Day 18 - Disneyland

He Said:  We made great time in the morning. Up, dressed and out the door in plenty of time for the 'Toontown Morning' early admission we had. We were at the gate by 7, before anyone was there. Except for security, who promptly made us leave the promenade. Apparently it's entry an hour early to Toontown, which opens an hour AFTER the park does. So, basically park time.  We waited for an hour, then went to Toontown. The girls met a few people, there was a song&dance, everyone got a pin, and we explored the houses.  Gillian blew up a fireworks factory, electrocuted herself, and they both got thrown in jail.  After that it's a blur. Oh, Small World was surprisingly good. I don't remember it being that long, plus they've incorporated some of their newer movies.  I know this is all one big marketing campaign, but somehow Disney gets a pass.  Everything is very well done.  The sightlines, the cleanliness, the paint on the carousel. Details.  We did Pirates of the Caribbean (still my second favorite after Peter Pan), and The Haunted Mansion. Both girls were scared at first and during, but both say they'll go back.  Then there was the jungle cruise, with it's traditionally corny jokes, Tarzan's playhouse (I waited while Shannon took the girls), athe Tiki Tiki room, and who knows what else. Oh, a parade.  Mostly kids dancing and doing flips, not much on the characters.  Definitely not as good as some I've seen.  We had ice cream, caught a Pixar parade that the kids like, ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, and went to bed around 9. All in all the kids were great. Gillian is really being good. She's walking while the other two are in strollers without a complaint, understanding when we pass on a ride with the promise to do it the next day, and so on. Mara tries, but she gets tired towards the end. Ryan's been nothing but pleasant. Can't say I recall a signle tantrum, and he sleeps anywhere. All in all, an awesome day. Oh, and we checked into our new room around 5, to find bunkbeds! The kids were ecstatic. Once agian, something simple like bunkbeds is more impressive to them than animatronic pirates. It is killer hot, but we're managing, the rides are amazing, the place is clean,
She said:
Disneyland sure sets the bar high.  Since I was about 18 or so (the year the roller coaster at WEM crashed) I've never been interested in going on rides at "the fair".  I figure some loser who's making $5 an hour has my life in his hands and that just isn't worth the thrill.  And the thrill was never that great anyway - a little flutter in my stomach or complete pukey spinny icky feeling - who spends money to feel that way?!?  Plus your clothes get filthy from the seats that are never cleaned, the bars and belts to keep you in the ride are uncomfortable at best and downright painful at worst and you're never quite sure what is making your shoes stick to the pavement.  Well, I spent my time in lineups in Disneyland looking for flaws.  There were none.  No paint chip, no dust, no dirt.  Oh that grey bit in the horse mane on the carousel?  That's not dust - that's grey paint to add depth.  I reached up to feel the corner where 2 parts of the wooden girders met above our heads in the line up and there was no dirt there.  Nobody can even see that corner and yet it is someone's job to clean it on a regular basis.  Perhaps it's not rational - but it made me feel safe on the rides.  If they pay that much attention to making sure the paint job on Pinocchio's nose is perfect then they probably spend just as much time on making sure the ride functions properly.