For as long as I have known my husband (which is since 1983), he has said that he did not like amusement parks, especially roller coasters. He agreed to go to Disneyland to be with the family. It turns out that he likes it most of all. He may even like it more than the kids. We have been coaster crazy. Our first ride was the "Indiana Jones" ride where you go in a jeep on a wild adventure. What a kick in the butt that one is. You go into a temple where you have angered the Gods. You go by air dart blowing skeletons, giant snakes, walls filled with scurrying cockroaches and a jeep that stalls a few times. Oh, and we can't forget the giant skull that shots lasers and fire! It is by far Ethan's favorite ride. By now I think we have gone on it about six times. The other favorite is "Space Mountain" in Tomorrow land. It is a roller coaster in the dark. It is such fun! They take your photo during the rides, so now we have funny shots of ourselves on it. Amazingly, is not going more than 30 miles an hours, but what a blast it is! We also loved Matterhorn Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain - both more coasters. I can't also forget to mention "California Soarin'." It is a nearly brand new ride in the California Adventure Park where you sit on something that is like a ski lift. It has hydraulics and scented fans that make you match the image on the giant screen . You feel like you are flying over major landmarks . It was a nice change from herky jerky. We then got drenched and laughed a lot on the Grizzly River Run water ride. The kids when nuts playing in "Big Brother Bear's Challenge Trail." The list goes one. We also did "California Screamin'" which is a big outdoor traditional type coaster with an upside down loop. It was fun, but left the adults feeling jiggled so we waited while the kids rode it two more times. We continued going on rides until it was time for the "Year of a Million Dreams" parade began on main street. It was a lot of fun. The costumes were AMAZING! Many of the characters came over to see the kids. My sister has vertigo, so she does not do any of the wild rides. We had her eldest, Orlando, with us for two days so he could get a lot of adrenaline rushes. In the evening we also watched the "Electric Light Parade" where everything is covered in bright lights. I had remembered it fondly from childhood, and it was just the same.
Occasionally Disney opens at 7:00 a.m. for those who have multiple day passes (park hopper pass, I think). So off we went, once again at almost a dead run. We had learned the joys of the Fast Pass, and which rides have long lines. We sped off to do Indiana Jones two more times, Space Mountain again, and so on. We had more thrilling fun, but this time we also started to take in the sights a bit more, shop a little and watch a performance or two. Grandma offered to buy each grandchild souvenirs of up to $50. Ethan knew what he wanted on the first day. After years of wishing to have one, Ethan finally got a leather Indiana Jones style hat. Now, this is the real deal and it does not say "Disney" on it anywhere. He looks great in it. The younger kids got funny things. Orlando got about six cheap necklaces and some candy, as well as Mickey ears. His brother Angelo got similar things. I think his favorite was the jawbreakers on sticks - he got several of those, including some that are in a package that looks like a skull. The jawbreakers are made to look like eyeballs that you can spin around. He also got a squishy skull that has things that ooze out of the eye sockets where you squeeze it. I am not sure what Aleah got, she was quiet about it. Kaylah go earrings and a few shirts. Ellie had a really difficult time selecting, but she finally ended up with a Cheshire Cat sun visor, a set of Pirate Mickey ears in red and a "Nightmare Before Christmas" messenger bag. It is really pretty cool. She had hoped for a fun and silly top hat, but they were all only in adult sizes. My kids wanted to have things that they would not grow out of.
One of the first things my mom planned for was a meal at the Bleu Bayou restaurant in Disney. It is a very nice place made to look like you are on a porch in the evening, the lighting provided by paper lanterns hung everywhere and the people on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" in their boats go by. I thought it would be nice, but it turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected. It was so wonderful to get out of the noise and crowds, not to mention the heat. The food was great. Ethan was really taken with the mint juleps. He says we need to figure out the recipe when we get home. We all had prime rib and fun desserts. Each dessert came with an "edible" pirate booty. The Key Lime pie had a pirate medallion and my Cookie and Ice Cream Boat had a mast with a sail. We had great conversation. It provided us with the respite that we all needed. I was very glad she had planned it. She had done this each time she had come to Disney as a little girl. It was a bit pricey,at about $30 for adults and $12 for kids.
In the evening we watched the fireworks. We had seen them from the bus stop on the first night, but that was nothing compared to the real deal. People started finding seats two hours before the show actually started. We were pooped by 8:30, so we staked out a spot and sat, zoning for an hour. The firework show, which seemed to last about 30 minutes, was the best I had ever seen. It had music and vocals from many of the main rides. Each section that went with a theme was distinct and different from the rest. There is even a woman dressed in a light up costume as TinkerBell who flies around with her wand, just like you see in the videos. It was AMAZING! It was worth sitting to see it. We did a few more rides and then drug our tired, happy bones back to the hotel. We had been there for14.5 hours. We wanted to take in as much as possible!
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