I took advantage of my parents being in town and drove down to LA (sans In) for Disneyland. We went last year back in March when it wasn't peak season. So I was a bit nervous about going to Disneyland in mid July (the crowds! the heat!), but there was no crazy heat wave and we managed to stay away from the crowds by going early in the morning.
We spent three days at Disneyland/Disney Grand California Park and Audrey absolutely had a blast. It was totally worth it for me, as a parent, to see how much fun she was having and taking in all the magical moments at the happiest place on earth.
Audrey met a lot of her favorite Disney characters. However, Elliot was not digging the character meet 'n greet.
We did most of the rides that we planned on riding (except for this one ride in Cars Land where the wait was at least 2 hrs!) with no more than 10~15 minutes of waiting. We were able to pull it off by getting to the park bright and early.
Audrey surprised me by going on Splash Mountain and a couple of other thrill rides.
This was my very first time in Disney California Adventure Park and I have to say, Cars Land was quite impressive. It literally looked like it popped out of a scene from the movie.
Audrey was in heaven for three days, but Elliot was a differnt story. He did not enjoy Disneyland as much as I was hoping he would. He was afraid of all the characters and he especially hated all the rides that are dark. He was very clingy and I pretty much had to carry him in my arms all the time. But he was a trooper and we made the most of it.
Going with the grandparents had its advantages: $8 balloons. For each kid.
And Mickey Mouse ice cream bars every day.
The highlight of the Disneyland trip for Audrey has to be the parades. She was totally into the whole thing and waved and shouted hi to practically all the characters in the parade. Disney magic at its best! She couldn't sit still. It was so worth it for me to see her so happy and enjoying the parade. (One thing Elliot did like at Disneyland was the parade, especially the one at Disneyland.)
Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better trip to Disneyland. It was nice to go with an extra set of adults to help out with the kids. Going early in the morning when the park first opened was the way to go to beat the crowds (and avoid the hot sun). We did all the rides in the morning and was out of the park by noon. We all took a break/nap and went back to the park in the afternoon, mostly for the parades and shows. We skipped the night shows. 9:30 pm is simply way too late for my kids. I'll save that for future visits.
I personally love amusement park thrill rides. The higher, the taller, the longer, the louder I can scream, the better. But I didn't go on a single roller coaster and I am fine with that. I still had an absolutely wonderful time. It was all about Audrey and Elliot. Especially Audrey enjoyed the magic of Disneyland and with that, mission accomplished.
