The great California adventure: Disneyland day 1

Day 1

It was President's Day in the US, and with how late we got in, we weren't sure if we wanted to brave Disney. But if we knew if we didn't go, we would be subject to all manner of whining and wailing for the entire day so decided what the heck. Plus we had a 4 day pass, but given ourselves 5 days in Anaheim in case of poor weather etc. So we didn't want to use up our "freebie day" unless it was for a very good reason.

Like I said, Gordon and I had never been. I figured there would be security and bag checks, but man I was not prepared for the sheer volume of people, traffic, basically anything. It was, however, incredibly well organized. Disney can come run my life anytime.

On the tram to go to the park

We arrived around 1030, and were about to get a hard lesson in lineups. The shorter lineups we 30-45 mins, with lots being 60-120 mins. We decided not to pay for max passes up front to give ourselves time to see if they were worth it (basically lets you "reserve rides" and wait in line for less time).

Our kids priorities basically went like this
Isaac: thrill rides. Drink coke.
Mia: everything-rides, eat overpriced popcorn, see princesses
Scarlett: see the REAL princesses, avoid scary rides
B: run away

Mine and Gordon's priorities
Gordon: thrill rides. Do not lose Mia.
Me: avoid rides that spin, jerk, or drop. Take pictures. Do not lose Mia.

The kids were allowed to have one snack or treat at the park per day from mum and dad. Any extra treats were out of their spending money. We had packed backpacks with quite a bit of food and water, so we hoped that would save us from spending oodles on expensive park food.
 
We spent time figuring out the app (which is a lifesaver) and putting on sunscreen, then tried some of the rides that didn't have atrocious wait times.  Unfortunately those weren't your adrenaline junkie rides, so Gordon and Isaac weren't very impressed (I think Isaac might have said Disneyland was stupid or thereabouts). But Scarlett was happy with her gentle rides, and Mia was generally happy with anything as long as she could be stuffing her face.

Isaac was our first "running away" incident of the trip. We had repeatedly and very clearly told them they had to stay with an adult at all times (there were 4 of us after all), and could not go anywhere on their own. We had also explained what to do if they got lost (find a worker and explain to them that they were lost). We also gave them each a business card with Gordon's phone number on it to keep in their bags, just in case.
Isaac had to use the washroom, so I decided to go with him, but he took this as his opportunity to dash off and dart in between people. Being larger, I couldn't just dodge my way in and out of crowds, and being vertically challenged couldn't see over all the people. We both knew which bathroom he was going to, so we both made it there, but before I could tell him off for running away, he zoomed past me again. I yelled at him to slow down or stop, and he looked at me and grinned, then kept running. All I'm thinking is "you are so dead when I catch up to you".  I am a frequent runner, and it was seriously impossible for me to keep up with him. He had the advantage of size and nimbleness, and when I got back to the rest of the group, they said he hadn't come back yet. Not gonna lie, by this point I was less panicked that he was lost and more concerned about strangling him when I saw him, buuuuuut I started retracing my steps. After a few minutes he found his way back to us (I was confident he would), but he knew he was toast from the look one everyone's faces.

I forced Gordon into this one. Couldn't let him get away without a picture with his favourite character.

We did see some princesses which was, as a mother of girls who adore Disney princesses, a magical experience for me and the girls. I was worried it was going to be a free for all, and that I would basically have to push Scarlett into the front so she would get to talk to them. But it was all very orderly, and each child got a turn to speak with the princess and get their picture. Scarlett was so animated (normally quite shy with strangers), and I imagine she felt like she had known these people for years. She was much less enthusiastic with the non-princess characters. Grandma had made them some very cool little bags and given them pens and autographs books to capture all the special memories.

Isaac and Gordon were excited to check out Star Wars land, and Isaac even got to "meet" Darth Vader. He tried to play it cool, but I have it on good authority that he was pretty intimidated by him.

It got cool quite quickly around dinner time, but the Pirates of the Caribbean ride had virtually no wait, so we took the kids on that and they loved it. It was probably their favourite ride of the day. Might have also been the fact there was no lineup but hey. It was good to close out the day with good memories.

Time spent at park: 8-9 hrs