"The Happiest Place on Earth" never ceases to impress. At the end of June, Alexis and I hopped in the suburban with the Long family and drove to none other than Disneyland.
Our first stop was to Uncle Jim and Aunt Leigh's house for about a day to hang out, catch up and kill some time (since the house that we rented wouldn't be available until the next day).
The kids had a lot of fun playing the Wii.
Then it was off to the rental home which came complete with a pool, pool table, ping-pong table, bundles of bedrooms, a Wii and enough beds for Everyone ... except Alexis and I, that is.
We didn't mind though since by the time we laid down on our air mattress, we were usually so exhausted that we could just as easily have slept on the floor.
Lionel and April showed up with their kids that afternoon. It was fun to surprise the kids because they didn't know that they were going to Disneyland or that we were going to be there! It was a lot of fun to have everyone there.
Bright and early the next day, we were off to Disneyland itself. It is surprising how short the lines are when you show up at 8am.
We spent some of our time with the Hamiltons (though they spent most of their time on the kiddie rides), much of it with the Longs and a few hours one day doing our own thing.
We had to wait in line twice to get on the Materhorn because it broke down the first time. It was fun but not my favorite ride in the world - too bumpy and it jerks you around. Don't get me wrong, I love roller coasters but this one is from an older generation and not quite as smooth.
We spent most of our time riding the "big kid" rides such as Space Mountain (3-4 times), California Screamin' (4-5 times), and the Tower of Terror (5-6 times) over and over again.
Another reason that I love my wife - she loves roller coasters just as much as I do!
Since we had a 3-day pass, we were able to see both of the evening shows: Fantasmic and World of Color. They were pretty sweet! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that makes a trip to Disneyland.
Reliving "Star Tours" again was pretty awesome - since that was my favorite ride when I came as a 6 year old.
At one point, Lexie accidentally dropped her mom's sunglasses (that she was borrowing) in the public toilet! Yuck! If it weren't Disneyland, I'd be a bit disgusted.
We found out that there is a 'secret' passageway through the castle that explores the story of Sleeping Beauty. It was pretty cool.
Splash Mountain was fun - especially when it broke down while we were still on it! They turned on all the lights, helped us out of the boats and escorted us downstairs.
They took us to the Disney back lot, which is, surprisingly, not that magical. It's just got some trailers, parking area and dumpsters. They did give us a free "Fast Pass" for the inconvenience though.
The parade was pretty fun - although the ground was flaming hot to sit on for any length of time.
In short, Disneyland was awesome - just like always. I may gripe about the price but you do get your money's worth.
FYI: Keep your eye open for discounts offered through AAA and other companies with which you may be affiliated - they can provide pretty good deals.
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