We woke up around 6:00 (after staying up late to pack the backpack with clothes, snacks, etc.), had breakfast at the hotel and then it was off to Anaheim to visit Mickey Mouse! Visiting Disney is an expensive proposition, but I have to say that I was impressed that they don't start charging admission for children until they are 3 years old (side note - the San Diego zoo was the same). Worry not, Walt ... the money we saved on admission was spent on all sorts of goodies and souvenirs inside the park!
Side bar - another tip ... both the zoo and Disney let you take in snacks, bottled water, juice, etc. so you are not forced to pay $3.00 for a bottle of water like you are at the airport!
As soon as we entered the park we ran into a Cast Member who gave the boys, Doug and Kate first time visitor pins and gave me an Honorary Citizen pin. So, with our pins in hand it was off to purchase our mouse ears ... and yes, Doug and I got them too! So, with our ears on we headed off to Tomorrowland to ride some rides and meet Buzz Lightyear.
Andrew showing off his pin
Andrew loved climbing on all of the cars and trucks at Disneyland
Mommy and Tyler showing off mouse ears
Andrew giving baby Tyler his pacifier
Andrew's first ride was the Astro Orbitor - space ships that fly in a circle and move up and down. He loved the ride but not standing in line ... that part was a bit of a challenge all day. Our saving grace for several rides was utilizing the Fastpass which allows you to get a reservation to ride the ride during a specific window of time. When you return to the ride during the window you get to bypass the line ... it is awesome! While Doug and Andrew were standing in line for the Astro Orbitor I got fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Just as we were about to get in the Astro Blasters bypass line when we saw Buzz Lightyear (the character) taking pictures and signing autographs, so we scooted off to meet Buzz. Andrew was in awe of getting to see a life size Buzz.
Andrew and Daddy on the Astro Orbitor
Andrew with Buzz Lightyear
After meeting Buzz it was off to the Astro Blasters ride, which was neat (shooting lasers at targets), but Andrew was really more interested in looking at Buzz and Zurg than trying to shoot the laser gun at the targets. After Astro Blasters we went to Autotopia and Innoventions. After Innoventions we saw Minnie roaming around Tomorrowland, so Andrew stood in a short line to meet her before it was off to Fantasyland.
Doug on the Astro Blasters ride
Andrew and Daddy getting buckled in for Autotopia
In Fantasyland Andrew rode King Arthur's Carousel and Dumbo the Flying elephant -- he loved both of these rides! Then it was off to Toontown to meet Mickey Mouse and to explore Mickey's house. We had to wait about 45 minutes to meet Mickey, but it was totally worth it! The pictures are priceless! After Mickey, Andrew met Pluto and we rode Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. This ride was similar to Astro Blasters (it was an inside ride) but the scenes were a little scary and Andrew didn't like the ride. We decided he really liked the rides he could see while he was standing in line so he knew what to expect. After the ride we stopped at one of the Disney stores to buy Disney themed Mr. Potato Head parts before heading to dinner. I heard about the Mr. Potato Head parts online while I was researching Disneyland. Andrew loves Mr. Potato Head and now he has tons of parts to play with (you pay $18 for a box and you get as many parts as you can make fit in the box - we got 27).
On the Carousel
Riding Dumbo with Mom Mom
Andrew was in awe when he met Mickey (and most of the other characters), which is why he looks so serious in these photos. Despite the serious look, he was really excited and loved meeting all of them!
The Moores with Mickey Mouse
Andrew with Pluto (aka Plu Dog)
Mommy, Tyler and Pluto
We were running late for our character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen, so I called Disney Dining as we hurried through the park to the Disneyland Hotel. We finally made it around 6:00 and they were nice enough to keep our priority reservations, even though we were more than 30 minutes late! Goofy's Kitchen is an upscale all you can eat buffet where 7 characters roam through the restaurant and interact with all of the guests. The children also get the opportunity to dance and march with Goofy -- it is really a neat experience and I highly recommend it. Andrew LOVED it and as a bonus, the food was actually quite good! The following characters were at the dinner: Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Snow White and Mulan.
Daddy and Tyler waiting to be seated for dinner
Andrew loved Pluto
Andrew hanging out with Chip
Andrew kissing Minnie on the nose
Andrew with Minnie
Andrew with Goofy - his favorite character right now
We were planning on going back to Disneyland for the Parade of Dreams at 7:00, but we were having so much fun at Goofy's Kitchen that we decided to take our time getting back to the park. Once back inside the park around 8:00 we went back to Fantasyland to ride a couple more rides before closing at 9:00. First up was the Mad Tea Party (the tea cup ride). Kate got in line and we parked the stroller and were gathering up the boys when the unthinkable happened ... Andrew disappeared.
In a matter of just seconds he was gone - completely out of sight. I was in total shock and disbelief. Doug immediately started calling for Andrew and running in the general vicinity of the ride to look for him. A nice family that was next to us asked who was missing and what he was wearing and they immediately split up and started to look for him as well. I stayed next to the stroller just in case he decided to come back. The mom that was helping us look for him found him almost immediately walking back towards the tea cups from the the boats which were right across from the tea cups. Doug looked in that area too but did not see him. We shouldn't have been surprised that he was near the boats since he became infatuated with "tug boats" while we were in San Diego staying at the marina. He was only gone for 3 minutes or so, but it was so incredibly scary. I would like to believe that we are very cautious and safety conscious parents, but this goes to show that you can never be too safe!
With that scary episode behind us we had a talk with Andrew about the importance of staying with Mommy and Daddy, gave him loads of hugs and kisses and then got back in line for the Mad Tea Party. The ride is spinning tea cups and it was a lot of fun ... Tyler got to ride too!
Mommy, Tyler, Andrew and Mom Mom on the Tea Cups
The Disney Castle at night
After the Mad Tea Party we went on the Storybook Land Canal Boats, which Andrew enjoyed although he was very specific that he didn't want us to drop him in the water! That was our last ride for the night as it was 9:00, but we stayed at Disneyland for another hour shopping on Main Street for souvenirs.
What a day! We didn't make it back to the hotel until 11:30 and we were all exhausted! The boys actually fell asleep in the stroller while we were shopping at Disney and stayed asleep all night! Andrew didn't even wake up when we changed his diaper and his clothes!
So, the verdict ... there is something magical about Disney! It was a bit challenging taking a toddler that didn't enjoy standing in lines but we had a wonderful time and we are so happy that we took the boys. We definitely want to take the boys back to DL or to Disney World when they are a bit older (perhaps at 4 and 6 or 5 and 7 years respectively). There was a lot we didn't get to do because of the lack of time, so I think that for our next trip we will plan to stay a couple of days to do Disney at a slower pace.
Andrew showing off his Goofy souvenir on Tuesday morning
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