Disneyland

[keladry_lupin]

I went out to my brother's house on Wednesday night after work. SIL and Boo were waiting up for me, and we visited for a bit before going to bed. Thursday morning was much more rushed than my usual morning routine, but a ten-year-old asking how soon we're leaving does tend to make me want to hurry up a bit.

I got both of us annual passes. I figured, hey, the summer is coming up, we can go and play, we can get Mom and SIL to get passes too, and my pretty little tax refund from the state of California arrived yesterday and paid for one of them. The passes I bought are the cheapest ones available, so there are more days that you can't get in than days you can, but you can upgrade at any time in the year. (And even if I do show up on one of these Blackout Days, my admission is $30, as opposed to the one-day Southern-California-resident rate of $63.)

I also very much appreciate the FastPass procedure they've had for about six years now. You put your ticket or annual pass in a console for a ride you want to go on, and you get another little ticket that allows you to bypass most of the line on that ride, later in the day. We went to Space Mountain at 13:15 and got FastPasses for that ride ... that would allow us to go in between 22:30 and 23:30!

Even better: Boo and I got into the regular line for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster about ten minutes before our FastPasses for that ride were valid. We waited for about forty minutes, rode the ride, then ran back to the front. Our FastPasses had us back on the ride about seven minutes after we'd gotten off!

Star Tours used to be my favorite attraction, but I've gotten a little tired of it. (For anyone who hasn't been on it, it's a Star Wars simulator ride. You're in a shuttle that is supposed to take you to the Endor moon, but the droid pilot overshoots it. The shuttle gets lost in a barrage of comets, then gets entangled with a fleet of Star Destroyers, and dives headlong into a battle above the Death Star.) Hope springs eternal that they'll add some new simulations/destinations; the droid's declaration that it's his first flight has gotten a little stale ... the ride has been around for at least fifteen years.

I'm not sure how long they've been doing this, but Disney (who are experts at finding ways to part their customers from their money) have come up with another good one. They sell lanyards -- nylon cords that go around your neck -- and pins to go on them. And boy, do they have a selection of pins! Classic characters and movie characters, mostly. You buy your own lanyard and some pins, and when you see a park employee who has a lanyard of his own with some pins, you can offer to trade. Problem is I ended up with five pins, and I don't want to trade a single one: Boo (Monsters, Inc. character from whom my older niece gets her nickname), Squirt (Finding Nemo character from whom my younger niece gets her nickname), Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), Mulan, and Flik (A Bug's Life). I'll hang my lanyard up at work, I think. Something cute to give a bit of color to my dreary mauve cubicle.

We got into my car at 23:45. Boo was asleep by the time we got on the freeway! I turned on my Wicked CD and sang quietly to stay awake. (Especially difficult, considering the huge delay on one freeway -- four of six lanes were closed for construction work.) We got back here just before 1:00 this morning. Boo took her shoes off and climbed into bed; I wasn't in any better shape, really, though I did manage to change into pajamas and remember to put SIL's spare house key back on their ring.

We had a lovely, lovely time yesterday. Boo and I chatted about everything and nothing. She professed as late as 9:30 that she wasn't tired, though she'd been yawning for an hour already. Towards the end of the day, we'd just sit (or stand in line) in silence and lean on each other for support. But those moments were the best, actually. Having a sweet girl cuddle up to me (whether it's Boo or her three-year-old sister, Squirt) is a joy and a treat.

Final Score:

Disneyland: +/- $400

Kel and Boo: two annual passes at $124 each
fruit
Star Tours (twice)
Autopia
lunch
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (twice)
lanyards and pins
Innoventions
Pirates of the Caribbean (Jack Sparrow!)
popcorn in a souvenir cup that is big enough to double as a lunch pail
the Haunted Mansion
ice cream
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (twice consecutively)
dinner
Monorail
Space Mountain
lots of hugs, lots of talk, LOTS of laughs ... Priceless.


Picspam to follow, when I get the pictures developed. I took the day off work today, too, and will be writing most of the day. (I'm too pooped to do anything else!)

And my new haircut passed the Disneyland test. When a big breeze came up or I got off a ride, all I had to do was run my hand through it a couple times (and brush it every time we were in the loo), and it fell back into place. (If you had my hair, you'd know why I'm thrilled about this.)