Day: January 11, 2010

Disneyland Evening

Sleeping Beauty’s castle is beautiful at night:

Especially when they turn on the Christmas lights:

Soon it was time for the parade (I’m skipping over all the frustrations about the crowds and restricted access due to the parade route, Christmas has the most crowds). They have parades every day of the year, but we got to see the special holiday parade:



I think more than a few parents could identify with Grumpy:



See more of the parade in the movie!

I can’t quite remember the order of things after the parade. We had reservations for Autopia, the car-driving attraction that smelled bad because of all the engines. Leilani got to drive in my car (I pushed the pedal and steered most of the time) and she loved it. We also went to eat at a restaurant nearby in the park. It was over-priced and the food was mediocre, but we cut the line to make it quick, and we had a nice table indoors to warm up.

Sometime after dark, Leilani saw the spaceship ride and said it must be Stitch’s spaceship and she wanted to ride it.

Then there was the Dumbo ride that she liked as well.


Not surprisingly, Leilani loved to stay up late, run around Disneyland, and go on rides all the time. By 9:30p it was time for the fireworks:

And then while the crowds were thinning out a bit, we went for one last ride: the Small World. It was all decorated for Christmas inside and out, and the best way to finish the day. It’s also Grandma’s favorite ride.





This is the only time we saw Lilo and Stitch (except for on Leilani’s head and on her cup).




By now I was carrying Leilani most of the time, but she still managed to stay awake all the way through the last line and wait for the tram back to the parking garage. But once we were driving, she fell asleep quickly:

Disneyland !!!

[Comments by Andy]

Arriving at Disneyland is a bit overwhelming, it’s big, it’s crowded, there are long lines, and you’re never sure where to go next–and that’s all just to park the car and find the entrance to the park.

Once inside, we headed for the train because there wasn’t much of a line and we could get around the park.


After that, we had to manage the day and work around the crowds. We tried to let Leilani choose what rides she wanted to go on, but of course she didn’t know what all there was to do in the beginning. So we picked the Nemo submarines ride and waited 45 minutes in our first line (successfully resisting the sweets they sold nearby).

We thought that Leilani had mastered her fears of Nemo (sharks, etc.) but they really made the submarine ride scary with no lights, simulated explosions, and of course sharks. The characters were projected underwater in a really cool way, but Leilani didn’t have her eyes open at that point, in fact, she was screaming and almost hysterical. Disney really went overboard if a 4-yr old can’t go on the Nemo ride.

Behold the Matterhorn (that’s really what they call it)–don’t you think it looks better with waterfalls?

One of the neat things about visiting in December is all the extra decorations (and lights at night). Here we walked by the Small World ride, but the lines were too long. As much as I criticize Disney for some of the things they do, the attention to detail everywhere in the park is great, for example the topiary in the foreground.

Back to the criticism: there are things for sale everywhere in the park, some food but mostly toys, trinkets, and souvenirs. Leilani got hooked early on, and we set the limit of one toy/souvenir. Somehow, Leilani managed to spot a kid with a hat that looked like Stitch, and she was sure that’s what she wanted. After asking at some of the outdoor vendors, we found it at one of the stores (there are Disney stores in every area of the park, of course). At least she was really excited to have it.


We spent a fair amount of time in Toon-Town, a place that is supposed to resemble a cartoon. So everything is oversized, rounded, crooked, and whacky (even the Christmas ornaments). For example, this is Goofy’s house.

And I think this is a car from Roger Rabbit:

The best thing about Toon-Town is that is also a big playground. There are just lots of places for kids to run around and explore. This is Chip’n’Dale’s tree house, and it was nothing more than spiral staircase inside, but Leilani loved it.

We were even able to find a quiet corner behind Goofy’s house to eat our picnic lunch.

We went on two rides here, probably the worst and the best of the day. We used the reservation system to avoid standing in line for the cartoon ride, but it wasn’t even worth the short wait. It supposed to make you feel like you’re in a cartoon, but little kids don’t understand it, and it just wasn’t interesting for adults (what’s funny about a rabbit getting zapped by electricity). Plus there was more jerking around, dark rooms, explosions, and things jumping at you, that it just felt uncomfortable.

Much better was the small roller-coaster there. We stood in line for over 30 minutes, and the ride was only about 30 seconds, half of which was going up the hill. But it was Leilani’s first roller-coaster ever, and it was just the right size: real fast for her but not jerky. I’m sure it was the first roller-coaster in a long time for all the rest of us.


At the end Leilani was delighted, said how fun it was and wanted to go again, but the line was just too long.


There is another kind of attraction at Disneyland, and that is to meet your favorite character so you can get your picture with him or her. For example, there was a one hour line for children (mostly girls) to meet a Disney princess for 15 seconds (fortunately, Leilani didn’t want to wait that long). We did decide to meet Mickey, mostly because it seemed short. But Disney is a master at making people wait, and the line went around and around inside the building for at least 30 minutes. At least there was lots of “interesting” things to look at inside Mickey’s house–but again, I realized that much of the gags are only understandable to adults.

But finally, we got to see Mickey. Personally, I’m not quite sure what the attraction is in standing next to an oversized mouse character with a fiberglass head and who can’t speak (because what would Mickey say). I was proud that Leilani wasn’t all that interested in Mickey, I couldn’t quite tell if she was fooled, but that she at least played along.

And for once, the flash worked … but not the autofocus.

A least Grandma got a good picture.

After that, we were all done with Toon-Town, so we went to the other area of the park aimed at small children: Fantasyland.

Here the rides are more traditional, but also have shorter lines.



Waiting in one line, Leilani started to fool around on my shoulders:






The sun was setting, but Disneyland stays open until midnight…

PS: Even though I am fairly critical of Disneyland, I still really enjoy it. There are a lot of fun and beautiful things to do and see, and so much is well done. But I also think that adults who want to can see beyond the superficial, and then we can see how the park operates, for good or bad.

The Animals Save The Planet!!!

Well… if they don’t I hope our kids will.

I think the humor in these is tailored to 3-4 year olds. Leilani watched the first one about a dozen times and almost rolled on the floor laughing. She watched the rest too quite a few times, and she understood most of them. Anyway… they really, really get the environmental message across to kids.

Don’t watch the first one if you are easily offended or can’t stand body-function humor… otherwise, click on the cow icon below, and then hit “>” play.

Credits and Special Thanks to The Animals Who Save the Planet Animal Planet and Discovery.com