Our Family enjoyed 3 days of Fun at the "Happiest Place on Earth" on May 6-8th! It was a VACATION I REALLY NEEDED!! It has been almost 3 years since we last visited the "Magic Kingdom" & I really wanted to go before summer hit! We worked it out and had a Fabulous Time! I did leave Blakey Boy home with great friends and family. I have a "Rule" about joining me on vacation to Disneyland. Some might not agree but that is OK with me. It is my Vacation :) So my rule is you have to be 5 years old, potty trained, speak in full sentences, understand you have to wait your turn and be done with nap time & temper tantrums. Soooo, Blake will be joining us the next time. He did great while we were gone! EVERYONE WAS HAPPY ;) Now on to the FUN!!!
I can't believe we are really here! There is so much excitement in the air. I just LOVE DISNEYLAND!!! I have so many wonderful memories as a kid coming here on vacation with my family and I love that we get to give our girls the same love and memories for this Happy Place! We are waiting "patiently" for the gates to open so the fun can begin!
We hurried to the NEMO SUBMARINE ride first. I heard it wasn't worth the LOOONG lines. So we were sure to get there first thing! It was a cute ride, But like I have heard NOT worth the LONG Line. So if it is a long wait, skip it!
I can't believe we are really here! There is so much excitement in the air. I just LOVE DISNEYLAND!!! I have so many wonderful memories as a kid coming here on vacation with my family and I love that we get to give our girls the same love and memories for this Happy Place! We are waiting "patiently" for the gates to open so the fun can begin!
We hurried to the NEMO SUBMARINE ride first. I heard it wasn't worth the LOOONG lines. So we were sure to get there first thing! It was a cute ride, But like I have heard NOT worth the LONG Line. So if it is a long wait, skip it!
Next we went to AUTOTOPIA! Our first time on this ride. It was ok. The girls loved it so it was worth it. The cars are made for 3 year olds to push the gas pedal. So long legged folks are a bit cramped and I was getting leg cramps. it was funny! We only did this ride once. It was pretty warm...of course RECORD HEAT for Anaheim the days we were there! GRRRRR! We always bring record heat or cold were ever we travel. So we were looking for SHADE! Disneyland has lots so that is good :) just not on this ride!
I was more than readyfor some adrenaline pumping action. Off to SPACE MOUNTAIN we go. The lines were so short this morning we went on it twice in a row! We all LOVED it! Especially Carly! She was ready to go back and ride it over and over! She is so Brave! TOMMOROWLAND ROCKS!
Who doesn't LOVE the MAD TEA PARTY TEACUPS ride? It is one of the girls Favorites. Leonard and Kaitlyn love to spin theirs sooooo fast it makes me dizzy! so we had them get their own cup and Me & Carly had our own. I let Carly do all the spinning and so I could walk straight after the ride. We were now ready to eat some lunch. $50 for lunch was hard to pay, but that's Disneyland for you. We got 2 burgers & the girls got a kids pizza for that lovely amount. It was good but NOT $50 good. We could have packed in a lunch, but didn't want to so then we PAY. And we are happy about it. It is part of the experience right?
Look who we ran into... ALADIN & JASMINE! Sweet! We had to get a picture. The last vacation we took we hunted down the Disney Characters & got autographs. This time it was ALL ABOUT the RIDES!
BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD is another family FAVORITE! We rode this at least 6 times over the 3 days of playing. We loved sitting in the very last seat on the train. It seemed faster and we could say that this ride in FRONTIERLAND was the WILDEST RIDE in the WILDERNESS! YEE HAW!!!
I Think our very favorite ride of all to relax and keep COOL this trip was PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. It is really one of my most favorite rides. I never get tired of it. I am amazed at the special effects. The Pirates all look so real! We had some believers they were real for a couple days. ;) We rode Pirates over a DOZEN times and Loved every ride! Can't wait to go back and sing, "YO HO YO HO A PIRATES LIFE FOR ME."
ADVENTURELAND is full of adventure! The INDIANA JONES ride is amazingly cool but a bit rough for my liking but that didn't stop me from riding twice a day :) and The JUNGLE CRUISE is always a hoot! The cheesy jokes always crack me up and we were startled by the pirhanas this year. I forgot about those critters. oh good times!
CRITTER COUNTRY is our VERY VERY Favorite of all! The splashing good times here are the best, but as we wait for our FAST PASS to come into effect. We hopped aboard these cute honey comb cars and was entertained and cooled off on The ADVENTURES OF WINNIE the POOH ride. It is very very short but fun if there is no line :) I loved sneaking that pic of Leonard getting a little snooze on this ride. He tried to catch any rest he could. I walked his legs off :)
SPLASH MOUNTAIN was the BEST!!! Since it was pretty warm at Disneyland, the wait for this ride was always about an hour or more. I have no patience for that, so we used Fast Passes on it every time we rode. I think we only rode it a total of 4 times. But every ride was thrilling, exciting and we got SOAKED!!! I love the pic of Leonard pretending to sleep! He is so funny! We would have like to ride it more but we don't like lines! PS did you know that the grand drop plummets you down a 5 story fall to a big pond making a big splash where you either get drenched or damp? Either way it is a Wet Splashingly Good Time. Laughing all they way! SO FUN!!!
My Cute girls chillin in the shady spot in NEW ORELEANS SQUARE. We hung out here often enjoying some expensive ice cream treats and making our next game plan.
These little Princesses were loving this first day at Disneyland. We rode SOOOO many rides today. We walked from one end of the park to the other and back again. It was amazing at how much we rode. The park hours today were 10am-8pm. We are excited to come back tomorrow!
It is Tradition to get a picture of SLEEPING BEAUTY's CASTLE. When Blake sees pictures of this castle, He says...THE TEMPLE!!! I tell him it is called Disneyland and we won't change his mind. It is a TEMPLE! Well it is beautiful and magical. I am so excited when Blake comes with us next time. It will be so fun to have him experience this Magical place. :)
We chose not to spend $50 on fast food dinner. I saw the BUBBA GUMP was nearby our hotel and really wanted to try it out. All I can say is YUMMY!!! I love Shrimp and this place specialized in Shrimp. Our Meal was worth every penny! You should try it sometime :)
DAY 2 we started the day off at FANTASYLAND. Where all the kiddie rides were at. We got into the park early today and spent an hour here before we headed off to California Adventure Park. We had to ride The DUMBO RIDE! it is cute and fun and KIDS love flying their own Dumbo. But it is a ride not worth the long lines so hit it first :)
Next we enjoyed MR. TOAD'S WILD RIDE, SNOW WHITE's SCARY ADVENTURE, & PINOCCHIO's DARING ADVENTURE. The Peter Pan ride was under construction. I just love that ride. Can't wait for it to be open. Fantasyland is fun and these rides makes you feel like you are in the cartoon. So fun!
3 Cute Girls! I must say ; ) I love fun Kodak Moments! Especially with these 2 girls!
I never knew there was a Tea Cup Picture place! Lucky Us!!!
How classic is this photo! You HAVE TO HAVE a Picture trying to pull out the SWORD IN THE STONE! It just wouldn't be right if you didn't give it a try. :)
AWWWW! I Love this picture too. Me and my girlies and the man who started it all... WALT DISNEY himself and good old MICKEY MOUSE statue. Disneyland is so Clean, pretty, lush, themey, magical, & happy! it is TRUE! now off to California Adventures we go.
We walked "miles" it felt to get to CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN' Roller Coaster in California Adventure park. We walked right on to this ride and it was SOOOO fun! It was Carly's first time since she was tall enough. BUT it was too scary for her. She was really ready to get off. She especially did not like the upside down loop. The rest of us hollered for joy! I opted to hang out with Carly while Leonard and Kaitlyn rode this coaster 2 more times in a row. That is them upside down in the pic above. We didn't ride again this trip cuz lines too long and it was WAY TOO HOT~!
Next we waited in a TRICKY, SNEAKY LONG line to ride this new ride...TOY STORY MANIA. It was a long and HOT wait, but worth it. good thing it was still morning kinda. It is so amazing a 3-D interactive ride and carnival style games. Kinda similar to Astro Blasters in DL but better! I would have loved to do it again, but next time!
Last time we were here on this ride we screamed our heads off like crazy. For fear we would rock right out of our "Sun Wheel" basket into the lake below. We told ourselves we would never ride this freaky ride again. it looks innocent. but the baskets slide on this rail as you are traveling around the wheel and you can get swinging so high. it is really freaky, cuz you have now seat belts. Well Disney revamped the "SUN WHEEL" to the new name and Ride.."MICKEY'S FUN WHEEL." Well it was very BORING, LONG Wait, Not Thrilling or scary. Either we are tougher or this ride really does stink. :)
Our Family Favorite at California Adventure was this ride...TWILIGHT ZONE TOWER OF TERROR. We screamed so loud our throats hurt. This crazy ride is explained like this...Dare to scale the heights by checking into the once-glamorous, and now vacant, luxury Hollywood Tower Hotel! Explore the mysteries of what happened that fateful night when lightning struck, then plunge 13 stories into the most thrilling recesses of The Twilight Zone®.
*Encounter the hotel's ghastly ghostly guests.
*Experience the mysterious atmosphere from the classic television series.
*Confront awesome special effects.
*Get an adrenaline rush from the view at the top of the abandoned elevator shaft before the delirious drop into the fifth dimension and beyond!
Now who wouldn't just love that! IT WAS AWESOME!
California Adventure is a fun place, but this time it seemed like half the park was under construction, it is SOOOO HOT!!! the whole place is made of hot concrete. NO SHADE. and almost all the rides make you feel the same way.. you go round and round and get dizzy. We did ride the AWESOME Soarin Over California ride & Monsters inc. ride and we headed back to Disneyland to COOL DOWN and find the shade!
you guessed it, back to SPLASH MOUNTAIN to cool off! WEEEEE it was fun!
I love Carly's face in this fuzzy pic. Her eyes are glues shut in anticipation. Katilyn looks a little freaked out too :)
you guessed it, back to SPLASH MOUNTAIN to cool off! WEEEEE it was fun!
I love Carly's face in this fuzzy pic. Her eyes are glues shut in anticipation. Katilyn looks a little freaked out too :)
After that we hopped on Pirates, the Haunted Mansion & the Honey Bee ride a few more times.
We ended our 2nd Day at "it's a small world" ride. It was cool and refreshing. They even added disney characters into the happy colorful displays. That song is still stuck in my head.
DAY 3 at the Happiest Place on Earth. We enjoyed another bumpy ride aboard the MATTERHORN BOBSLEDS. This ride has been in operation since 1959 with refurbishments over the years. Pretty cool historic fact I think. Gotta love the Abominable Snowman, a yeti named Harold. did you know that?
Off to MICKEY'S TOONTOWN. We rode Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin 2 times in a row and then met this guy outside waiting for a hug. It's PLUTO!!!
TOONTOWN is such a fun whismical place to explore. I love feeling like I am really in a cartoon town. Pretty Sweet!
We toured MICKEY MOUSE'S HOUSE. A Perfect place for pictures! Kaitlyn & Carly relaxing!
More fun at Mickey's house!
Katilyn! is that Cake good! for a minute there I really thought she was really licking that cake! PHEW! she had me fooled. This picture reminds me of something Merilee would do! funny girl!
OH ToonTown! What fun you are. We waited in a pretty short line for the little kiddie roller coaster. but it still felt like forever and it is HEATING UP! time to find some shade and ride some more pirates of the carribean! HERE WE GO!
Oh the HAUNTED MANSION! You gotta love the haunted mansion. So spooky and COOL! I love this picture of Leonard. Oh he is so afraid of GHOSTS. Don't worry Carly will be there to protect him.
We ventured over to the PIRATE'S LAIR on Tom Sawyer Island. This was a new experience. I can't remember ever going over to Tom Sawyers Island. It always looked boring. It was pretty fun now that is has a Pirate Theme. We had fun exploring and looking for the treasure. We explored caves and tunnels at the Dead Man's Grotto and climbed up this cool treehouse.
Me and the girls even got trapped in this freaky skull & bone cage! HELP!!!
We loved the wobbly bridge (didn't get a pic of that) The girls spun this turnstyle and in the murky water rose a skeleton pirate still gripping this treasure box! EEEEWW!
CHA CHING! We found the Treasure! The girls wished it was real gold! and so do I ;) The Pirates Lair was a great place to explore and chill. Glad we ventured here!
SOUVINEER TIME!!! We decided to get souvineers before midnight (like we have done in the past) and it was fun hunting down the perfect keepsake. Katilyn chose some skull earrings and a Pirate Minnie mouse doll. To remind her of our favorite cool ride...PIRATES. & Carly chose this cute little Thumper from Bambi. I remember picking out a thumper stuff animal when I was a kid, infact I still have it!
I wanted something fun! Pictures are usually fun enough for me, but this year I splurged and got me Minnie Mouse Ears with my name sewn on the back! It will be fun for this and that party or celebration & for the next time we visit. I really am a kid at heart when I come to Disneyland!
Our Last Hurrah! The Last Splash Mountain ride of 2009 for the Zito's. We had a BLAST And Leonard & Kaitlyn really got SOAKED!
We rode the Teacups one last time and we spun our cup as fast as it could go. It took a while for my brain to return to it's original position before trying to stand up and move on!
After the fireworks show and our final ride on Indiana Jones Ride, Leonard and Carly called it a night at 10pm. I couldn't leave till the park closed at Midnight. So Kaitlyn & I ran from one end of the park to the other together get one last ride in before our vacation was over.
Me & my Kaitlyn! What a SUPER DUPER WONDERFUL VACATION! We can't wait to come back and do this all over again :)
We were so happy to come home to this cute 3 year old boy! Blake did great while we were away! He fit right in at every house. Calling all the ladies MOM & all the men DAD! My bro in law said he'd be a great orphan! ;) Glad he was happy and adaptable. Since Buzz Lightyear is one of his favorites. I couldn't resist to buy him a little souvineer too! He was so excited about his present! "THANKS MOM" he says will that irresistable smile as i get a big big hug! I sure love that boy! WOW What a Vacation! I hope you had fun as you got to relive our Disneyland Adventure! PHEW! That was FUN!
BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! Kaitlyn you played beautifully! Take a bow - We loved it!