For a few years, we have been talking about when we would be able to take our family to Disneyland again. The last time we went was when Davis had just turned three, Landon was five, and James was nine months old. Things seem to come together for us to go this year, and we thought it would be a fun family trip before Asher’s open heart surgery later this spring. We were lucky to have Shane’s parents go with us too, and the boys have been excitedly counting down the days ever since we told them about the trip at Christmas.
We left on Friday, January 27 to drive to Ashland, and we stayed with my parents that night. The next day, we drove to Tracy to stay with the Grovers, Shane’s mission buddy and his family, and then Sunday, after going to church with them, we drove the rest of the way and met Shane’s parents at our hotel in Anaheim.
Monday morning, we woke up early and headed to California Adventure for our first day. We parked in the Disneyland parking because it seemed easier and more flexible than taking the hotel shuttle.
Our first stop was Toy Story Mania. We got in line while Shane hurried and got fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers and the World of Color show. He joined us in line in time to ride with us. The boys loved the ride as much as they thought they would, and it was one of their favorite rides of the trip.
After that, we headed over to Cars Land. I loved Cars Land! It was really like you were walking into Radiator Springs. It was so fun just to walk down the street and see all the creative ways they had made it seem just like the movie. We waited in line for Mater’s Junkyard, where you ride on some tractors and they swing you from side to side. I didn’t think it looked too exciting, but it was actually pretty fun and it ended up being another favorite with the boys.
From there, we headed over to Radiator Springs Racers. The ride was so fun, and it did a great job of recreating scenes from the movie. The boys rode it once with me, Shane, and Kent, and then they got to ride it again with Christie because of the rider swap. They all thought it was fun, but then didn’t want to ride on it again. We then found a bench to eat some lunch, then rode the Luigi ride and checked out more of the Radiator Springs.
Madeleine couldn’t ride any of the rides in Cars Land, but she was a good sport hanging out waiting while the others rode.
After Cars Land, we explored Bug’s World for a bit while waiting for our fast pass to Soarin’ Over the World. Mental note: Don’t do the bumper cars again. The wait is too long, and the ride is too short. The boys agreed.
After Soarin’ over the World (on of the boys’ favorite rides), we walked around a bit and then got in line for the Frozen show. The show was amazing, and the special effects were pretty cool. The only downside was that Madeleine was getting a bit restless towards the end, so I had to take her out and climb over a bunch of people when the lady in front of us glared in disgust at us for the tenth time. :)
We then grabbed some dinner at Flo’s V8 Cafe, which was pretty cool. We ate outside and could see all the Cars Land lit up at night, just like when they go cruisin’ down main street in the movie. From there, Shane and I made quick trip on California Screamin’ before we found a spot to watch the World of Color to finish the evening. It was a great first day!
