Disneyland Vacation Part 1

Sunday, September 29, 2019

We did pretty well getting out the door this morning. I got up at 5:30am and rode my stationary bike and got ready. Our goal was to leave at 8am and we left a little bit before 9am. As we approached Phoenix, we saw something in the sky but we couldn’t figure out what it was.  We finally saw it when we got closer—it was a huge sign being pulled by a small airplane.  It was a Geico advertisement, lol!  

We stopped at our regular rest stop and then stopped for lunch in Blythe. Unfortunately, it was down to one lane on the 60 and there was other traffic as well so it took us about an extra hour to get here. We pulled into the Del Sol Inn at 4:40pm. Our room is decent, even though it’s a little small. There’s plenty of room for all of us to sleep so that’s nice. It took me a little time to get everything situated so we could find space for everything. We went to dinner at Captain Kidd’s buffet. It wasn’t the greatest food but it was fine and it was a good variety. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and grabbed the rest of the stuff from the car and came up to get ready for bed. Jonathan was dying to go swimming or into the hot tub, so I went down with him. I don’t know how people can stand it because it was pretty chilly, but he liked it. 

Monday, September 30, 2019

We got up super early today. We went to bed last night at about 9:30 or 9:45pm, and then this morning everybody was up around 5:30am. I woke up at about 1am thinking it was morning because there’s so much light coming into our hotel room. The lights to guide your way to the rooms stay on all night and they’re super bright and make it seem like daylight all night long. One more reason not to stay at the Del Sol Inn again. We got all ready to go and the kids headed to breakfast at 7am and then Michael and I joined them and we headed over to Disneyland by about 7:15am. We got through security easily and got in line. 

They let us through the gates at about 7:45 AM and we went over to the rope drop by Frontierland. We headed straight for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge to the Millennium Falcon ride. It was a long walk through the queue, but we didn’t really have to wait and got right in. Andrew and I were pilots, Michael and Jonathan were the gunners, and Emily and Daniel were the engineers. 

They told me my responsibility was to press the brakes and not hit the train, but I didn’t even know where it was. After that, we stopped and put on sunscreen and used the bathroom and then walked over to the Haunted Mansion to use our Fastpass. That had been our plan this morning and it worked out perfectly. After the Haunted Mansion, Michael couldn’t resist going on Splash Mountain because the standby wait was only five minutes. 

Next, we went to Big Thunder Mountain and used our Fastpass. Then we headed over to Indiana Jones to use our Fastpass, but the Fastpass line seemed almost longer than the standby line. It wasn’t too bad and we got in and out pretty quickly. After that I decided we should go get in line to see Jack Skellington and get a picture for Jonathan. It was on his must-do list. He wanted to get the picture while he was wearing his Jack Skellington shirt, but the pictures are only in Disneyland and he’s wearing that shirt tomorrow. We were in line for at least 40 minutes.  

Nathaniel got on Hangouts as we were waiting in the line. As soon as we were done with getting our picture, we darted over to Café Orleans to check in for our lunch reservation at 11:40am. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for a table.  We were able to talk with Nathaniel for a little while, but it was pretty loud in the restaurant so it was hard to hear.  If you look closely, he's in the picture because he is on a video call with us on Michael's phone.

When we were done eating, we walked straight over to Tomorrowland to use our Space Mountain Fastpasses.  

Next, we went to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters where I did a terrible job and Michael beat me severely. We weren’t sure what to do next because it was a while until our next Fastpass, so we got some churros and some sodas and sat down and made a plan.  First, we went to Star Wars Launch Bay. The kids played around for a little bit and then we went to have our picture taken with Chewbacca. 

He was pretty funny. We all had a picture with him and then I asked if I could have a picture with him, so he thought I meant a picture of just him so there are some cute pictures of him posing for my picture by himself and me laughing in the background. 

When Michael was leaving, he had a hard time finding the door and Chewbacca had a good laugh about it and was making fun of him. By then it was time to head to Star Tours. Andrew was the rebel spy on our flight. Next, we headed over to the Matterhorn bobsleds. Jonathan and I didn’t want to ride so we found a place in the shade to sit and wait for everybody. When they were done on the Matterhorn, we went over to it’s a small world. 

Then we headed over to the Jolly Holiday Bakery and Café for a treat. Jonny had the Mickey Mummy macaron, I had the Matterhorn macaroon, and Andrew had the raspberry macaron. Emily, Michael, and Daniel went to the shop on Main Street that sells treats and Emily got a big Rice Krispies treat with M&Ms on it and Michael got his peanut butter bar. Daniel wouldn’t eat anything.
After our treats, we headed back to the hotel to rest for a little while. Jonathan had wanted to go back for a few hours, and Emily started wanting to as well. We got to the hotel room at about 5:30. We laid down for about an hour and got up and got ready and left a little after 7pm. We made it to Big Thunder Mountain by 7:30pm to use our Fastpasses. After that we wanted to get some dinner. Andrew really wanted to go to Rancho del Zocalo restaurant, but I knew Jonathan wouldn’t want that. So instead he and I went to the Red Rose Tavern and everybody else had Mexican. The Red Rose Tavern was really good. Jonathan had the kid’s cheese pizza and I had the beef poutine and a gray stuff gateau. 

By the time we were done eating it was 8:40pm and time to go to the Main Street Electrical Parade. Michael really wanted to see it so Jonathan and I met him over in Fantasyland to watch it. Tonight was the last night for it, maybe forever but I’m not sure. The line for the teacups was so short that we decided to ride them toward the end of the parade. 

Emily, Andrew, and Daniel all took the train from New Orleans Square to Tomorrowland to go on Autopia. Once the parade was over, Michael, Jonathan, and I all rode the Alice in Wonderland ride. We still hadn’t heard from Emily and the boys, so we walked over to watch Halloween Screams on the Sleeping Beauty Castle. They caught up to us there and we watched the show. 

Jonathan wanted to ride Peter Pan and so did I, but the other kids didn’t so Michael took them to Pirates. Jonathan and I ended up making it to the Millennium Falcon ride before the rest of them. We had our picture taken and then got on the ride. 

This time Emily and Andrew were pilots, Jonathan and I were gunners, and Daniel and Michael were engineers. 

By the time the ride was over, the park was closed and we walked out and walked to the hotel. We had prayer and sent the kids to bed. We walked about 12 miles today. Hopefully the kids will let us sleep in tomorrow.  I couldn't resist a picture of the decorated entrance to California Adventure, where we'll be going to the Oogie Boogie Bash party tomorrow.