Disneyland

---

Today was our one day at Disneyland. It was Monday, so we expected the crowds to be less, the lines to be shorter. It seemed that way to start, but it didn't last. If anything, it seemed that there were more people today. I'm wondering if that had to do with narrower walkways, though? It's hard to tell. I don't think Disney publishes their day by day visit numbers.

The day started out great. We got in at opening time and sent Jeff off to get fastpasses. The boys and I saw a variety of characters, and were able to get pictures without waiting in line too long. I don't have it with us, but there is a great photo of Jason and Lorrin with Chip and Dale from the '80's. It looks like their characters haven't changed too much.

Our first stop was Tomorrowland, home of Space Mountain. Mom and Dad tell stories about the one in Florida, particularly Mom not going on it with one of us. We went on Star Tours, first, though, since the line was short. It was built sort of like Soarin', but in 3D. The boys loved seeing C3PO and Chewbacca, but were a little surprised by the end. Next up was Autopia, also with a short line. I rode with Cole and Liam with Jeff, and Mom and Dad each got their own car. Cole seemed to have more fun bumping along the track than actually driving, but it was nice. Liam, Jeff and I then left the other three and went on Space Mountain. It was very strange not being able to see much, but fun. We had six fastpasses, so we all went again. Jeff commented that it seemed faster than the first time, which may be why they shut the ride down before we got in to the end. We sat for a few minutes and then got pushed in by the crew. I thought it was sort of fun, but Liam didn't really agree.

Our next stop was Adventureland. While waiting for our fastpasses, we took the Jungle Cruise. I don't remember our guide's name, but she was a little nuts. With extra time to waste, we visited Tarzan's Treehouse and wandered over to New Orleans Square and Pirates of the Caribbean. This preceded the movies, of course, but they've added Jack Sparrow and some of the other characters to make it seem current. It was dark and slow and spooky at times. I would love to have done it again, but it was time for Indiana Jones. Cole was nervous, worried about it being a rollercoaster. It wasn't exactly, and the cars were big enough to keep him comfortable, but I spent the whole time making sure the backpack didn't fall out. It was fun and bumpy, and of course, the music was great.

We agreed to meet Mom and Dad in Fantasyland for it's a small world. They got in a super quick line and were out by the time we got there. My grandmother said that the ride here is far and above the one in Florida. I don't remember, so I can't compare. It was lovely and slow; the boys seemed to enjoy it. While in the area, Mom, Liam and I decided to ride the Mad Tea Party. We all love the Tilt-a-Whirl, so it was the perfect combination. Liam was very diligent about spinning us, to the point that I actually felt woozy and had to close my eyes. It was good, though. I like woozy. Liam then decided he needed to go on the Matterhorn, so we waited in line for 45 minutes to see the Abominable Snowman. Afterward, he decided he still liked California Screamin' best.

We hit a bunch of the other rides, too, including Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, where I rode with Dad and didn't spin, but Jeff and Liam rode together and didn't stop. We also rode the carousel, Mr Toad's Wild Ride and Pinnochio's Daring Journey. We missed a variety of others, but Liam really wanted to ride the Astro Orbiter before leaving, and we ended up seeing the parade. It was a much shorter day than yesterday, but that was a good thing.

- - - - -

Miles: 0
Highest Gas Price: N/A
Low Temperature: 64 (Anaheim, CA)
High Temperature: 80 (Anaheim, CA)

Conversation of the Day:
K: What was your favorite part of the day?
L (waiting in line at the Matterhorn): Can I answer later? This might be it, but so far, it's been Space Mountain.
K: The part where we got stuck?
L: Not so much.

Geocaches Found: 4
New License Plate States Seen: 0
Projects Completed: 0

We learned weekdays are not necessarily less busy at Disney.
Dad forgot that he's not 20 anymore.

---

Photos

Pluto
He was scared of the boys, so had to be very cautious in his approach. Sometimes they scare me, too.

Space Mountain
I spent $14.95 for one digital download of us yesterday at the Radiator Springs Racers, so I wasn't about to do it again. I got the idea from the dozen other people taking photos. Yes, it's cheating. Isn't Liam's expression great?

New Orleans Square Entertainment
I believe they were singing about pirates.

Waiting for Indy
At least Liam was. Cole has been really grumpy when it comes to taking his picture.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
This was my lunch from Bengal Barbecue. It was fantastic. We've really got to try this at home.

Davy Crockett's Canoes
Ben, our guide, thought we were pathetic. It didn't help that half the crew were kids, and the old guy sitting two ahead of me had absolutely no rhythm whatsoever.

Mary Poppins!
We just saw the musical in May, which Liam especially adored. He was thrilled to see her here.

Pinocchio's Daring Journey
This is the only time they sat together the entire two days at Disney.

Mickey!
This is the closest we got to Mickey Mouse the entire two days.

Donald
This is the only time we saw Donald Duck. I'm not sure where he was the rest of the time.

Chimney Sweeps
Liam's favorite song for the musical/movie is Step in Time. They weren't doing it at the time, but they looked good anyway.