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After our big Disneyland adventure, we had more excitement: nonna came to visit us for 10 days. It was a special trip, as it was the first time she flew alone and she stayed at our house. Everyone was a little nervous, but she handled the trip wonderfully and I bet she is now fully confident about traveling alone.

We were a little sad nonno could not join her and that it was only for 10 days, but we got the most out of it. The weather, while not magnificent, was nice enough for her to enjoy some peace and quiet (in the morning) on the deck and yard. Keegan was very happy to see her, and he loved all the extra attention. We were also very happy to have her spend time with us, and cook for us, of course. There was a lot of playing around, reading books, painting and simply goofing around.

During the long President’s Day weekend, she babysit more than her share: Keegan had two days off, so he spent the morning of Valentine’s Day at home with her.

what a little heart-breaker!
 

That night, Matt and I had a nice date night. We scored last minute tickets to the TAO: Taiko Japanese Drummers and as always, it was an amazing show.

The next day we hit Pacific Beach. Keegan did not want to swim in the water but we had a lot of fun playing in the sand. It was also the perfect backdrop for photos.

Evan Keegan wanted to get in the photo-action: I have to say that, despite the extreme angle, he is getting quite good at taking photos. Maybe he’s just trying to be artistic.

Mom very kindly offered to watch the little guy, so Matt and I were able to spend a night alone in a hotel. Yeah! Almost 24 hours alone. We stayed in Del Mar and had a beautiful dinner at a restaurant…and then slept in the following morning…what a concept! Thank you mom!

Monday was a holiday for all of us, so we headed to the Midway Museum, a retired aircraft open to the public. It was fun, as always. Right across the bay we were also able to see two real aircraft carriers, docked off Coronado.

Keegan wanted to test all the possible airplanes, and dragged nonna with him.

For once, the upper deck was not too windy, so again, lots of great photo ops.

Keegan goofing around

After a long visit, we rewarded ourselves with a great lunch at the FishMarket, a beautiful restaurant right on San Diego Bay. Of course Keegan did not even tried the fish, but I enjoyed a wonderful swordfish sandwich.

Unfortunately, the visit was over too soon, and on Wednesday we had to take nonna at the airport. It was sad to see her go, but we had wonderful memories to keep us company till we will meet again. And lucky Keegan got one last present: a small, soft penguin to remember nonna by. He called it Penny and it became immediately one of the favorites, and earned the much sought after role of “sleeping buddy”. See you soon nonna (and nonno)!

Keegan, Penny, and his favorite monster blanket

Penny is going to Spring Camp

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We all slept soundly after the long day at California Adventure. Keegan woke up at 6.30am, and he said he had bad dreams about the spooky hotel. He got to watch his movie while we rested some more. Then we had breakfast downstairs, pack up, and check out. Another cool thing about this hotel: they let us leave the car in the garage, for half the price of Disneyland’s parking…and it was closer. So, whatever the hotel lacked in amenities, it made up in convenience.

We headed excitedly to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth…well I am really not sure this is the case: how can a place with huge crowds, tons of kids and no booze be the happiest place on earth?

Anyway, on Mondays the park opens at 10am, and we immediately went to one of the most popular rides, and from what I remembered from my first and last visit 12 years ago, one of the coolest: Indiana Jones Adventures. The wait was only 10 minutes, so we went right in, after getting a fast pass for later. The waiting itself is cool, as you wind your way to the ride inside what it looks like an old temple with strange artifacts and inscriptions on the walls.(google images)

The ride is in an oversized jeep. Keegan was getting nervous. Honestly I did not remember what the ride was about, except that I liked it. Unfortunately Keegan hated it, as he repeated multiple times afterwards. It was very shaky, and very dark. Ooops. He refused to ride it again…so much for our fast pass.It was a bummer, since I still liked it a lot.

Next we went to the Pirates of The Caribbean. Once again, almost no lines. It is a boat ride, in a dark cavern. There were two drops, and some water splashing, but Keegan was OK with it.

They changed it a little since I saw it: they got rid of the most risque’ animatron and added Jack Sparrow, as it appears in the movie played by Johnny Depp. (Johnny Depp and his animatron. Google images)

We hit Fantasyland next: the Peter Pan Ride was already jam packed, so we did the Pinocchio and Snowhite rides: nothing to write home about it. Unfortunately It’s A Small World was closed: I am sure Keegan would have enjoyed it.

Then we headed to Tomorrowland.The first ride we went to was Star Tours. This is a motion simulated attraction  based on Star Wars. You are in a ship piloted by r2d2 and cp3o and fly through a variety of dangerous situations.The cool thing about this ride is that the wait is very pleasant. The huge screen shows travel videos for different Star Wars locations, the droids quarrel and complain, and the walk to the ride is made more interesting by a droid scanning checked luggage and cracking jokes.

The ride itself was awesome! It really felt like you were flying through space. After that we headed to the monorail which was Keegan’s wish since yesterday.

Honestly, not that great, but he enjoyed riding in it. I liked the train ride better, since you got to see more of the park, as well as a re-creation of prehistoric world. Keegan loved the train as well.

We tried to convince him to ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds, a cool roller coaster inside a fake mountain, but I think Keegan used up all his courage and was DONE with scary rides. Oh well, next time. So, we waited instead for 30 minutes for Autopia: you wait forever to live the experience of being stuck in traffic on California highways, while you are trying to go faster but you can’t…basically your morning commute. Fortunately the car in front of us was not slow and did not stop, so the ride was not as painful. The Matterhorn ride was in the background, mocking us, so close and so far…You are welcome Keegan!

Next stop: Innoventions. Keegan was mostly interested in the Iron Man 3 exhibits. All the suits he wore were on display and he got to pose with them.

The coolest part, though, was the virtual reality game. He stood in front of the screen, and then he was able to control the Iron Man on the screen with his motions. He could even shoot missiles with his bare hands.

Downstairs, we got to participate to an interactive storytelling of Peter Pan: as the story was read, real shadows, lighting, etc. would appear in the room. Pretty fun.

Our next ride was Buzz Lightyear Astroblaster. You rode into a car, and used your laser guns to shoot targets, accumulating points. Matt won every time.

Our next stop was Mickey’s Toontown. This is where Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Goofy live.

We rode on a small roller coaster, and rode the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin.. Meh. We also visited Goofy and Mickey Mouse’s houses. Fortunately Keegan did not want to pose for a photo with them: the lines were huge.

We walked through all the other lands too: we visited Tarzan’s tree house and took a boat ride, among many animated animals in Adventureland; we strolled down Main street; we look at Frontierland and Critter Country; and enjoyed the view in new Orleans Square: we even got to ride the Pirates ride again. We walked through the Sleeping Beauty Castle, and admired the pretty Merry Go Round.

As the sun set, we headed back to Tomorrowland. Star Tours had a very short line, so we decided to ride it again. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the movie was different. In fact, we talked to another rider who said that the simulated movies are always different. We put his theory to the test: Keegan really wanted to ride again and there was no line, so we did ride 5 times in a row. He was right: we never got the same movie. Some parts were the same, but each movie had at least one or two unique sections. How great!

After the fifth time,  though, is was getting very late, and I was getting queasy, so we headed to the store. We promised Keegan 1 souvenir, and he choose a light saber. In the shop they had a cool, build your own saber.

Since it was pretty late, we were lucky to have one of the store people helping Keegan build what he wanted.

He was pretty excited!

The park was about to close, so we headed towards the exits. We walked through Fantasyland again: the line for the Peter Pan ride was still over an hour. Well, it was not meant to be. The castle, which Keegan recognized from all his videos, looked magical at night.

Before leaving, we had one more stop in front of the flower Mickey.Goodbye Disneyland!

After a quick stop at McDonalds, we got our car and headed to San Diego. Keegan fell asleep the moment he got in his car seat…it was almost 9pm, after all, and once again, we spent more than 10 hours at the park. I barely kept awake, but I was sure glad to hit the bed.

So, we survived our first trip to Disneyland with a child in tow. I have to say it went very well, and we are very happy. Keegan behaved wonderfully, it was fun to see him getting excited about all the rides, the lines were manageable, and the rides were fun. We are missing it already, and we will be back for sure.

Maybe it is the happiest place on earth, after all!

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Keegan has been asking about Disneyland for the past couple of years, or at least since his friends went. We have been postponing the trip, even if I really like Disneyland.

We wanted to make sure that:
1) he would be able to go on all day without nap (with the price of the tickets, we wanted our money’s worth)
2) he would be able to wait in line without whining and complaining
3) he would be tall enough for most rides
4) and last but not least, he would be old enough to remember it

So, we settled on 6 years old. Surprisingly enough, though, he did not start asking as soon as he turned 6. In fact, he did not even asked once since his birthday.

However, we decided that we would try to plan it for one of the least popular times of the year, and we chose Superbowl Sunday and following Monday. February is also great for tickets, as Disneyland offers discounted tickets to Southern Californians during their slow times. After frantic research and planning we left on Saturday early afternoon, and headed to Anaheim Desert Inn. We did not find too much traffic, and Keegan who did not sleep, did not even complain much about the almost two hours ride.

We picked this place because it was the closest hotel to the parks’ entrance that would offer some kind of suite (as in a lockable bedroom with separate sleeping couch). It was also affordable, as it was basically an upgraded motel, had a decently priced parking, an inside pool and jacuzzi and a fireworks viewing deck. Bonus! As we settled in, we realized that Keegan was literally bouncing off the walls, so we took a quick trip to the pool. The water was not too warm, so we just relaxed in the jacuzzi. After a quick dinner, we went to the roof to watch the fireworks. Pretty awesome.

It was almost 9 by the time Keegan hit the sack, and we went to bed shortly after. He woke up a few times, finally getting up at 5.45am. We set him up with a video, and tried to catch a little more sleep. After a quick breakfast, we headed to California Adventure Park at 8am, as it opened. First stop: the Radiator Springs Racers ride fast pass. Lucky for us, some of the most popular rides have this wonderful fast pass: you get a ticket and return to the ride at a predefined time for little or no wait. There are limits on how many you can get at a time, but still they are a wonderful thing, especially for Radiator Springs Racers ride.

Don’t get fooled by what it seems like a small line: look closely at the front wheel: the wait is 80 minutes (and it is not the longest we have seen). We had to wait a few minutes in line for the pass, but we got it, for 11.50am! So we strolled around Carland, a wonderful recreation of Pixar cars’ world.

We got the chance to ride on other, less popular rides, such as Luigi’s Flying Tires or Mater Junkyard jamboree…

The morning time was really quiet, and not crowded. We also strolled around, watching the beautiful, fake scenery. It really made me want to go to Utah, to see the real stuff. Springtime, maybe?

We got to take a picture with a real size, talking Lighting McQueen.

Finally our fast pass time arrived, and we went to the most anticipated ride. It was great to breeze by the huge lines.

ready to ride

The ride was great. It starts slow, simply cruising through majestic arches and rocks, and seeing some of the main characters of the movie, talking to you. Then, you’re starting a very fast race. Guido e Luigi are wishing you luck.

It was hard to take good picture of the ride, so I went to trusty Google to find some cool ones.

It was very cool. We rushed to the fast pass station, but unfortunately, they were all sold out for the day, at 12pm! We kept on checking during the day, but the line never got shorter than 1 hour, so we did not ride again.

As we were walking through Carland, we saw Mater and McQueen driving by. Not sure if they are RC or if someone is really driving them. In either case, it is pretty cool to see them (and follow them).

Carland is not all there is to see, even if it is probably the coolest part.We went to see Paradise Pier next, a recreation of an amusement park or carnival. The most prominent part in it is a huge Ferris Wheel. Keegan wanted to ride in a swinging gondola, so we waited patiently for our turn. Once we got inside, and we started moving, Keegan realized he has not made a good choice:by swinging gondolas, they really meant swinging, as wildly moving back and forth from very high altitudes. He was terrified, and covered his eyes. I have to say I was a little scare too…but he could not complain, since he chose it.

Lucky for him he was too small for the huge roller coaster (and too bad for us), but we had our thrills in Goofy Sky School, a smaller roller coaster. We even got to see some beautiful dances in honor of the lunar new year. We rode a few other carnival attractions, like the Silly Symphony Swing, or the Jumping Jellyfish, or the spinning Golden Zephyr. We even tried the mellow Ariel Undersea Adventure, a boat ride within the Little Mermaid Story.

We brought our lunch, and Keegan got his long wished for treat: cotton candy. As we were enjoying it, we happened upon one of the many water shows, paired with classic music and Goofy as the director.

We went to see Bug’s Land next, and we watched a 4D movie about being insects: it was really fun, with interesting special effects, such as water, air, huge spiders hanging from the ceiling and of course and excellent 3D. Keegan was a little scared. He enjoyed the bug bumper cars a lot more.

We strolled though Hollywoodland, the recreation of old Hollywood. Of course there are rides there too. Keegan especially enjoyed Monster Inc ride, and since there was not a long line, we got to ride it three times. My favorite part was the end, when the big female monster would inspect your car and commented on something specific. One time she said that she saw Keegan doing “googly eyes” at her, and said “cheese” as I was shooting a photo. The second time, she reproached Keegan for calling her slimy monster, saying it was not nice.

In Holliwoodland they also had the frat house from Monster University.

The big attraction in Holliwoodland, however, is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It is very popular, and we could only get a fast pass for 7pm. (photo from google)

So, we strolled around some more, and we went to the Soaring Over California ride: it was a really cool simulated ride over the most iconic California destination. It was pretty awesome. Finally we settled in, as the sun went down, to watch the parade.

So very cool: characters, acrobats, music…so fun. I love parades.

After the parade, we stopped by our hotel: so convenient only having to walk 5 minutes. We put on warm clothes, and headed for dinner. After dinner, back to the park again, for our long awaited ride. As we got closer, and got in line, Keegan started to get nervous. At night, the “hotel” looked a lot scarier and spookier. (google image)

The ride is based on a Twilight Zone Episode, and starts by showing you the intro for it, in which the hotel get zapped by lightening, and the people riding in the elevator “step into a nightmare”. Fortunately we met a friendly girl that, upon request, explained Keegan exactly was what going to happen: we board an elevator, strap into our seat, then we start a ride in darkness to the top, watch a video, and get dropped twice, then pushed back up. The doors open to see the whole resort hundred of feet below us, before you get dropped down twice, pushed back up, doors open again, car starts shaking, a photo is taken and then you get dropped one more time. I am not sure this reassured him or not, but at least he knew what to expect.

If you want to get a feel for what the ride is about check out one this video taken by a rider of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror or this video. The screaming in the darkness corresponds to when the elevator drops. Please do not call Child protective Services: we really did not know what the ride was about, and he was well tall enough for it.

Keegan was pretty scared…but did not scream much, and I guess he said the scariest part was not the drop, but the eerie, spooky video of the 60’s TV show. So he was concerned about our own hotel, hoping it was not haunted.

To calm down, we took a stroll down Carland. It was even more magical at night, with all the lights on.

Even Mater’s ride was more fun at night. The line was still about 1 hour long for Radiator Springs Racers ride, so we gave up, and rode on Monster Incs instead.

We headed back to the hotel just before the fireworks, and just as it started raining. We watched the show from the roof, under a light rain, and finally headed to bed, exhausted. I am still amazed at Keegan’s resistance. He had less than 8 hours of sleep, and we were at the park from 8am to 8.30pm (with 1.5 hour break for dinner), and he was still going. He is really the energizer bunny.

He did crash heavily when we got to the hotel. He was sleeping so soundly he did not hear Matt go out to get us, adults, some ice cream. So, I would say it was a very successful day: the crowds were moderate, we got to ride all the coolest attractions, Keegan did not complained or whine (except for cotton candy) and waited patiently if we had to wait. I guess waiting till he was 6 was a good call.

From the adults’ perspective…I really liked California Adventure: they did a great job building it and there is plenty for adults to enjoy. I would definitely come back!

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