Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Disney Trip 09 - Days 5 and 6
Friday it was back to Disneyland. We spent all of Thursday over at DCA. Again, we got up early and enjoyed the first couple of hours in the park with minimal crowds. (Later on, after the fact, I read that Disneyland almost reached capacity on Friday! Yikes!) Dave and Grayson headed in the direction of Space Mountain while Molly and I hit Fantasyland one more time. It was fun to spend that time with just my girl. And it was fun for her because she didn't have to wait (albeit patiently) for anyone to go on rides that she was unable or didn't want to ride!
We also did a family first that day and rode the Mark Twain Riverboat. A nice little break and a good time to apply more sunscreen. Then it was out to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Molly, as you can see in one of the pictures, was NOT a fan of the tunnels.
After touring the island, we grabbed some lunch (or maybe we ate first?) and then it was back to the hotel for a midday break. It was the kids' last chance to swim and they took full advantage. We hit both the regular garden pool and the pirate-themed play area one last time. Then it was back to the park for the the new Celebrate! Street Party, which was...meh. But, like most things at Disneyland, it was worth seeing once.
The rest of that night is a blur. (I knew I shouldn't have waited so long to blog!) Anyway, I'm sure that at some point I bought myself a 'tigger tail'--a little piece of marshmellowey-caramel-orange-cream-with-chocolate-drizzle-on-a-stick bliss--and maybe a churro, too! It WAS vacation after all!
And, because I'm lazy, I'm going to wrap up day 6--our last day--in this post, too! It was Saturday. We slept in, checked out of our hotel room, then walked thru Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel for our breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. It has become a tradition. And up to this point, Molly screaming in fear the whole time had become a tradition, too! Ha! Ha! But Auntie Sarri and Uncle Joel, you'll be happy to know that there was no screaming this time around. :) True, hardly any photos of Molly with characters either, but at least we got to dine in peace. And boy did we dine! Holy cow, Dave was recounting his meal afterward, and I think he ate enough to feed a small army! But you have to get your money's worth, right? And actually, there was one big highlight for Molly. All week long, the one "person" who she would have liked to see but didn't all of sudden showed up at our table! Princess Jazmine! Later Molly got to dance with her, too. Very cute.
And then, after that, we killed a few hours in the HOT California sun before it was time for us to catch the bus back to the airport. And so our vacation was over. Tired, happy travelers we were. Ready to sleep in our own beds but also ready to start saving again for our next adventure! To where?...hmmm...
We also did a family first that day and rode the Mark Twain Riverboat. A nice little break and a good time to apply more sunscreen. Then it was out to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Molly, as you can see in one of the pictures, was NOT a fan of the tunnels.
After touring the island, we grabbed some lunch (or maybe we ate first?) and then it was back to the hotel for a midday break. It was the kids' last chance to swim and they took full advantage. We hit both the regular garden pool and the pirate-themed play area one last time. Then it was back to the park for the the new Celebrate! Street Party, which was...meh. But, like most things at Disneyland, it was worth seeing once.
The rest of that night is a blur. (I knew I shouldn't have waited so long to blog!) Anyway, I'm sure that at some point I bought myself a 'tigger tail'--a little piece of marshmellowey-caramel-orange-cream-with-chocolate-drizzle-on-a-stick bliss--and maybe a churro, too! It WAS vacation after all!
And, because I'm lazy, I'm going to wrap up day 6--our last day--in this post, too! It was Saturday. We slept in, checked out of our hotel room, then walked thru Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel for our breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. It has become a tradition. And up to this point, Molly screaming in fear the whole time had become a tradition, too! Ha! Ha! But Auntie Sarri and Uncle Joel, you'll be happy to know that there was no screaming this time around. :) True, hardly any photos of Molly with characters either, but at least we got to dine in peace. And boy did we dine! Holy cow, Dave was recounting his meal afterward, and I think he ate enough to feed a small army! But you have to get your money's worth, right? And actually, there was one big highlight for Molly. All week long, the one "person" who she would have liked to see but didn't all of sudden showed up at our table! Princess Jazmine! Later Molly got to dance with her, too. Very cute.
And then, after that, we killed a few hours in the HOT California sun before it was time for us to catch the bus back to the airport. And so our vacation was over. Tired, happy travelers we were. Ready to sleep in our own beds but also ready to start saving again for our next adventure! To where?...hmmm...
Disney Trip 09 - Day 4
I think I can, I think I can...I WILL keep blogging, I WILL keep blogging...(Can you hear the train pushing up the mountain?)
Okay, day 4. All about the princesses. And our own Princess Molly.
We ate breakfast At Ariel's Grotto, which is where you go if you want to see princesses. And let me tell you, sometimes we force Molly to put a smile on her face for pictures, but there was definitely no forcing this morning! She was just plain happy. Really, really happy. And it was so fun to watch her. If she hadn't been so "star" struck, then she would have been a chatter box, too, but she was mostly just content to gaze at them, hug them, and smile (a real smile!) for the camera.
Then afterward, thanks to Grayson's new enthusiasm for "thrill" rides, we hit Grizzly River Run for the first time. And no, I'm not dumb. I knew that I could get wet. I watched lots of people come off the ride a little damp--water spots on their clothes, maybe a few drops in their hair, some with squeaky/squishy shoes. But me? I got SOAKED! As in drenched. As in a wall of water came over my head and landed in my lap (and on every other part of me). The people on the other side of the raft got quite a good laugh at my expense. Ha. Ha. Good thing it was a warm, sunny day. But still, I was more than a little uncomfortable. And the wet look? Yeah, it just doesn't work for me. Unless you dig frizzy. Grayson though? He loved it and went a second time with Dave. And yep, you guessed it...Dave hardly got wet. Figures.
Okay, day 4. All about the princesses. And our own Princess Molly.
We ate breakfast At Ariel's Grotto, which is where you go if you want to see princesses. And let me tell you, sometimes we force Molly to put a smile on her face for pictures, but there was definitely no forcing this morning! She was just plain happy. Really, really happy. And it was so fun to watch her. If she hadn't been so "star" struck, then she would have been a chatter box, too, but she was mostly just content to gaze at them, hug them, and smile (a real smile!) for the camera.
Then afterward, thanks to Grayson's new enthusiasm for "thrill" rides, we hit Grizzly River Run for the first time. And no, I'm not dumb. I knew that I could get wet. I watched lots of people come off the ride a little damp--water spots on their clothes, maybe a few drops in their hair, some with squeaky/squishy shoes. But me? I got SOAKED! As in drenched. As in a wall of water came over my head and landed in my lap (and on every other part of me). The people on the other side of the raft got quite a good laugh at my expense. Ha. Ha. Good thing it was a warm, sunny day. But still, I was more than a little uncomfortable. And the wet look? Yeah, it just doesn't work for me. Unless you dig frizzy. Grayson though? He loved it and went a second time with Dave. And yep, you guessed it...Dave hardly got wet. Figures.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Disney Trip 09 - Day 3
On Day 3 we were in line by 7:30 for an 8 a.m. opening. The weather, pretty much all week long, was just perfect. A little 'June Gloom' in the mornings to keep things cool, and then sunshine in the afternoon made for great late day breaks at the pool/water area.
Wednesday's highlight was definitely the Jedi Training Academy! It is staged 4-5 times a day, and each time they select around 20 kids from the audience to participate. Of course there are TONS more kids who want to be picked though. But who are we kidding? I of course had done my research and knew that it's the kids who hold up signs that most often get picked. So a sign was made even though G wasn't too sure he actually wanted to try to get picked. He was a little reluctant and a lot nervous until just at the very last minute. Then when he noticed that some of the kids were obviously much younger/smaller, he hoisted the sign overhead and...viola! He was picked! It was so cute (in a Star Wars kind of way) and fun and something I knew Grayson would be SO glad he did. And he was. But boy, when Darth Vader suddenly rose up on a platform from under the stage, I thought it might be all over! He was a big, scary looking dude! I thought for sure Grayson would either 1) run back to us, or 2) pee his pants! Thankfully he did neither. And the fact that he got to battle Darth Maul (who he likes (to despise) more than Darth Vader) was just icing on the cake. Truly a great memory for G.
Other highlights from Wednesday:
- We ate at a relatively new Disney restaurant--the Celebration Roundup Barbecue. It's outside, and you eat at picnic tables. So fun and the weather was great! Kind of like a character meal because Jessie, Woody, and sometimes Bullseye from Toy Story are there, but there's also a stage show going on while you eat. The all-you-can-eat food was yummy, too! 4 thumbs up from this family!
- In the evening we rode on the ferris wheel for the first time. Pretty cool to be so high up!
- Grayson also discovered Mulholland Madness on this day. Yikes, that's a zippy little "roller coaster"!
Wednesday's highlight was definitely the Jedi Training Academy! It is staged 4-5 times a day, and each time they select around 20 kids from the audience to participate. Of course there are TONS more kids who want to be picked though. But who are we kidding? I of course had done my research and knew that it's the kids who hold up signs that most often get picked. So a sign was made even though G wasn't too sure he actually wanted to try to get picked. He was a little reluctant and a lot nervous until just at the very last minute. Then when he noticed that some of the kids were obviously much younger/smaller, he hoisted the sign overhead and...viola! He was picked! It was so cute (in a Star Wars kind of way) and fun and something I knew Grayson would be SO glad he did. And he was. But boy, when Darth Vader suddenly rose up on a platform from under the stage, I thought it might be all over! He was a big, scary looking dude! I thought for sure Grayson would either 1) run back to us, or 2) pee his pants! Thankfully he did neither. And the fact that he got to battle Darth Maul (who he likes (to despise) more than Darth Vader) was just icing on the cake. Truly a great memory for G.
Other highlights from Wednesday:
- We ate at a relatively new Disney restaurant--the Celebration Roundup Barbecue. It's outside, and you eat at picnic tables. So fun and the weather was great! Kind of like a character meal because Jessie, Woody, and sometimes Bullseye from Toy Story are there, but there's also a stage show going on while you eat. The all-you-can-eat food was yummy, too! 4 thumbs up from this family!
- In the evening we rode on the ferris wheel for the first time. Pretty cool to be so high up!
- Grayson also discovered Mulholland Madness on this day. Yikes, that's a zippy little "roller coaster"!
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