Have a Magical Day

[in_the_blue]

...I just got back from Disneyland.

Best things overheard:

1. Near the Hundred Acre Wood, an insistent little guy: "I want to go on THAT one!"
Tired Mom in response: "That's a restaurant."

2. A toddler, maybe 3 years old, in his Buzz Lightyear hoodie singing YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME all the way down the hall, completely off-key and completely heartfelt.

3. One of the attendants at the Tower of Terror: "You might have heard this ride is scary. It's really just like It's a Small World... if that dropped 13 stories at a rate of 32 feet per second squared." *door slams on us*

So that was fun. This was a belated high-school graduation present for my wistful teen. My husband didn't want to go, so we went, and we each had a friend with us. We stayed at the Grand Californian because of easy access to the parks, and went back and forth with such reckless abandon that I don't think I'll ever get the ultraviolet hand stamps erased from my skin.

Sadly, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were both closed at Disneyland, and Soaring Over California was closed at California Adventure, but everything else was fair game. My favorite rides are the crazy ones: California Screaming, Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain. Who's surprised, raise your hands. We also balanced that out with mellow things like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion and went on a few acid-laced rides like The Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh, and managed to wait through one line for the Toy Story video game ride, which is way more fun when you share the ride with someone you know. We also tested the Radiator Springs race car thing, I don't know its official name and I've never seen the Cars movies, but that was pretty fun too. PRO TIP: go in the single rider line. It'll save you an hour.

We walked. And walked. And walked until we could barely move, then walked all over Downtown Disney which is much smaller than it seemed the first time I was there. I'm plenty Disneyed out now, but it was all a whole lot of fun.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. They really did keep telling me to have a magical day, so I did.

Comments

[jothra]

That sounds like you had an excellent time! I'd like to go back to Disney as an adult sometime.

[in_the_blue]

One thing I neglected to say here, but it always strikes me when I'm at Disneyland: No matter how tough or rough a person might be -- I mean, I see everyone from gang members with shaved and tattooed heads to Japanese schoolgirls and everyone in between, every time I go -- they're all kids there, just having a fantastic time. Everyone seems to get lost in the pull of the place. People are patient, they wait their turn in line, they don't bully each other, they're not rude... except for the high schoolers, who are just kind of like that in general. They're the only ones who get caught up in being too cool to enjoy themselves there, so they usually have to mock it. But the real tough guys? They're the biggest teddy bears at the park.

I can't speak to what they're like outside those walls, but inside, they're all smiles and fun.

[deadcellredux]

I AM JEALOUS. I've been to Disney World, once, when I was 8... that was 22 years ago whoops. Good to hear that Disney does have some crazy rides, though (those are my favorite types, too). Also, lolz at the combination of this entry with your "i hate theme parks" tag (I mean, considering you seem to have had a lot of fun, anyway). XD

[in_the_blue]

NEXT TIME YOU GO WITH ME.

Regarding the tag... I had to do it, Faye.

[misslucyjane]

So glad you had a good time :D. I went one spring break with some friends from my dorm, one of whom had never been to any Disney park before, and at the end of the day she sounded so stunned when she said, "It really is the happiest place on earth!"

[in_the_blue]

Haha! Yes, it is. All the signs there proclaim it to be true.

(It was really fun.)

[ceitfianna]

This sounds like fun and tiring in the best way.

[in_the_blue]

Exactly. I'm kind of delighted that it's only an hour and a bit away by air, not that I want to overdo it on Disneyland. But every now and again, it's really fun.

I decided I liked mixing it up on the roller coasters, sometimes riding with eyes open and other times closed. They make for completely different experiences.

[genarti]

This sounds delightful! I've never been to any of the Disney parks, and honestly I'm not sure how much I'd like them if I did, but people-watching there sounds fantastic. I'm glad you guys had a good time!

[in_the_blue]

Here's my top secret hint about the Disney parks, just for you. When the crowds and noise and general too-good-to-be-real bits get to be too overwhelming, we RPers can go in character. That lends a whole other facet to the theme park experience.

[genarti]

...

Oh my god, you're a genius.

[in_the_blue]

You're welcome.