Disneyland: California Vacation, Day 10

I love Disneyland. I don't particularly love heavy crowds and long lines, so I was thrilled to find out that the week of August 15th is the week before annual pass-holders can return to the parks. It is also the week after most kids in Southern California have returned to school.

Dennis's parents bought us tickets to get into the park, and we drove down to Anaheim on Thursday morning. There was absolutely no traffic on the way down.

We were parked and in Tomorrowland by 10:45am. We ate lunch early and waited at the Tomorrowland Terrace for my all-time favorite Disney show with kids: The Jedi Training Academy. The last time we were at Disneyland, Nolan was two years old and very shy, so not really able to participate. Matt did it and loved it, so we went for it again on this trip. 

Nolan and Matt were chosen right away - their aunt made sure to create signs that read, "The Force is strong with my super ears," and "Pick or pick not, there is no try." Yes, she is amazing. Nolan was placed on stage right next to the Jedi Master.

Matt was a little further down the stage. The boys were in their element, and practiced their Jedi moves.

Darth Vader arrived on the scene and Matt bravely fought against the Dark Side.

Nolan absolutely loved fighting Darth Vader and fought with gusto.

He had a special part in the show, and was asked to use the Force to push back the storm troopers. He pushed them back with his hands, and the Jedi Master told him the Force was strong with him.

At the end of the show, the boys were dubbed "Padawans" and received their diplomas. 

After the Jedi Training Academy, we walked over to the Matterhorn and got in line. The sun was rather bright and the day was hot, so Grandma and Grandpa took the boys to buy some hats while we waited in line. The line wasn't very long, and within 15-20 minutes we were at the front! The grandparents and boys arrived and we jumped into our bobsleds.The boys loved the ride - they aren't afraid of anything.

Since it was hot, we jumped in line for It's a Small World. The line for this ride moves very quickly and we were happily sitting in the air conditioning within a few minutes. The boys are really at a perfect age. They love all the rides - from the roller coasters to the kiddie rides. Disneyland is perfect for five and six year olds! After Small World, Aunt M.E. and I took the kids on the teacups. The rest of our party opted out of the spinning ride.

Once we were done with the teacups, we walked toward Frontierland and hopped on Thunder Mountain. Matt was absolutely thrilled!

After the "wildest ride in the wilderness," we walked over to New Orleans Square and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. Nolan was absolutely fascinated by the ride - he couldn't figure out how they made it look like nighttime. It was still rather hot, so we stopped for ice cream after that ride. 

We discussed the Haunted Mansion. The boys hadn't been frightened by anything so far, so we asked them if they wanted to ride it. We called it the "Singing Ghost Ride," and told them that people liked to scream in the stretching room. The boys have seen the ride on their Disneyland Fun DVD, so they were game for it. Matt was a little more nervous than Nolan, so he rode with Dennis and me. He was absolutely fine throughout the ride, and was very impressed with how realistic the "ghosts" were. 

We are always very honest about the rides and tell them everything is pretend. Matt and Nolan were both interested in how the special effects were produced, and we talked about projectors, glass, and mirrors. This really helps make the rides less frightening, at least for our kids.

We rode Splash Mountain next, which was Nolan's favorite ride, hands-down. He just loved it! I'm not a huge fan of water flume rides, but survived it and was glad we all did it together. 

We had dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ place. The price was high, but the food was excellent. Ribs, chicken, sausages, corn, cornbread, and beans were served family style. They had little shows during dinner and the boys jumped up on the stage to dance.

The quiet sit-down dinner was wonderful for rejuvenating everyone. The sun started to dip, and the evening air was warm and comfortable. The evening parade was about to start, so Aunt M.E. and Uncle D. secured spots while we ran over to Star Tours. The new version of Star Tours is a lot of fun. C3PO drives the starspeeder, and the 3D effects really add a lot to the ride. I really loved zooming through the AT-AT's on Hoth. The boys were happily shouting throughout the ride.

We hopped off the ride just in time for the parade, and watched all of the floats go by. We all enjoyed the parade, then scooted onto Buzz Lightyear for a quick ride.

Our children decided they really preferred Uncle D. and Aunt M.E. to Mom and Dad. Apparently, they're just more fun.

We jumped in line for Space Mountain as the sun went down. This is my favorite ride, hands-down. I absolutely love it.

Matt and Nolan were excited by the idea of a roller coaster in space, and gladly hopped into the roller coaster cars. At not-quite five years old, Nolan loved the ride. Matt jumped off the roller coaster and declared, "That was really well done!" So kudos, Imagineers. My six year old heartily approves (and so does his mother).

We left Tomorrowland and walked to our last ride of the evening: the Jungle Cruise. Our skipper was full of laughs, and everyone really enjoyed riding past the hippos and seeing the backside of water. It was time for the fireworks, so everyone had a snack of ice cream and churros, then sat and watched the amazing fireworks display.

We left the park at about 10:00pm, and called the day perfect. The kids were asleep within minutes of getting into the car, and we made it back to Oxnard by midnight. It was an absolutely fantastic day!