And then finally, after almost a week of hotel living, dance classes and competition, solo travel, meals of varying quality, hours of driving...it was the day we'd been waiting for....Disneyland Day!!!
Woohoo! We got up early and were at the bus stop in front of the hotel at 7:20am. The kids were ready to go!
We made it through security and the ticket line. We were on Main Street before the park officially opened.
We lined up at Adventureland to head straight to one of our favorite rides and how we wanted to start the day, the Haunted Mansion. The park officially opened at 8am, the rope dropped letting us into Adventureland, and almost immediately we realized this was going to be unlike our past two trips. People were running...in Disneyland...grown men...running. Um, okay. We walked calmly to the Haunted Mansion and were excited to be some of the first people on it, but then we were turned away because it wasn't actually open yet. They were having a technical issue, but we decided that the ghosts must not be awake yet.
We were not going to be discouraged. We headed to Indiana Jones instead and walked right on the ride. Serafina got to be the "driver".
Followed that up with another favorite, Big Thunder Mountain.
Haunted Mansion was back up and running. Yay! It was actually the kids first time on the classic ride. In 2016, we were there in October when it was the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, and in 2020, it was closed for refurbishment. Of course, they'll loved the classic version. But when we rode it again in the evening, it broke down three times while we were on it.
Time for a Mickey-shaped beignet break.
Always got to do It's a Small World. Early in the day, there is never a line and we walk right on.
Front row on our boat. I got scolded for reaching my arm out to take this selfie. Arms and legs in the boat at all times!
The Disney photographer got some good Excalibur sword pictures for us.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? Don't mind if we do!
Technically it's called Galaxy's Edge, but we can't help but call it Star Wars Land.
The kids wanted to try the Blue Milk served there.
Guess what? They didn't like the Blue Milk. You can tell by Serafina's face in this picture she had no interest in drinking that thing. Since Tom wasn't with us, it was my job to not let it go to waste. I actually started liking it towards the end, but I couldn't convince the kids to try it again.
Ah, Dole Whip is much preferred. Definitely one of the top treats at Disneyland.
Serafina tried one of the giant pickles based on Sunny's recommendation. She was a fan.
Back to Star Wars Land. So much cool detail around every corner.
Disney pro photographer shot.
In line to ride the Millennium Falcon.
Leo got to be the pilot and Serafina was a gunner. I was in the back as the Engineer with my eyes closed the entire time. I took Dramamine in the morning, but that ride is still too much for me. But, I just can't resist it.
Leo loves a Star Wars Land photo op!
Um, she had to get a Mickey pretzel while wearing her pretzel ears, duh!
We took a late afternoon break in the room, which included a nap. Oh wow, that was the key to making it through the evening. It was cooler temps and we had renewed energy. Churros also help with evening energy.
A beautiful sunset drive on Autopia.
We spent the night revisiting some of our favorite rides, including Space Mountain. Here's our ride photo where the kids look cool as cucumbers and I look simply terrified.
We were exhausted, but there was one more important activity - The Main Street Electrical Parade. I really wanted to see it and we actually scored a perfect spot near Small World. We were tired but ready to be entertained.
The parade didn't start until 10:45pm. Here's a shot of the moon over the Matterhorn.
Serafina was exhausted, so she held down our parade spot while Leo and I boogied over to Star Wars Land for a last minute souvenir. Serafina didn't want us to be gone long, but Star Wars Land looks really cool at night, so when I spotted a Disney photographer, I had to get some pictures. Huge bonus was this cool special effect the photographer added in.
And then the event I had been waiting for all day, the Main Street Electrical Parade! It was just as magical as I remembered. The music brought back memories and it was the perfect ending to a great day.
I will say that Disneyland in the summer isn't my favorite. It wasn't so much the hot temperatures (there are ways to avoid the heat, like the always amazing Tiki Room), but rather the extreme crowds. Also, everyone seemed a little ruder than past visits. I don't know if that's because summer visitors are different or post-pandemic people have forgotten their manners, but we experienced some less than stellar behavior by grown adults. Serafina pointed out that we have visited in every season except spring, so we should plan for that next time. I'm a fan of that plan.
And finally, after over a week away and a long drive home on Wednesday, July 13th, we were finally home. I missed my dog and my dog missed me.
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