Disneyland day 2 dawned much like the previous day (I assume – we didn’t get up until about 8:30) and I headed straight down to the coffee shop for coffee and bagels for Sam and me while she and the kids went upstairs to the “breakfast” area.
We marvelled at the people swilling from the troughs and went back downstairs to our room to get ready to make our next assault on the parks.
First up today was to be California Adventure (CA) – the sister part of Disneyland and included in our three day park-hopper pass. Before we went in there though, we stopped in Disneyland and bought Courtney a pin-trading starter kit.
The pin trading phenomenon at Disneyland is very cool. The kids (and some adults) can trade with cast members and there’s a set of rules stipulating who can trade what with whom.
We got into pins because Courtney was very disappointed that we hadn’t let her buy a cheap electric fan with water squirter. I told her that I’d be much happier if she bought something that would last and would provide her with some memories and something to do. Little did I know how successful that would be.
After buying (and trading a couple of) pins, we made our way across to CA and under the fake Golden Gate Bridge (not to scale).
We picked up FastPass tickets for Soarin’ over California and the World of Color show and wandered around a bit, but we weren’t hugely inspired or impressed with the park so while Sam went back to the hotel to rotate the washing, we made our way back to Disneyland for another Kodak moment.
We waited patiently for Sam in the shade, just near where we said we’d meet her and just as I was starting to think she had mis-heard where we’d arranged to meet her, she appeared and told us a great story about how she found us. The wonders of the modern age.
By this time, Thomas had decided that he wanted to get in on the pin trading caper as well, so Courtney took him off to the shop where she bought her pins to help him choose a starter pack. We were pretty impressed that she found her way there because it was kind of tucked away through a couple of alley ways and through another shop. When Sam and I got there, we couldn’t see them and i assumed they’d lost their way, but they were just squatting down behind the display so we couldn’t see them until we were right there. Soon, Thomas was just as well equipped as Courtney.
Earlier, the kids and I had waited while Sam went to get a FastPass for Splash Mountain. We’d had one for the night before but by the time the fireworks were finished, we decided we didn’t want to go and queue up for another ride. I’m glad we didn’t.
By now our FastPass time for today had come around and we set off for it. As we got closer to the ride the kids, particularly Courtney, began to get less and less enthusiastic about going on it. We brushed their concerns aside with phrases like “if Daddy can go on it, surely you can” and “if you go on it and hate it, I promise I’ll never make you go on another ride”. Courtney still wasn’t convinced.
As we progressed up the queue we passed a sign saying something like “this is your last chance to back out” and it was all we could do to convince her to stay with us. We eventually got to the front of the queue and we got on the ride. The seats are all in a line, one behind the other, so there was no way to sit next to her and give her support that way. She was behind me so I stuck my hand back and let her squeeze it as we clanked off up the first rise.
The ride was pretty cool, with a couple of unexpected drops (including one in the dark) and a few splashes. Courtney was NOT HAPPY. Then came the last drop which is preceded by a nerve-wracking climb that goes on just a little too long for comfort. You feel like you’re going up a long way and all you can see at the top of the climb is an edge that looks like it’s going to be a sheer drop. You slowly tip over the edge and fall rapidly down the slide to the water at the bottom. A huge plume of water is thrown up and we got pretty much wet through.
Courtney was even less happy. By the time we got off the ride she was pretty much crying uncontrollably and it took some time for her to calm down enough just to get to this state.
I guess we’re never making her go on a ride against her will ever again.
As we got off the ride, we ended up at Pooh Corner and we saw the characters in action. They have the procedure down pat. The character emerges from a hidden doorway and makes his or her way smartly to the place they’re going to be hugging, greeting and having photos taken. The don’t look left or right on the way to the place, and they certainly don’t stop (they’ll do a high five on the way past if it doesn’t mean they have to slow down). They have a minder with them to make sure they’re not waylaid. Very slick.
The kids wanted a hot dog for lunch, so we started off for the other side of the park where there was junk food. When we got there, we found Pluto.
We had fun hanging around the cartoon world for lunch.
Next it was time to go back across to CA to go on the Soarin’ over California ride. On the way there were many stops to trade pins and to look at things in shops. Somewhere in here we decided that the kids needed another set of pins to trade and that the least expensive way to do this was to buy a pack of seven pins. We also discovered that Courtney had lost her Minnie Mouse pin – the first one she’d ever traded. She was pretty good about it though.
When we (finally) got to Soarin’, we looked at the ride description and the kids opted out. I stayed with them and Sam went on her own. She came back raving and convinced the kids to come back on it with her again. I waited outside and was pleased to see that they came back all smiles.
Back over to Disneyland, this time to see the All-American College Band who were performing in Main Street. While we waited, Sam went back to the washing again and Courtney met her favourite Disney character.
The band were pretty good and, of course, Courtney was picked out from the crowd to be serenaded by the lower brass while they played “isn’t she lovely”. I’m not sure why she was so shy.
Immediately after the band finished, Sam modelled the versatility of her hiking pants.
Now you see ’em:
Now you don’t
It was getting dark, which meant we should go across to CA to get ready to see the World of Color.
This was a truly spectacular show, worth the day’s admission price on its own. One of the most impressive things though was how they managed to clear the audience from the previous show and get us into place (about 6000 of us) in less than 15 minutes. The really do have the logistics thing down pat.
We wandered home at the end of this magnificent 45 minute spectacle well pleased with our day.
Coates Trip 2011 