Spring Break - Day Nine: Disneyland to Laguna Beach

With our bonus day in the parks, we started the magic hour at DCA with Eben and Charlotte doing another series of crazy drops on the Guardians ride. Johanna and the boys did the Cars Racers several times in a row. Then we did the 3-D target game, Toy Story Midway Mania, two times as it was one of our favorites from Wednesday, but we only were able to ride it once. We then went over to Disneyland to give Splash Mountain another chance. It worked – we all rode the ride this time and it went smoothly and was fun. Eben went back to the hotel to check out while the kids and I did a few more rides. Then Eben came back, we rode the Matterhorn and Space Mountain, did one last Astro Blaster, and then bid adieu to the parks and headed 30 minutes away to Laguna Beach to recover.

Our hotel was small and quaint and had a really neat patio area between our room and the pool. It was a great spot to relax in the sun. Then we headed down to the beach and walked alongside it for a couple miles into town for a delicious Mexican dinner. We went out to the beach to watch the serene sunset while examining tidal pools. After tucking the kids in, Eben and I sat out on the terrace and enjoyed the fresh ocean area while the sky turned from deep purple to black and stars came out.

 

 

Spring Break - Day Eight: Disneyland and California Adventure

Today we were back at Disneyland for the magic hour. The rain could not deter us from our plans and we did all the rides in Fantasyland, including a nostalgia ride on “It's a Small World,” which had been Johanna’s favorite as a six-year-old. We then headed over to Adventureland, where we helped Reed grow the final quarter inch (by shoving extra sox in his shoes) that he needed in order to be tall enough for the Indiana Jones ride. We did Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. We explored Tom Sawyer’s Island and rode Thunder Mountain Railroad again. We hemmed and hawed about Splash Mountain but decided it was too early in the day to get soaked as it was a cool day anyway. So we went back to DCA to do a few more rides over there rather than going to the pool. We liked the Silly Swings ride a lot and Goofy’s Flight School. On our way back to the hotel, we ran into Linda, a friend of Johanna’s from Shorecrest – also on break. After some “chillaxing” time in the room, we returned to Disneyland for a few more rides before bed – specifically Splash Mountain – as this was our last time in the park. Eben and the kids got into the log flume and I waited on the bridge overlooking the big drop, waiting for the perfect picture moment. And waited… and waited… Finally Eben called and said he and the kids were stuck inside the ride about 10 feet away from the big drop. They were closing the ride and he and the kids had to walk out through the mountain to the exit. Edison was very upset about not completing the ride and this was our final night, it was now the kids’ bedtime and we had to leave Disney at such a low point. On our way out of the park, we stopped at guest services and Eben talked to them about what had happened. They ended up giving us one more day in the park as a bonus to make up for everything. That definitely cheered all of us up. We woke up the kids at 9:30 for the fireworks show, but each one of them was so beat that they couldn’t keep their eyes open and they all went right back to sleep.

 

 

Spring Break - Day Seven: Disney California Adventure!

Our “magic morning” extra hour was at Disney California Adventure today. A little more experienced, we were a few minutes earlier to everything and it made all the difference. Our first ride of the day was Guardians of the Galaxy. I didn’t know exactly what the ride was, but had heard it was a “must do” at DCA. We were the first people on the ride that morning and we went into a cage with three rows of about eight seats each and were told to put on our seatbelts. At that point, they close the doors and turn off the lights and then all of a sudden, you get launched way up into the sky and the zero gravity kicks in and makes your stomach lurch. This repeated, gradually getting more intense. I thought I was going to be sick. But – we all survived!! And after that headed to Cars Land to do the Race Car ride – with no line – three times in a row! – and a couple of the other smaller rides over there, too. We did a number of really fun rides that day without hardly any lines. The kids really liked the River Raft ride, though we did get pretty wet. We did every ride there and still had time and energy left for the pool in the afternoon and an after dinner bonus in Disneyland. What fun!

Stats: Top Five DCA

Reed: Goofy’s Sky School, Cars’ Racers, Toy Story Midway Mania, Guardians of the Galaxy, River Raft Ride

Charlotte: Cars’ Racers, Silly Swings, Bumper Cars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Toy Story Midway Mania

Edison: Midway Mania, River Raft Ride, Goofy’s Sky School, Cars’ Racers, Soaring Around the World

Eben: Guardians of the Galaxy, Cars’ Racers, Toy Story Midway Mania

Johanna: Soaring Around the World, River Raft Ride, Cars’ Racers, Toy Story Midway Mania, Silly Swings

 

 

Spring Break - Day Six: Disneyland!

We woke up early as we had a lot to do and still get to Disneyland for the “extra magic hour” which started at 8:00. We packed lunch, packed the car and drove over to the Disneyland Hotel where we would be staying the next three nights. We got checked in there and walked a brisk pace to the main gate and arrived just in time. We did rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland as well as the Indiana Jones ride in Adventureland. The kids got to be Jedis in training for a performance and got to do battle with Darth Vadar. Having such a late spring break, we have grown accustomed to running into people from Shoreline while on vacation. This year was no exception, we saw a few friends at Disney, and even Edison’s teacher, Ms. Gravett! We squeezed a lot into the day and headed back to the hotel tired and ready to get settled in, have some pool time, and get a load of laundry done. The pool was amazing and the kids loved the waterslides which they did over and over again. We had a quick bite to eat the poolside restaurant and then took the monorail back to Disney to do a few more rides before bed. The monorail went right over the 6:00 parade route. The parade looked kind of cool, but the kids weren’t interested, so we skipped parades the rest of the days in favor of more ride time. We did the Astro Blaster ride many times in a row, taking advantage of the Fastpass cycle. We rode the monorail back to the hotel, exhausted. The kids went to bed quickly and at 9:30, Eben and I got to enjoy front row seats from our room to watch the nightly Disney fireworks show which was a great finish to a spectacular day.

Stats – Top Five Favorites at Disneyland

Edison: Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Astro Blasters, Splash Mountain & Matterhorn

Charlotte: Astro Blasters, Splash Mountain, Autopia, Storybook Canal, Thunder Mountain Railroad

Reed: Splash Mountain, Autopia, Astro Blasters, Thunder Mountain Railroad

Eben: Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Star Wars- Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean

Johanna: Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Astro Blasters, Star Wars – Star Tours