It has been well over 20 years since I’ve been to Disneyland.
So it didn’t take much convincing when my wife brought up the idea of a
Disneyland trip with very short notice.
We picked not only the perfect time of year to go (first
week of February) but also the best time of week to go. (Wednesday through
Friday) We never waited more than 20 minutes or so in any line with a couple of
exceptions: Star Tours, Peter Pan and Casey Junior (#$@#) Railroad. Don't get me wrong, I love Dumbo.
It’s got a great story, great music and some very touching moments. But
this ride should be avoided at all costs unless there is absolutely NO line.
But that one ride aside, we had pretty much the perfect 3
days. (Even if the fireworks were canceled 2 out of the 3 days we were there and
the only day we did see them were from the Hotel.) Still totally worth it!
We went to Ariel’s grotto for breakfast on the first day. It
was a great way to get your 4 year-old to meet 5 Disney princesses in less than
an hour. The food was pretty good, too. Mind you, without a 4 year-old, we
totally would have had a different vacation, but I’m really glad we didn’t
wait. This was a magical time to take our little one. That said, you have to go
into this situation with flexible expectations. We went back to the hotel every
day to take a nap. But doing so meant we got to see some seriously cool nighttime
parades and displays. I can’t imagine trying to do this if the Gremlin was not
well rested. And our entirely planned afternoons went up in smoke more often
than not. We were totally psyched to see Marry Poppins at the end of the afternoon
parade but by then, E just wanted to go on rides. Oh well.
Highlights (for me): Star Tours (our little one was the
rebel spy that Darth Vader was after), getting light sabers, meeting Chewbacca
at the Launch Pad, Thunder Railroad, princess breakfast, Ferris Wheel, Gadget’s
Go coaster, and the electric light parade (this actually completely floored me…
both times we saw it!).
Other awesomeness: Silly Symphonies swings, Little Mermaid
Ride, Roger Rabbit ride, Teacups (x3)aka Mad Teaparty, Haunted Mansion,
Churros, Pluto, Dumbo, Flik’s Flyers, It’s a Small World (an oldie but goodie),
Minnie Mouse, Anna and Elsa.
So much fun. See for
yourselves.
