Disney during holidays

Ahoy,

The resident rocket scientist (RRS) brought me to Disneyland as a birthday gift in December. I have been so tardy in writing up this experience. The first time I went, I believe I was going into the 6th grade. We came on a family vacation. My mom had booked us with this Chinese tour group thing that brought us all over California. We stopped in Yosemite, Hearst Castle, Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Universal Studios, Seaworld, Disneyland, and probably other places I do not remember at all. I remember we'd have to get up so early to ride on a tour bus that my brother and I would just sleep through. And arriving at the hotels so late that we had no time to utilize the hotel pool. I think much of the trip must have been like herding around cows. We'd get deposited, have x minutes to take a tourist photo, and back on the bus. This is definitely not how I like to travel, and my family agreed. Although I'm sure my parents enjoyed the Chinese announcements and all the other Chinese tourists to talk to.  

Disneyland was not very memorable my first time. I'm not sure if it's because I was so tired of the vacation, or if I was too young, or if it just really wasn't fun. But the RRS and I had a great time this time. And I remember most of it, except the parts where my brain got frazzled from the rides. The whole place was bedecked in holiday attire, which I loved! It was so holiday festive. The weather was rainy all week, and it forecasted a chance of rain the day we went, but it didn't. It was gorgeous and perfect and magical, it wasn't too hot, not too cold (the next day, it was raining pitchforks). We arrived early and left late. Being a seasoned veteran of Disneyland, the RRS knew the lay of the park by heart. He practically grew up at Disneyland. He knew where to go and which rides were the best and in what order. We were incredibly efficient on time; we never really needed to wait for very long for any of the rides. The longest line was probably for gumbo.

In no particular order: Captain Eo, Finding Nemo, Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Astro Blaster, Roger Rabbit, It's a Small World, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Splash Mountain, Snow White, Tarzan, Haunted Mansion, Swiss Family Robinson, Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh, Star Tours. I think my favorite was Astro Blaster. It's like a moving arcade game. You get a gun and shoot at things along the ride that are worth different points and you also can turn your seat. We pretty much went on all the rides in one day, which I'm told is quite a feat.

We got to watch the Mickey Mouse magic show thing on the water at the end of the day. There were people setting up for it hours before it even started, taking up space on the paths. Immediately after, we hightailed our butts over to the castle to watch the fireworks, complete with fake snow and holiday music. It was such a good day of playing.

magically whipped,

jt