlds.

But, then it got worse: All of the indoor rides started breaking down! Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Roger Rabbit- it was INSANE!!!! And very disappointing. I had all these MaxPasses that started turning into MagicPasses, which happens to be AWESOME! Those become ride passes for any FastPass ride at any time of the day, no time limits. Those would come in handy later.

Finally, after two hours of POURING rain, we were almost ready to give up and go back to the hotel. It was miserable, especially since so many rides were broken. Audra and Claire wanted to do Matterhorn one more time. So, I took them there. The rain was pouring. We got on the ride. We ended the ride, and the sun was shining and the clouds had disappeared!

For the next 90 minutes, we had a glorious time as the crowds had disappeared, but were soon to come back. Again, many rides were broken down- but we did our best. Roger Rabbit finally opened, and we went on it twice in a row with zero lines. We could have gone more times, but we wanted to try some other rides. Luckily, Pirates was open- and empty. Then, gradually, other rides started opening up.

I now also had a million Magic Passes. To end the night, we were able to do Thunder Mountain Railroad three times in 15 minutes. That might be the highlight of our trip.

Not only were the rides breaking down left and right, but the castle was being refurbished. But, we took our punches and kept on going!

We really, really wanted to make it to Minnie Mouse as she is Camille's favorite, but the line was always too long. But, we did at least make it to her house.

We rode the Columbia Ship, which is something we had never done. I am glad we were able to do a few fun things that we had never done before!

Disneyland: Day 2

Day 2 of our trip was spent at Disneyland. It was our "Indiana Jones" day- meaning, that was the first ride we raced to. Once again, the parks were extremely crowded, so racing was a must.

Thankfully, our plan worked- we easily made it on the ride, and we rode several more rides throughout the day- about 20, including Indiana Jones twice. That is my favorite ride, so I was happy we could do that.

Camille was still a bit scared of many of the rides. She did Pirates once, but refused to go on it again (the rest of us did it twice), and absolutely refused to go on Splash Mountain. Most of the rides she did great, though.

Audra and Claire still loved the Matterhorn best. Space Mountain ended up being closed both days we were at Disneyland because on Tuesday somebody climbed out of the ride. Disney has cameras on all the rides, and immediately did an emergency stop on the ride, so nobody was hurt (thank goodness!), but they also called in OSHA and made sure that they were safe on their end, which kept the ride closed. It was a bummer, but definitely not the end of the world. Actually, it makes me feel good to know that they can stop a ride at any time if needed. The second time we went on Splash Mountain, Claire had a massive panic attack. I was really worried she would stand up and try and climb out, so I kind-of understand why the person on Space Mountain climbed out. Scary stuff, but Disney is always watching out for our safety. That makes me feel good.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:

Thunder Mountain:

 Train ride:

I made us all matching Mickey/Minnie Mouse shirts for the trip, as well as these mouse hats. It was fun!

The only signature we got- Pluto:

Dole Whip- YUM! Isn't it required to get the Dole Whip and then go into the Tiki Room?

Camille played in Tarzan's Tree House while we enjoyed Indiana Jones:

I rode with Camille on Autopia. Here is what I learned: Camille should never get a driving license! This was not intended to be a thrill ride, but Camille turned it into one. Ben and Claire were in the car behind us, and Claire didn't realize that we were ahead of her. She turned to Ben and said, "That driver ahead of us is crazy!" Yup, she was CRAZY!!!!

The girls each had some money to spend. Camille chose this "pocket watch" which is really a "pocket necklace." She has actually been begging for a pocket watch for a few months, so this was perfect for her- she was very excited to show it off.

Disneyland: Day 1

We flew into Anaheim in the morning and decided to get in as much as we could at California Adventure since a 4 day ticket was only $15 more than a 3 day ticket. We had low expectations since it was only a half day, but it actually turned out pretty great. We were able to get a lot of rides in.

We ate at The Cozy Cone last time, so we had to do it again.

ToyStory Mania with a MaxPass was so much better than waiting in line for 45 minutes like we did last time we went to Disney!

Actually, MaxPass was our miracle. There is really no other way to do Disney. All the lines were very long, but MaxPass made it so we could do all the rides we wanted, most of them multiple times. It isn't cheap, but is worth every single penny.

The park was incredibly crowded- it was frustrating. But, I need to just remind myself that we had a fabulous time and went on a million rides even if there were a million people. I also had to keep reminding myself it was the end of January and not the middle of summer with so many people walking around.

We went on the JellyFish ride several times as Camille loves it, and didn't love the Gadget Coaster. She tried to go on it and FREAKED out- so JellyFish and Silly Swings it was.

A Little Obsessed!

Last September we decided to go to Disneyland!

We (I) started planning. After all, you need to be ready for a trip like Disney! The girls call me obsessed. And said Disney is all I ever talk about.

But, here is proof that I am not the only one excited for Disney!

14 Years

The Melting Pot seems to be our tradition now. This is where Ben took me the night he proposed, and we both enjoy the fondue (especially the Wisconsin Trio!).

It is hard to believe 14 years has already passed! Whew, I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!