Disneyland & Back

We just came back from the "Happiest Place on Earth," and I must admit, it was truly happy, amazing, fun, tiring, and exhausting, all wrapped in one place.  I had a great time, seeing the excitement and curiosity of the kid's faces for EVERYTHING.  It was their first time, and Len and I haven't been there since we were young kids, so everything was pretty new to all of us.

We started our trip in Seattle and stayed there for a night, before boarding a shuttle bus at 4:00 am, to catch our 6:25 flight.  Then we took 3 cabs to our hotel, yup, there was 11 of us on this trip!

Super Excited!



All smiles even though it's super early

We enjoyed 5 days of the Disney magic, and we covered most of the rides and attractions.  We had park hoppers, which gave us lots of flexibility.  The weather was chilly in the morning and evenings, and warm and sunny during the day.  It was considered low season for park visitors, and I thought it was pretty busy, I can't imagine what high season would be like.  We followed the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, and it worked for us. We didn't have to wait more than 45 minutes for the popular rides without Fastpasses.  And, we utilized the switch passes for ride popular rides to our advantage.  Then on the last day, we went back to do the things that we skipped.  Here are just SOME of the happy moments that was captured...

Sharing a cherry chocolate malt at Carnation Cafe

Pluto was the first Character we met

At Mickey's house  

Minnie was home too 

Autopia, a classic ride 

On Mater's Junkyard Jamboree 

Francis' Ladybug Boogie

Flik's Flyers

Ariel's Grotto for lunch

Belle with my princesses

Snow White joined the fun too

Mya enjoying the jello dessert, no spoon required!

A "big" win at Goofy's Fishing game

Happy Birthday to me!

On King Arthur's Carrousel  with Poh Poh

Loving the ride

The Matterhorn Bobsleds weren't bad, right?  Look at the smiles!

Instead of following the plan for this day, when Disneyland opened we headed to Fantasyland to find the Frozen characters.  This was the longest wait, but we were 3rd in line to see Anna & Elsa, when it opened at 11:00 am.  (During the first day when we walked by, waits were longer than 3 hours.)  We took turns waiting in line, while the girls went on rides such as Dumbo, the Mad Tea Party tea cups, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and the surrounding rides.

Meeting Elsa & Anna was one of their favourite moments 

Enjoying the Pixar Play Parade

"Do you even know who I am?" "Yup, Dan Boyle."

Dumbo with Mya!

At Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast

Meeting Cinderella

Big Baloo!

A baby Minnie...Aww....

On Tarzan's Treehouse

Just hanging around...

The Many Adventures of Pooh

Turkey Leg to the bone!

Mya watching Mickey's Soundsational Parade

One of my faves: Toy Story Midway Mania!

Ready to blast!

Getting buggy at It's Tough to be a Bug!

Hands up on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train 

Bumping around on Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies

Ice Cream at Ghirardelli's

Yummy pineapple in Flo's V8 Cafe

I'm so glad we ended up bringing our double stroller.  The girls took turns in it, and it was never empty. A rare moment...

Mya running free!

We flew back into Seattle to pick up our vehicles, had some lunch, then did a quick run through Costco, the outlets, picked up some groceries, and a few parcels from a mailbox.  Phew, we got a lot done before heading home.

Sums up the end of our trip

And now that the magic is all gone, we are dealing with hacking coughs, and fevers.  Disney did take a toll on us.  Hope you are all well, and get to experience the magic soon!  We can't wait to go back!