My extended family split up after our stay in Carlsbad with half of us moseying on up to Anaheim for a three day adventure at Disneyland. And guess what-- I don't have one. single. picture. to show for it. Not one. If you were me you wouldn't have taken any either. This trip was pre-smartphone. My old phone took dismal pictures, and there was no way I was going to haul my big camera around the park. And even if I had brought my camera....have you ever been to Disneyland in July???
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh.
I knew what we were in for. I've decided Disney really REALLY needs to put a cap on the admissions. Just because they can squeeze three million people into two parks doesn't mean they should. And while I'm at it- just because they can charge $3.50 for an apple, doesn't mean they should, either.
Disney- your bottom line is showing.
In past years, I've enjoyed Disneyland, but this year was a struggle- I will freely admit. Of course it couldn't possibly have had anything to do with the fact that we were pushing two strollers around in the sweaty hoards of people- which, by the way, is a whole lot like trying to navigate California freeways. There was more to it than just the strollers, but that was certainly something. Mind you, it never got above 80 degrees while we were there, but somehow the masses made the heat rise-- and made me wonder why in the world we do the things we do for a few minutes of artificial thrill (or not-- depending on the ride.) Boggles the mind.
Maybe I'm just not an amusement park sorta girl when it comes down to it.
At the end of our second day, as we wearily weaved our way out of the park, Creighton and I looked at each other and said "Lets never come back to Disneyland, okay?"
(Such a downer of a post, isn't this?)
So here's the kicker. I actually think Disney almost won us over in the end. California Adventure turned out to be our place to hang. There were enough spots where we could breathe and enjoy. The new Cars exhibit was fascinating to walk through (we weren't about to stand in any of the 2 hour lines, though.) And there were plenty of rides we could go on as a family and all enjoy- which is hard to say for Magic Kingdom. In fact, I'm horrified to admit, that in one of our efforts to ride something fun as a family in the main park, we took the twins on Space Mountain.
Ohhh boy. Bad Bad Bad. Bad Mommy. Bad Daddy.
I knew it five seconds into the ride, and couldn't do a single thing about it. I couldn't even see their faces, of course. Horrible. Those girls were traumatized- silent and still as the ride came to a stop- with little teardrops rolling down their cheeks. Poor things. We got off the ride, sat down on the first bench in sight, and I just held them for a spell.
I have to say that one of my greatest achievements over the three days was coming to know, intimately, every single ladies restroom in both parks. I could have offered directions to the nearest lavatory to any needy guest at any point on the map, as well as describe the outstanding amenities particular to each one. A rather worthy accomplishment inspired by two perpetually potty-going four year olds.
You know what the funny thing about Disneyland is- of all the rides we went on- wild, crazy, silly, dark, scary, fast and slow, and all the extravagant shows and exhibits we saw- at the end of the trip when we asked the family what their favorite ride was, it was unanimous:
Soarin' Over California.
Doesn't that ride just make you happy too?
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3 comments:
Give it a few years and the twins will be loving all the rides! The smartest thing I did on our Disneyworld trip was pay for a membership to touringplans.com. It plans out your visit for you to maximize ride times and avoid lines based on past history and use of fast passes. We never waited longer than 20 min. in a line and it was great! Keep it in mind for next time! Oh, and we LOVED soarin too!
Never Never go to Disneyland in the summer! We have gone in March, October and January and January was the best! No line longer than 30 minutes. Mid-70's weather. No sweaty Utahns migrating during spring break to So. Cal. August at Disneyland would ruin it for me forever. And I'm not an amusement park lover, either. I'm a "theme" park lover, and Disney does "theme" really well. And Soarin' Over California is my favorite ride, too.
And it's awesome going to Disneyland without a stroller. We found that out in January. Wait a few years to forget the trauma and I'll bet you'll love it. And also, going to Disneyland with a huge group would seem daunting to me. Just the inertia of getting a large family to make decisions, move locations, etc would seem like a waste of time to me.
The rest of your vacation sounds delightful, though! It's amazing how entertaining the beach can be for kids. Loves to you.
I knew July would be bad, but that's just how the timing worked out for extended family- who, by the way, all had a great time. My sister's family are HUGE Disney fans and have the whole fast-pass thing worked out like a science. We sent Luke with them most of the time. We did get fast passes for the big rides we wanted to go on, but, ironically for Disneyland there are not fast passes for the little people rides- and Creighton and I were with little people most of the time. So sad that the little ones have to wait the longest...
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