Disneyland! Days 5 and 6

Squealing on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

Day 5:
 

Our last day in the parks was great!  We had such hot weather (we were melting at 76 degrees) but the shade was pleasant.  We started out at DCA for some Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Toy Story Midway Mania, another round of Radiator Racers (Z said she would go with me and then was TERRIFIED), and delicious ice cream.

 

We headed over to Disneyland mid-day because the kids were doing so well.  We traipsed around and rode some rides (Peter Pan’s Flight, Alice and Wonderland, Teacups, Storybook Boats, Tarzan’s Treehouse) and hunted down some characters (Jasmine and Aladdin) and sat for the Tangled show at the Royal Theatre before we had to hoof it to our dinner reservation at the Rainforest Café.  After dinner we did some shopping and then went back for some packing and an early bedtime.

Strolling through Downtown Disney

So much spinning on those teacups all week

My pretty 5 year old at the Rainforest Cafe

Day 6:

We didn’t have park tickets for this day, so I made reservations for another character breakfast, this one at the PCH Grill in the lobby of our own hotel.  I figured it would be good for some Disney magic on our last morning without going to the parks.  We had some time before our breakfast so we did some touring of the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel which were beautiful and fun to see.  We also found some penny pressing machines along the way.  J

 

Our breakfast was so good!  The food was way better than the Plaza Inn and though there were only four characters, the kids LOVED it.  The dance parties that they had a couple of times while were there were so cute and though Oliver was initially scared of seeing Stitch, he overcame it and had a good time!  Plus, having it in the lobby of our hotel was a HUGE bonus to just wander down there for breakfast.

Oliver gets his hat signed.  "Your pal, Mickey Mouse"

Our time in Disneyland had finally come to a close but as we were waiting for our luggage at the bell service desk Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Stitch came out and played with our kids for about twenty minutes.  Literally played tag and hot lava with them in the lobby the entire time.  It was AMAZING!  Such a special time and a great send-off to the airport.

During their private playtime with Mickey, Minnie, and Stitch

We could not have had more fun on our trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.  It was SO magical to see the parks through the kids’ eyes (and honestly, to experience it for the first time since I was a kid was pretty magical, too!).  The Cast Members were amazing, the characters and rides so much fun, and the memories we made will last us a lifetime.

Disneyland! Day 1
Disneyland! Day 2: Zoë's Birthday
Disneyland! Day 3
Disneyland! Day 4

Disneyland! Day 4

We all woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Tuesday.  Well, everyone except for Chris.  J  The day was much warmer already by the time we arrived at Disneyland and the lines were already long, too.  We rode the teacups immediately and then the kids and I stood in a (hot) line for the Storybook Boats, a ride Oliver had been insisting upon since we first arrived.  It was hot.  And the line was so long.  And Oliver wouldn’t stop playing with the chains that separated the line.  Of COURSE, as soon as we were within one boat to go on the ride, Oliver said he had to go potty.  As anyone knows…when the potty training child says he has to go potty, you LEAVE THE LINE and go potty.  Which of course, resulted in me carrying him kicking and screaming all the way to a potty.  Where he refused to go.  So we waited outside on a bench while he screamed for Chris to come back from the Fantasmic fast pass line.

 After he recovered and was promised a ride on the boats another time, it was about time for our character breakfast at Plaza Inn with Minnie and Friends.  We stopped by the wishing well to meet Princess Aurora and then went for a yummy breakfast.  Oliver ate 4.5 Mickey waffles in addition to other things in between meeting Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Chip and Dale, Minnie and, much to Oliver’s horror, Rafiki.  It was delicious and helped us perk up just a bit. 

Scarfing Mickey waffles

Nemo's Submarine Voyage

Along the way we ran into Gaston and Woody and enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast show at the Royal Theatre which was a fun way to relax and sit for a few minutes.  Afterwards we hit up the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and then took the monorail back to the hotel for a much needed nap.  Zoë, again, refused to nap.  When naptime was over we went swimming and then had some delicious pizza in the room before we headed back to Disneyland for the Fantasmic show.

We didn’t have as great a seats for this show and holding the kids for 27 minutes was back breaking, but it was still a great show!  Chris and I both hit up the Indiana Jones ride afterwards and then it was time to get some rest so our next day didn’t start out the same way this one did.  J




Disneyland! Day 1
Disneyland! Day 2: Zoë's Birthday
Disneyland! Day 3
Disneyland! Days 5 and 6

Disneyland! Day 3

Today we went to California Adventure for the early magic hour and enjoyed slower than usual crowds to ride Mater's ride and Ariel's Undersea Adventure before the park opened to the general public.  Zoë was very worried about going on Ariel’s ride because she is scared of Ursula.  We were peeking in the window at the ride when a Cast Member came out to chat with us.  We told him her fears and he, without a pause, said, “Well, on this ride you ride in a clamshell.  And as soon as the clamshell goes under the water, you are invisible!  So Ursula won’t be able to see you after you go under the water because of the invisible clamshell.”  Zoë walked right on.  Magic, I tell ya. 

 

We were walking to ride Toy Story Midway Mania when a cast member pulled us aside and said he needed to find a "Sheriff of the Day" for the park and chose Zoë!  She got a badge to wear all day and a certificate with her name on it that said she was entitled to go through the fast pass line all day at Midway Mania and Astro Blasters, to the front of any meet and greet line with Woody and Buzz, and "premium" seats for the World of Color show in the evening.  It turned out to be an amazing perk as we went around and around and around again on the Midway Mania ride all day!

Olaf showed up just as were about to leave!  Great timing.

Peeking at Anna and Elsa

We went and met Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Sven in Hollywood Land, went on the Monster’s Inc ride and met Buzz using our Sheriff of the Day perk.  Going back for naptime was only halfway in vain as Oliver took a great nap but Zoë did not.  We really wanted them to nap well to be able to make it until the 9pm World of Color show.  Back in California Adventure we had a yummy dinner at a quick service restaurant with some coconut curry and chicken and rice.  We rode all of the Bugs Life rides since it was late and there were no lines since many of the other little kids were gone already.  And, of course, we went round and round again at Mater’s and Midway Mania again before finally finding an amazing spot to sit to watch the World of Color. 

It seemed as if none of the Cast Members outside of the Toy Story area knew about our Sheriff of the Day perk, but we finally found one who excused herself momentarily to go speak with someone else, came back and declared “It seems as if we get to perform some magic for you!” and unhooked the rope of the nearest (empty) reserved section just for us.  It was certainly magical.  We had amazing spots to watch what was a fantastic show (if you are planning on heading to Disneyland any time soon, DO NOT MISS IT). 

Mickey's Fun Wheel behind where the World of Color show takes place

Our great seats for WoC

Thankful for the stroller we borrowed from friends, the kids fell asleep on the walk back to the hotel so we enjoyed some grown-up browsing time in some shops and treats from the confectionary. 

 

















Disneyland! Day 1
Disneyland! Day 2: Zoë's Birthday
Disneyland! Day 4 
Disneyland! Days 5 and 6