Whew…I’m exhausted. Yesterday was a whirlwind of rides and food and walking and smiling and loads of fun.
Rick and I left the house at 6:00AM so we could meet Lynn, Elle, Ten and Elle’s friend at the Disney Resort Paradise Pier Hotel where they were staying. We’d picked up our usual lattes at Starbucks and, with the bagels and cream cheese Lynn provided, we were set for the morning. Off we went to the park which was nicely decorated for Halloween.
We immediately headed for the new Finding Nemo ride since we knew it would be a very popular spot as the day wore on. This is the revamped Submarines ride from many years ago and it was lots of fun. I should mention that Ten was in a wheelchair due to a sports injury (a sprained ankle) and this turned out to be most beneficial. Disney gives wheelchair visitors priority entry to most rides so we were saved from waiting in the the long lines for most of the day.
From there, we hopscotched through the park riding on all the major attractions: Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, the Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain. Here's a photo of Big Thunder Mountain taken while we were waiting to board. I think it's a pretty good shot considering all I had was my cell phone camera.
For lunch, we took the Monorail over to Downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Café. We did this last year for both of the kids’ birthdays and they seemed to enjoy it. Elle just loves their Volcano Cake (chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce and loads of whipped cream. Here’s a photo from last year’s lunch!
Done with lunch, we went back to the park and continued the fun. The girls and I had our requisite frozen bananas late in the afternoon while we took a little breather. Around 6:30PM, Rick and I decided it was time to head on home and so we left Lynn and the kids to continue their adventure well into the evening. Remarkably, traffic wasn’t too bad for a Friday rush-hour trip home and we both fell into bed exhausted but with smiles on our faces.
11 comments:
Must be nice to live that close...so much better to sleep in your own bed.
Course when I lived in FL it was only about an hour 1/2 away to Disney World but you would think it was forever. LOL! After living in TX everything is close now.
DD is wanting another trip...I don't know about that though.
The last time I went one of their sister parks, they had just started offering a "fast pass". It was a good way to avoid the long lines too. Sounds like you and Rick had a good time. I like experiencing theme parks with kids. Seeing the world through their eyes, stimulates my imagination.
Sounds like you all had a great time. Dom and I went to Orlando a few years ago and went to Disneyworld for the first time. We had so much fun! It's not just for kids.
Oh wow, I so envy you living so close to Disneyland that you can go for a daytrip!! Sounds like a full day of fun:-) I love the Rainforest Cafe but haven't had their volcano cake yet...next time!! hehe xox
Sounds like a wonderful time. How was the Nemo ride? I've heard that this is also new at Disney World.
We missed Pirates of the Caribbean last time we were in Disney World. It's a fun ride. And Small World was closed for renovations.
Glad you had such a great day.
I would just like to walk around and take in the atmosphere. I'm not much for rides. :-(
call me the Grinch, I guess.
Glad to read you all had a good time!
I love Disneyland. In 1960 my beloved asked me to marry him as we flew across London on the Peter Pan ride. Later we took our 4 children and later our 8 grandchildren. Next time I may go in a wheelchair and get preferred seating.
Wow, I can't believe you live so close to Disneyland where it takes weeks of planning and mountains of money to make a trip out there.
Sounds like you had a nice time even though you are pooped out from the experience. I would've loved to have seen the Finding Nemo attraction. My favorite! I've only seen the animation show 100 times! It makes me laugh every single time!
I am amazed at the fabulous photos that you took...with your cell phone no less! I guess I need to take a class on "Taking Blog Photos with your cell phone" from you.
I was bummed when they closed the submarine ride, nice to know Nemo's open!
We used to go with my grandparents to Disneyland - my grandpa belonged to a special Disneyland club and we got to eat in "secret" restaurants...and he was in a wheelchair as well, so we always got to go to the front of the lines when he was with us. Fun!! And he liked it too. :-)
sounds like everyone had a great time and I am pleased that even the hotels realize that Lynn is special. Something our family has always known.
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