Disneyland Adventure, Part 3

Day three was just as exciting as days one and two, so get comfortable, we've got a lot to cover.

Thursday morning was a perfect, sunny Southern California morning, complete with long lines at the entrance gate. We had early-entry passes and thought the extra hour would ensure no crowds, but I guess everyone had the same passes. Walking in that morning, I was amused by every one's excited, yet already exhausted expressions.

On the third and final day of our Disneyland portion of the vacation, we decided to make sure to hit the remaining attractions that we wanted to see.

At the top of that list was Nemo's Undersea Adventure, a submarine ride through the story of the movie, Finding Nemo. It was super cute and neat for all ages, even Lana liked peering out her little porthole and taking in the sites. I think it's the longest ride we went on, clocking in at about 12 minutes. Next up was Autopia, where riders got the opportunity to drive the cars of the FUTURE! Well, apparently the cars of the future are slow and on a track. Clint really liked it though and proudly showed off his driver's license. He drove with Dan, who after the ride wished Scott and Jen good luck with Clint's driving future.

Jen took Sandy over to the tea cups and Sandy sure enjoyed herself, although Jen looked a bit green toward the end. Even though it's a Disneyland Classic, the rest of us stayed far, far away from that potentially vomit-inducing ride.

We trooped across the park to take in Indiana Jones again (it's just as cool the second time) and took Lana to the show at the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was cheesy and corny and once Lana got settled down, she loved it. It's a pretty fun show for little kids and a nice break from pushing through the crowds. We decided to make one last stop at Disneyland before heading over to Disney's California Adventure for the rest of the day.

Yes, Lana finally got her turn at the Mad Hatter shoppe for her official mouse ears.She's an adorable Minnie Mouse, but she wouldn't leave her ears on for more than a few seconds.

Over at DCA we hit the Grizzly Rapids, a fun river-raft style ride that definitely will get you wet.

We also went on the Monsters Inc. ride which was done really well and made especially for little kids. Imagine Lana's delight when she got the chance to meet the star of Monsters Inc, Sully himself. She loved that big blue monster and he was so good and sweet to her.Most of the adults went on California Screamin', an awesome roller coaster complete with sound effects and Mickey's Big Wheel, a ginormous Ferris wheel that overlooks the entire park.

That night, every one, sans me and Lana, went back to re-fill their cup of Disneyland fun. Rides were ridden again and fun and merriment had. Lana needed to catch up on her rest. I laid her down at 8:00 and she was softly snoring by 8:05. My head hit the pillow at 8:30 and I was alseep (not snoring, ladies don't snore, we breathe deeply) by 8:33. Dan woke me when he came in, telling me how drenched and cold he was from riding Splash Mountain again.


This trip was about having fun together as a family, but it was also about grandparents enjoying their grandkids. Lana, Grant, Clint and Sandy have no idea all the planning, travel preparations, reservations and work that went into their Dinseyland adventure, but they definitely know how much their grandparents love them.My Mom and Dad are great grandparents and I know they loved tromping around Disneyland with their grandkids. They got to really see how excitable and enthusiastic Clint can be, how talkative and curious Sandy can get, how independent and headstrong Lana can be, and how sweet and content little Grant is.


Oh, and don't think that just because we're done with Dinseyland, we're done with the vacation. Stick around for notes from the zoo, coming next....