The Magic Kingdom

We finally did it! Even earlier than we were expecting to...with nothing but time on our hands, we decided to take the kids to the big D-land even if there was a chance they were too small to enjoy it much. Fortunately for us, that turned out not to be a problem. Caden was able to do just about everything and Molly didn’t care about what she couldn’t do. We had SO MUCH FUN. All the pictures are here and the details follow.

So as mentioned in a previous post, Jon spontaneously and unexpectedly got a new job. And just as spontaneously and even a little recklessly, he decided to take a month off between the old and new careers. So, what to do with all that time and no money? Well travel of course, and it might as well be the happiest place on Earth. So us parents sat down one evening and started pouring over the logistics of ticket packages, lodging, visit efficiencies and maximizing overall enjoyment. We ended up with a 3-day park hopper pass (Disneyland and California Adventure), 4 nights at a near-by hotel (with a suite, cause NO ONE wants to be in the same room as Molly), a complex mix of transportation plans and the excitement of how we were going to tell the kids (well Caden at least). Turns how, the marketing geniuses at Disney have thought this all through. Micky and Minnie called Caden at home to tell him how excited they were that he was visiting. They also send a package of tickets and other goodies to really set the stage. We had about 2.5 weeks before leaving so plenty of time to get Disney’d up with movies, shows and overall general hype. Sadly, Caden doesn’t care for movies and Molly is a year or two away from embracing the true meaning of a being a princess. None the less, excitement was in the air and Caden was crossing off days on his calendar.

As an added bonus, since we were going to be in sunny California anyway, we decided to head up North to visit with Grandpa David in Santa Barbara after the park. The promise of that visit and the Beach increased the excitement level through the roof. So the travel plan was to leave VERY early Monday morning, fly to LAX (via Colorado Springs of all things, thanks airline that shall remained unnamed but is spelled a lot like untied), take a Disney shuttle to the hotel, settle in and hit the park for three straight days. Following that, rent a car to drive up to Santa Barbara with a stop at Katy’s Aunt Pat and Uncle Griff’s house in Los Angeles and ultimately fly out of Santa Barbara to home (via San Francisco). And that is pretty much how it went down.

Monday morning at 5am we got the kids up. No problem there, Caden was practically on springs waiting to get up. Usual airport experience, we had an excessive amount of baggage (two checked bags, one checked travel crib, two check carseats, a stroller, a big carryon, a back-pack, Caden’s carry-on suitcase with toys and such and a camera). We managed like usual, and had the fortune of everyone being in a good mood at that hour so when we left a bag at the beginning of the security line (better than a kid I suppose), the TSA officer was nice enough to point it out without making a big deal. We got all of ourselves squeezed on a tiny plane for the short flight to Colorado Springs (this is the downside of using miles I suppose). After spending 3 hours wandering the quite pretty Springs airport, we squeezed on to a slightly larger plane to LAX. The kids as always were excellent travelers. They enjoy the rides and scenery and even all the things us grown-ups consider to be the hassles of air travel.

We arrived in LA in need of lunch before the 45 min commute on a promised large coach bus adorned with Disney Characters. Had to walk around half the LAX terminal (no small task with our bags), to find a McDonalds, but the kids were cool with that. LAX is an amusement park in itself. The promise of the large coach to Disney fell through when us parents anxiously jumped on the first ride we saw. A shady & smelly van that sped us through LA traffic with no seat-belts! But it was fine really, Caden was a bit disappointed however. Out hotel was great. Not on the resort, but a short shuttle ride to it. More on that:

...the shuttle system to and from the hotels leaves something to be desired. There is always a long wait and standing room only. So bad was it at times that we got stuck late at night at the shuttle stop waiting for the next bus and the next bus and the next bus because there was no lines and it was total chaos. One evening Katy had to take a sleeping Caden on while me and a sleeping Molly stayed behind for another 45minutes at the bus stop. But, that is the price to pay for not staying at the Disney Resort Hotels. However, the price you pay to stay at those on-site hotels is easily $1000 more. Still, we might seriously consider that next time. Which leads to another one of our plans that didn’t work out as expected:

...Disney is opened for about 16 hours a day this time of year. And you can stay for 16 hours for 3 straight days and still not see everything. But we had no intentions of pushing that hard. Plan was to have a big breakfast at the free buffet at our hotel, hit the park, have lunch there, play more, come back to the hotel and nap, then play in the pool then go back to the park for more play and night activities until as late as the kids could make it. That sort of happen the first day. The next couple of days we hit the park and did not leave for 13 straight hours. The kids rocked it each day...right into a coma each night.

Anyway, back to two paragraphs ago at the hotel. Nice suite, good location, very comfortable. With a view of the fireworks at Disney each night! We had Monday to unwind and get ready for the next few days. And every single one of those days WAS. A. BLAST!! I had to make notes before we left to hit the high points. All the highlights are below followed by all the pictures here (not as many as you might think given the magnitude of the trip!).

First the Rides:

-The Tiki Room: Kids loved it, dad’s first time. Enjoyed some pineapple before going in per tradition.

-Jungle Cruise: Fun as always, shocking to the kids that this sort of thing is in a park.

-Pirates of the Caribbean: We were not going to do this thinking it would scare the kids. Not so, they loved it...even though Caden said everything was “ugly”.

-Haunted Mansion: After Caden burst out crying at first (you know when you are stuck in the “long” room and the guy is hanging dead above you and everyone screams), he enjoyed it and wasn’t even scared! Go figure.

-Winnie the Pooh (x2): Kids loved it. No line and Molly could have gone 10 more times. But it was SO LOUD!

-Disney RR: Another thing often not enjoyed by park goers. But Caden loved it of course.

-Big Thunder Mountain: Caden could actually do this ride and he actually mostly liked it. Though I thought he was a bit more pale than his normal Irish skin portrays.

-Casey Railroad: We were elephants Caden tells us

-Dumbo (x2): A classic of course, but by far the longest line for the shortest ride!

-Carrousel: Another classic ride. There is a picture of me when I was 3 on it with my mom. Now there is some with my kids...sniff.

-Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride: Everything is loud and mildly scary to the kids.

-Peter Pan: Supposed to be a favorite, but not a big hit with the kids...although Caden now says he liked it.

-T-Cups (x2): Mom and Caden did it twice back to back!. Not me, last time I did it I got sick and was done for the day half way through.

-Alice in Wonderland: Turns out, everything is mildly scary at Disneyland if you look at from a child’s point of view...scary but fun.

-Storybook: Not scary as I previously mentioned. A nice break.

-A Small World: A must, and really fun with the kids. This Small World was quite the big world for Molly.

-Princes Faire: Molly loved story time with Aurora. More here, Molly is going to be a big time princess fan. She is a little unsure now, but totally enamored. Mommy tried to get her to buy a princess outfit and get styled appropriatly, but instead she fell asleep with a necklace on that we had to end up buying. Next time, she is going big....at least Mommy is!

-Autopia (x4!): A Caden favorite. He drove each time. And he will tell you he is a very good driver (uhm, I got some whiplash). Another classic from my childhood where there are pictures to compare. Mommy--not a fan.

-Star Tours: Caden’s second ride at the park. It was a bit scary for him with the noise, 3D glasses, and over-stimulation, but he held strong and was ready for more.

-Rocket Orbiter: The first ride for the kids. A good, iconic start.

-Buzz Blaster (x2): First for all of us. Very fun for everyone. Caden could shoot all day long, but Mommy was the real Annie Oakley.

-Nemo (aka, the yellow submarine): Pretty scary actually once things got dark and loud. Disney is into holographic projection...

-Monorail: Caden loved this one. So did I. They really should realize the dream of Walt Disney and make this go all the way to the rest of the hotels to be the true shuttle service.

-Chew-Chew: First ride in California Adventure. Sort of lame, but Caden saw it on-line and had to do it. Molly did it with Mommy later and loved it. Its even scented...

-Bumble Bugs: Lamer still, really slow bumper cars. Caden drove though, so he was stoked.

-The Little Mermaid: Fun except for ugly Ursala

-Hot Air Balloons: Also in Bugs land in CA Adventure.

-Splash Park: In CA Adventure-x2 Always a hit.

Now the Shows!:

Aladdin: Caden fell asleep, but it was way cool. Katy and I suspect that the Genie was actually the real Robin Williams since he was so incredibly good.

Disney Fireworks: Incredible they do this every night. Sadly Caden fell asleep when we tried to see it. We tried to wake him up, but it was of no use. A real coma. We actually checked his pulse a couple of times.

-World of Color: At CA Adventure. Holy expletive! If you have ever seen the fountains at Bellagio, this makes that look like your backyard sprinklers. Kids still fell asleep. I suspect after 12 hours at the park that show stimulated them so much that their internal watchdogs said “expletive this” and shut them off.

-Soundsational Parade: The current Disney parade. Caden simply had to dance and Molly saw all the princesses. It was a total success.

-World of Wonder: Light/Video show using Small World as a backdrop. Pretty cheesy, but cool.

Now, Meeting the Characters!:

We thought for sure Caden would freak out when he saw the big dressed up Disney characters, his past experiences with characters were not positive. But that didn’t happen. Both kids had to meet everyone they saw. Including: Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Goofy and Donald (Caden hugged him!!!).

Other Moments:

-We have never seen our kids fall asleep so hard and so fast.

-Molly will be a princess

-For Caden’s special treat one night, he chose Cheetos...we will have to teach him when to go big and when to hold back.

-We did a total of 36 hours at the park. Amazing.

-With Molly’s special diet needs, we thought it would be a hassle. Nope, not at Disney. In one instance, we asked if there was anything without dairy or soy. There wasn’t, so the chef came out, asked a few question and made Molly a huge custom meal at no charge. Pasta, sorbet, fruit, chicken. Amazing!

-We saved a lot of money on this trip on meals because Katy and I shared meals, we brought A LOT of snacks and water and we chose not to feed Caden cause he wouldn’t eat anyway.

-Balloons: So we got some free balloons at a restaurant. One of the balloons got loose and flew away which devastated Caden. So we got a free ticket for a better balloon. A big mylar Minnie. How the heck are we going to get this in the car with all our crap on the way to SB. More, how do we get this home on a plane? I tried to deflate it. Let’s keep telling Caden that is what happened....

-One day, we think Molly got some of her sun-screen in her eye. Cause she looked like a hot mess who got punched in the head.

-Molly’s new words for the trip: “Ride that”, “Castle”, “DISGUSTING!”

A picture that will most definitely be in the kids slide shows