Adventures in Disneyland

At long last, I have both the time and inclination to write about our recent trip to Disneyland. It took place on Wednesday, April 18, 2007.

We enjoyed lunch at a McDonald's in Anaheim before heading to the park. It was a windy, chilly day, and since it was the middle of the week, that only served to lessen the crowds there. Average wait time in lines for rides was about 10 minutes, fantastic!

We started out in Fantasyland and hopped on the rides Allan used to work on-- Snow White, Pinocchio and the Casey Jr train. I think Snow White and Pinocchio scared Mommy more than Toddy, on account of the dreadfully LOUD noises! We then had fun riding on the big carousel before heading to everyone's all-time favorite: Small World :-) No surprise that Todd enjoyed the train ride more than anything.

We made our way around the park and hit the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (updated to include the Johnny Depp character now that the movies are a big hit in theaters). Todd had fun at the petting zoo in Big Thunder Ranch, where he bravely reached out and pet a variety of sheep and goats. He also had fun running around and pointing out the activities of the various animals to Mommy and Daddy.

After a quick visit to the docked Mark Twain Riverboat, we took a snack break at the Golden Horseshoe, where we arrived just in time for the actors to troop by and put up an outdoor performance. Halfway through the skit, as they were developing the storyline, one of the actors scanned the audience for a volunteer to play a big scary bear. As his eyes roamed our section of the audience, they immediately fell on Allan and lit up. We knew what was coming next: Allan got selected to play the big scary bear with one line: "ROWR! I'm hungry!!" Looks like the freakish tallness pays off! :-D

We then made our way to Winnie the Pooh, where we waited the longest time in line (20 minutes?) in order for Todd to get his picture taken with Pooh and Eeyore. It was well worth the wait, as Todd hugged Pooh and then Eeyore, before posing for the pictures :-)

Passing by the Haunted Mansion, we decided to make a stop in there. We started out in the gigantic elevator, which turned pitch black as part of the haunted story. Todd buried his face in Daddy's shoulder, where Daddy tried to hug and comfort him. When the lights came back on, he looked up and proudly announced: "I'm not scared anymore!"

We had fun on the Jungle Cruise (amidst the corny jokes!) and then hit Fantasyland again to go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Todd recognized the Wind in the Willows characters while waiting in line, and promptly regaled us with tales of the stories of Mr. Toad's arrest and escape, recalling what he had seen on the DVD movie of "Wind in the Willows".

We got to enjoy Mommy's favorite-- teacups! before trying to make our way to Toontown, only to be thwarted by a parade. So we hurried across the street and found ourselves in Tomorrowland, where Mommy and Toddy enjoyed riding on the airplanes. Too bad the seats were too small to seat all of us, and Daddy couldn't join us.

We weren't interested in seeing the parade, and as it was nearly 7pm and we were both hungry and exhausted, we decided to simply leave, eat dinner, and go home.

What a loooong, but fun-filled day! :-D