We knew that the lines for some of the Fantasyland rides would grow ridiculously long by mid-day, so we ran for Dumbo as the first ride. The line was only about 20 minutes long- the shortest it would be all day. Matt rode with my parents and shrieked with glee as his elephant soared and dipped. Nolan was no less thrilled in our elephant, though he was a bit sad when our ride was over and we had to leave. He was only temporarily unhappy, however, because he spied the carousel and insisted on a ride.
Peter Pan was next on the list, with a 35 minute wait. This would be our longest wait of the day, which means the park was not quite as crowded as we thought it was upon arrival. Nolan dubbed this ride "Boat With Stars," and was quite fond of it. Lunch time rolled around and we headed over to our priority seating reservations at the Orleans Cafe- Dennis and I had the Monte Cristo sandwiches on the brain, and were glad to be seated on the cool patio. The kids had macaroni and cheese, and sitting down in a cool place for lunch was a very good plan.
Rejuvenated, we headed over to Small World. The line was quite long and stagnant, which is unusual. The paramedics appearing on one side with an elderly woman on a gurney let us know the reason for the delay- the heat or the ride must have affected her badly. We were on the ride shortly after that, and the kids absolutely adored it. My cousin's baby fell asleep on the ride, lulled by the song and cool air. Our kids pointed and clapped throughout the ride- this one is definitely a hit for the preschool set.
After Small World, we went to Tomorrowland to get fast passes for Space Mountain- we were going to do the "switch off" option for parents with young children. Our fast passes were for 7:00pm, so we had some time before our scheduled ride. On top of the Space Mountain fast-pass distribution machine, we found valid fast-passes for Buzz Lightyear. Leaving my cousin's sleeping baby with my parents, we hopped on the ride with almost no wait. My parents were wonderful and really helped with the little ones, who couldn't ride some of the rides due to nap-time or height!My cousin's one-year-old was too small for Autopia (they recently enacted a height requirement of 32"), so they stayed with the baby while we rode with the kids. Nolan is quite the crazy driver, but he really loved this one. I pushed the gas pedal and he swerved back and forth. I will not be the one to teach this kid to drive!
I had read about the Jedi Training Academy online, and was determined to get Matt to the show. I desperately hoped he would be picked, because he is very outgoing and in love with anything "Jedi." He has never actually seen a Star Wars movie, but he gets the general idea. After the "Master Jedi" had selected many children, a despondent Matt thought he was not chosen. He started to give up, but then they called out his description: "The boy in the red shirt with stripes!" Never has there been more joy for the little guy. Matt took the training quite seriously- donning his robe and practicing the moves they taught him. He fought Darth Maul (he took this a little too seriously- I thought he was going to beat the character to death with the plastic light saber). At the end of the show, he received a Jedi Training Academy certificate. He is quite pleased with it, and is convinced he is now a real Jedi!
Adventureland was calling, and we rode the Jungle Cruise with all of the little ones. The line was short, the ride was cool, and there were lots of animals for the kids to look at. Matt got the front-row seat, which he loved.
The Tiki Room followed, which was my cousin's baby's favorite attraction. He bobbed and danced through the entire show! My only regret was not getting a Dole Whip (they are delicious).We headed back to Tomorrowland and Matt rode Star Tours for the first time. I thought it was scaring him, because he leaned over and said something to me during the ride. I thought he said, "I'm scared of this ride." Afterward, he was all smiles and said, "NO, Mom. I said I meant to go on that ride!" Matt has now entered the age of "big boy" rides, which is a rather nice phase to enter.
The grown-ups then rode Space Mountain (I wasn't ready to try Matt out on that ride quite yet), and it broke down just after we exited. I was bummed for my parents- we were doing a switch-off and they weren't able to ride because it broke down before they could get on. We headed over for dinner at the Red Rocket's Pizza Place, then went over to California Adventure so my cousins could see Soarin' Over California. This ride is incredible, and feels like you are really flying over the orange groves and ocean. Matt rode his second "big boy" ride of the day, declaring it "the most favorite ride ever!" The switch-off worked for this ride, and my parents were able to ride it after we got off.
Judging by the exhaustion on Matt's face, we decided to leave the park after this ride.
The hotel was only about 15 minutes away, and we gratefully crashed into the beds and fell asleep. Disneyland, Day 2: here we come!
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