Disneyland Part 1

 

The happiest place on Earth!

 

 

Luckily for us, we had no rain the entire time we were in Disneyland! We arrived on Wednesday afternoon to beautiful blue skies and fairly warm temps (esp for us Idahoans!).  The kids were so excited.  We chose to go on the Jungle Cruise first (mainly because there was no line), and then ventured onto Indiana Jones next! Maybe not the best idea because that ride scared the kids a bit (being their first big ride of the day). 

 

 

We rode on Pirates of the Carribean (one of my faves), and then headed over to Fantasy Land and rode all the smaller rides like the Tea Cups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Alice and Wonderland. We saw bits and pieces of the parade (which was incredible) and then went over to Small World (all lit up at Christmas time)! 

 



 

 Disneyland is so magical, but during the holidays, it is EXTRA magical.  Small World and Cinderella's castle are breathtaking with all the lights.  The whole park including the lights, the wreaths, the snow, the parades, the music, the characters, and even some of the rides all decked out for Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

It was CRAZY crowded while we were there (busiest week of the year supposedly), so that meant lines everywhere and hoards of people trying to get somewhere.  We were so nervous about losing a kid, but we had a stern "talking to" to both of the boys about always holding a hand with a grown-up.  And they did the entire time!

 

 

 

The second day was spent at California Adventure.  None of us, other than Jen and Matt, had been to CA Adventure before.  It was pretty cool!  A totally different vibe from Disneyland.  I loved the "old Hollywood" feel down the main street, the trolley bus, and architecture that is typical of CA. 

 

 

 We got there pretty early in the day to get a Fast Pass at the new Cars ride, Radiator Springs Racers.   Cars Land just opened in June, and let's just say, they didn't spare any expense on this new attraction!  As you can tell from the pictures, everything mimics the movie, "Cars" from Main Street in Radiator Springs with Flo's V8 Cafe, the Cozy Cone Hotel, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 Carson, of course, was in hog heaven in Cars Land, seeing as that is his favorite movie and he is obsessed with cars.  He loved seeing "Big Red" (the fire engine), Tow Mater, and of course, Lightning McQueen!  The main attraction in Cars Land is the Radiator Springs Racers and let me tell you, it is AWESOME!  The ride takes you first for a scenic drive through Ornament Valley (an exact replica of it), then winds through Radiator Springs, where you see the town and all the characters of "Cars".  Last, you get to race another car and that is the coolest part!  You zip over hills, around corners, all through Ornament Valley.  So fun!

 

 

 After hitting up Cars Land, we headed over to Adventure Land, where the boys got to rock climb, go down slides, zip line, and rope climb.  Good for getting energy out! ;)

 

 

 We spent some time in Bugs Land (way cute), saw the Aladdin show (amazing), and then hit the Tower of Terror!  Eric and I went on it first with Jen and Matt, so that we could see if it was a ride that the boys would like.  We decided that Austin would do ok on it, but Carson would be afraid, so we took Austin on it and he loved it!  No fear at all!  Later, when Carson found out that Austin went on it without him, he then wanted to go (and prove everyone wrong that he wouldn't be scared), so later in the evening, we took Carson too.  He also loved it and wanted to go again!  What a couple of little thrill seekers we have on our hands!

 

 

 At the end of the day, our family and Trish stayed and went on some more rides like California Screamin' (a rollercoaster which Austin loved more than any other ride), the Little Mermaid and Toy Story rides, and caught a glimpse of the parade (not as good as Disney's, I have to say). 

 

 

We also got to see a little of the World of Colors show which is spectacular! The Bellagio in Vegas ain't got nothin' on this unique water show!

 

 

We closed out the day with a ride on Radiator Springs Racers again (because Carson loved it so much), and it was even cooler at night time.  Such a fun ride!

 

 

At the end of the first 2 days, the kids were wiped out and fell asleep within minutes of crawling into their beds at the hotel past 11pm!  They were troopers though!