Disneyland Everyday

Today we will arrive in Anaheim.  Tomorrow we will be at Disneyland! We have been reading this blog every single day for 196 days. That's 54% of a year!  So, what can we do to make this trip great?  Read on. Look, I'm not going to tell anyone what to do. I will, however, make a strong suggestion.  You see, the best way to maximize our time at the park is to get there early, for the rope drop.  Now, it's just this cheap old rope that they've used since probably 1955.  The rope itself isn't fancy like you'd think Disney would do.  It's more like the yarn mom used to keep Jeff and I from going upstairs on Christmas morning.   So, the rope isn't why we want to be there early.  Nobody really cares about the actual rope. We want to be there early because that is prime ride time.  Here is a video I took back in May at rope drop.  I know, I know.  It looks like there are a lot of people there.  And yes, we will have to stand ...

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." -Robert Burns I have been so excited for so long for this trip.  Tomorrow we will head for California!  I have planned this out in my mind many, many times.  I take great joy in planning trips and this one has been no exception.  In fact, 195 blog posts in a row should tell you how much I have enjoyed planning this trip.  One day, out of boredom, I planned our first day at Disneyland.  Step-by-step plans on how to attack the park, have fun, honor our Disney traditions, and try new things.  Here's the map I created-I hope this looks okay: 1. We enter through the turnstiles at approximately 7:30am to make sure we get there for rope drop. We can take a family picture here, and maybe we should since the rope won't drop until 8am. 2. After the rope drops we make a bee-line for Pirates of the Caribbean. 3. We make a quick pit-stop at the Mint Julep Bar for some beignets.  On our way to Big Thunder we ...

So, in a day or two I will do a post that gives a few more details about rope drop.  Be on the lookout for that. Here are some random pictures of me, me and Mandy, or Mandy, waiting in line for a ride. Here I am, waiting in line for Cars. Here, Mandy and I are waiting in line for Mater. Here we are in line for Soarin'. Here's Mandy, hustling in excitement to get on the Incredicoaster. Here we are in front of Guardians of the Galaxy. Here are two fun videos.  I think it's cool when the characters walk through the park and interact with guests.  The small children love it.

Lest you forget, rope drop is a thing, a thing I'm going to do. Here's a picture in front of the wheel.  The wheel is a great backdrop for fun, memorable pictures.  It is an awful ride. One of my secret favorite rides is Little Mermaid.  The ride itself isn't that great.  What I really like about it is the line is usually only 5 minutes.  Also, the clamshell seats are comfy.  Also, the ride is climate controlled.  Also, the ride is long enough to get a little rest.  Also, the songs remind me of 1989. A few days ago I made a post out the Disney backpack we use.  If you watch the first of this video carefully you can see that backpack.  It's pretty rugged.  I take it off and put it on so many times in a day at the park.  I drop it on the floor of each ride we do.  It takes a beating, but it holds my snacks just fine! Here's a bad pic of us on the Cars ride: And, just because, let's do one more video.  This one of Mater....

Let's drop the rope!  Or, more accurately, let the "cast members" drop the rope, but we should be there to see them do it! I like Mr. Toad.  It's a strange ride that, based on society today, would never get made, I don't think. It's fun, though!  Plus, you gotta put your hands all over the toad and do your best to get COVID or the flu or some other contagious disease! I like to drive the car!  It's fun.  Look at me smiling and having a great time! The Pinocchio ride is similar to Mr. Toad, but not as popular and not as iconic.  I'd never done it until we went earlier this year. Here's a short video of a "cast member" making a churro.  The video isn't great, it's fine.  The thought of eating a freshly made churro is great! Speaking of snacks, how about the corn dogs?  They are good. The Corn Dog Castle is in DCA down by Goofy's Sky School.  It's fun to eat a dog and then ride Goofy's ride. By the way, the original corn ...

Daily rope drop reminder. I'm really scraping the bottom of the barrel on pictures at this point.  There won't be any rhyme or reason to the next few posts.  It's just going to be a bunch of stuff from when me, Mandy, and Zac went to the parks back in May for his graduation.  Speaking of: It's fun to putter around in a small boat.  It might be fun to do it in the dark, too. The coolest part of this ride is whale.  The rest of the time I think I just like sitting down.

Don't forget (I mean, how could you at this point) that I am planning to make the rope drop.  That means leaving the hotel at 7am and hustling over to the Toy Story Parking Lot. Anyway, here's another Small World post.  The song really isn't that great, but for some reason I keep humming it.  I think it's because I'm pretty excited to go to Disneyland and ride on this ride! These pics and videos are from when Mandy and I went back in May.  That was so fun! Mandy has a video of me making a little baby smile.  We were in line for Small World and the person in front of us had a baby that found me amusing.  Maybe she'll find that video and share it in the group text.

Daily reminder: rope drop.  Leave hotel at 7am! Yes, this is yet another snack post.  I've said it before: I'm a recreational eater.  I can't remember the last time hunger made me eat.  I just like food. Here we have the first time I ate a Cafe Orleans.  Gage had a little hypoglycemic rage and I was a bit tired and hungry too.  Most of the food was good.  The pommes frites and mint juleps were amazing! One time we went and Mandy had her heart set on eating at the Rainforest Cafe.  We made a rezzy weeks before our trip.  It was great!  Every half hour or so there was a thunderstorm with lightning and everything.  The food was good and the atmosphere was fantastic.  A few months after our trip Disney tore it all down.  Oh well.  Zac ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and ate it down while wearing his Ewok souvenir. This boy has his park map in one hand and his churro in the other hand.  Looks good to me! ...

Did someone say rope drop?  Me. It was me.  If you don't know what rope drop is please let me know in the group text.  I will explain it and get you a treat when we get to the park. Here we go with the Teacups again.  I cannot wait to ride this ride!  Maybe we'll ride it at night?  It's pretty cool at night! It's fun in the daylight too. I hope this video posts okay.  It was giving me trouble.  The main thing to see here is just how miserable Jenna is on this ride.  It's funny, but only because I know what it's like to get a little sick on this thing! Oh, and the music is great!

We really need to go to Disneyland.  The fact is, I'm running out of pictures to post!  I haven't gone through this blog and counted all of the pics and videos, but I think it's at least 450!  When we go, we should make sure to take lots of good pics and some good videos so we can keep this blog rolling until the next trip. Here's a really fun picture! One thing that will make our trip fun is if we make sure to be at the park BEFORE the rope drop.  The first 2-3 hours at the park are a dream!  There are very few people there and the lines are short.  We can run from ride to ride! I know, it's tough to make rope drop.  We have to leave our hotel at 7am sharp!  That's tough!  We have to set our alarms, get up early, shower quickly, and even be comfortable being a bit hungry for a few minutes.  But, our efforts will be greatly rewarded! After the first 2-3 hours the crowds will start to show up.  That is when it's important to make the...